Chapter 1

Once the pack healer, Adrian, took off, I emptied the potion, opened the cabinet, and pulled out every gift Kieran Voss had ever given me.

The gifts included pearls from the Southern Seas, gemstones from the Northern Territories, and the wolf fang he had brought back from the battlefield on my sixteenth birthday.

Kieran secured the wolf fang around my neck and said with a smile, “Raina, with this, no one in the Frostfang Pack will ever pick on you.”

It hit me now that the one who hurt me the most was Kieran.

I instructed Sage to pack the stuff up and move everything to another room.

That afternoon, I went to Celeste’s home.

Her three pups were out practicing archery.

The eldest, six-year-old Ronan, bore a striking resemblance to Kieran.

I handed him the little box I had crafted the day before. “Here you go. It suits you best.”

Instead of accepting the gift, he stared at me warily.

“Are you trying to hurt me because you can’t have pups of your own?”

With my breath caught in my throat, I got down to his eye level. “Who taught you that?”

Ronan pouted. “The other she-wolves said that you’re only harassing us because you can’t have your own pups. They said that you’re trying to steal Dad away and make Mom sick with grief.”

Before I knew it, Ronan grabbed the bow and hurled it into the nearby pond. “You’re a wicked she-wolf! I don’t want anything from you!”

The little bow drifted to the bottom of the pond, mirroring the sinking of my heart.

Fond of pups as I was, I spent the last six years trying to bond with the three pups. By doing so, I showered them with little toys and trinkets.

Nevertheless, the three pups refused to get close to me.

Kieran told me that the pups were just shy around strangers, and I believed him.

As it turned out, they weren’t afraid of strangers. Someone simply convinced them that I was the wicked she-wolf who stole their father away.

Before I could walk away, Kieran’s voice came from behind.

“Raina.”

I turned around and faced Kieran.

Ronan sprinted over to hug Kieran’s leg. “Dad, Raina was so mean!”

Getting down on one knee, Kieran ruffled the pup’s hair before standing up to meet my gaze. “Why are you getting petty with Ronan? He’s just a pup.”

I replied indifferently, “I wasn’t being petty.”

“What was that about the bow?”

“It was a gift for him. He didn’t like it.”

Kieran frowned, his expression helpless. “I know you adore pups, but they aren’t close to you. You’re only making them resent you by coming here often.

“They aren’t into the gifts you bring, so just stop it. This will only hurt Celeste’s feelings when she finds out.”

It had always been this way with Kieran over the past seven years.

No matter what I did, Kieran was always there to clean up after me, only to then remind me how much it would upset Celeste.

It was as if everything I did was to compete with her.

However, that had never been my intention.

I nodded. “I won’t anymore.”

Taken aback for a bit, Kieran approached to run his fingers down my hair, his voice tender.

“Raina, we are bound to have our own pups, and they will love you.”

Swallowing the bitterness in my throat, I nodded compliantly.

Right on cue, Sage came over holding a box of jewelry.

As Kieran’s eyes shifted to the contents in the box, he recognized the items and pulled a grimace.

“These belong in your room. Why are they here?”

I responded callously, “I have too much clutter. Since I have no use for them, I’m keeping them in storage.”

“Raina.” His tone was icy. “Celeste is expecting another pup. Must you act up?”

I stared at him, a wave of exhaustion washing over me.

To Kieran, I was just the spoiled, willful she-wolf. Everything I did was reduced to petty jealousy.

This time around, I was done with him.

“I’m not trying anything. I’m not trying to compete with her. Well, I never will again.”

He kept his eyes on me before draping his coat across my shoulders. He tucked a curl of my hair behind my ear and spoke softly as if calming an unreasonable pup.

“Enough of this, Raina. Get back to your room now. Celeste is pregnant right now. Once I see to her needs, I’ll come and check on you.”

I kept my head down, not meeting his eyes.

“Don’t bother, Kieran. Just take good care of her.”

Kieran scowled, but before he could say anything else, Celeste emerged.

Her voice was gentle when she persuaded him. “Don’t be mad, Kieran. Raina probably misses home.”

She approached me and took my hand in a supposedly intimate manner. “Raina, if you really want to go home, I’ll be happy to arrange everything for you.”

I looked up at her.

It was true that my heart and mind were back with my pack, but the last thing I needed was her help.

“That won’t be necessary, Celeste. I’ll make my own arrangements.”

Not taking another glance at them, I turned on my heel and went home to pack my bags.