Chapter 4

My whole life, I'd gotten used to waiting.

After losing my pack, I waited to be chosen by another, waited to be granted a charity spot at Crestwood, waited for someone to see me in a crowd.

I had always accepted whatever fate threw at me. Passively.

But in that moment, seeing my fear for what it was, I decided to fight back.

I wiped the blood from my finger, said goodbye to Elder Lyra, and took a cab straight to the Silvermoon Pack headquarters.

On the way, I rehearsed my lines over and over.

I was going to ask him why he was acting strange. I was going to ask him what was really going on with Victoria.

But when I gathered my courage and stepped into the magnificent lobby, a new security guard stopped me.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," the young wolf said, polite but firm. "You need an appointment to see the Alpha. It must be booked a week in advance."

I looked into his blank eyes. The words, I'm his mate, died on my lips.

No one here knew me.

Because Caspen had never brought me here. Not once.

I retreated behind a massive pillar, took a deep breath, and closed my eyes.

For the first time, I initiated the Mind Link between mates.

The moment I sent the connection, a wave of oppressive Alpha energy pulsed from the direction of the elevators.

Ding— The private elevator doors opened.

Caspen strode out, leading a group of people.

He wore a sharp black suit, tall and imposing.

His brows were furrowed, his cold gaze scanning the lobby. He had clearly felt the sudden mental link.

Panic seized me. I slammed the connection shut and shrank deeper into the shadows.

Caspen's pace faltered for a second.

He deliberately slowed his walk toward the main entrance.

My heart pounded. I thought he'd seen me.

Just as he passed less than ten feet away, a sweet, lilting voice came from behind him.

"Cas."

The blood in my veins turned to ice.

Victoria, in high heels, hurried to catch up, falling into step naturally beside him.

She took a deep breath, looking at the rows of white flowers blooming by the floor-to-ceiling windows.

"Remember? We used to dream that if you ever built a headquarters, the lobby had to be filled with Moon Orchids."

Victoria tilted her head, her smile radiant. "I can't believe you remembered."

I stared blankly at the flowers swaying in the sunlight.

On the day this building opened, I had spent three months weaving a tapestry of the pack's sigil for him, using the most precious moonsilk.

That night, he had merely glanced at it and said, "A lot of effort went into this."

The next day, the tapestry was tossed into the manor's basement storage.

It wasn't that he disliked decoration.

It was that my tapestry was not worthy of his hall of Moon Orchids.

I bit down hard, refusing to let the tears fall.

I watched them walk out the door together, so perfectly matched, so dazzling.

I turned back to the diligent security guard and forced a painful smile. "It's fine, I don't need an appointment after all. Thank you."

I fled back to that cold apartment and collapsed on the sofa.

A moment later, my phone started vibrating violently.

Pack Net had exploded again.

A high-resolution photo was trending everywhere.

The headline read: "Spotted: The Dream Couple at a Michelin Star Steakhouse! Are Alpha Caspen and Miss Sterling Getting Back Together?"

In the photo, Caspen and Victoria were sitting face-to-face at a prime window seat.

Caspen was passing a perfectly cut piece of steak to Victoria's plate. An act he had never done for me.

In the comments, Victoria replied to a teasing remark from her verified account.

"Don't jump to conclusions, it was just a lunch to 'catch up.'"

The words were vague, but dripping with intimacy.

With a trembling hand, I zoomed in on the photo.

I stared at Caspen's well-defined, powerful wrist.

I had once spent all my savings to have a bracelet made for him, engraved with our pack sigil. It was a symbol that he had a mate.

But now…

That wrist, with its faintly bulging veins, was bare except for his watch.

The mate bracelet was gone.