Chapter 1

“Vera’s pregnant with my pup.”My husband, Mason, calmly informed me that he got my sister pregnant.

“A divorce, then.” I cleared my throat quietly, lifting my chin as I sat up straighter in my chair. “I’ll tell Father.”

“We can’t get a divorce, Bianca.” Mason shook his head, looking at me as though I’d just suggested the most ridiculous thing in the world, “Stop with the nonsense. We need a real solution here.”

“Oh,you expect me to raise the pup you and Vera are having?”

My jaw clenched in agitation as I sat there in silence. My chest rose and fell in steady breaths as I attempted to remain as calm as I could. My lips parted to say something but I pressed them together when I felt my nose prickle, heat rising to my face and my eyes glazing over slightly with tears of betrayal.

I’d known of their affair for a while, so I couldn’t help but wonder to myself if I should even have been surprised. On the evening of our second wedding anniversary, I’d caught the two of them kissing in the garden. I’d gone out for a fresh breath of air and a break from socializing with the guests at our party, and to my surprise had stumbled onto the scene of my sister being embraced in the arms of my husband.

That night, he finally told me the truth – that they were in an affair, but not only that, that they were in love. So perhaps I should’ve seen this coming, but maybe my innate stubbornness stopped me from doing so.

Calm, Bianca. Be calm. My wolf, once a roaring presence inside me, slowly quieted in the deafening silence between us and faded from my heart. What had happened to us? How did we get here?

I was the daughter of the werewolf president, and Mason, an alpha, was my childhood friend who eventually became my first love.

As a child, I’d always believed in the concept of soulmates. I believed in love at first sight, and I’d yearned for the soft touches and stolen glances shared across rooms that I always read about in the fairytales growing up. I believed that there was one person out there just for me, and I’d believed that that person was Mason. We were supposed to be soulmates, bound by fate, connected by an invisible string. I’d believed that our union wasn’t just a political marriage, but one built on love, trust, and respect. For two years, I’d longed for a child and prepared everything a new life would need, but no child ever came.

And now, Vera was pregnant. My husband and my sister had turned me into a complete and utter joke. What would the public’s reaction be to this if word ever got out?

“I’ll tell Father.” I repeated, reaching down and pulling a drawer out for the divorce papers, “He’ll help you and Vera.” I swallowed thickly, sliding the thick stack of paper across the desk along with a pen. I felt nauseated. “Sign it, or I’ll take this to the Werewolf Courts.”

“Divorce isn’t some game, Bianca.” Mason snapped, his thick eyebrows furrowing as he shoved the papers back towards me, “We’re- we’re in a political marriage, don’t you understand? And I’m an alpha, multiple partners and children are normal for an alpha. You’ve always been this way, ever since we were young. You’re too old-fashioned, too boring… This is the real world, you need to grow up-”

“I said sign the papers, Mason!” I interrupted sharply, slamming my palm flat down on the contract before getting up, my chair screeching from underneath me. “I’m done talking about this. Just let me know when you get this done and we can discuss next steps.”

“Bianca-!”

As soon as I shut the office door behind me, the tears that had threatened to spill a few moments ago finally did. I covered my mouth with a palm to muffle a short sob before shaking my head and letting out a slow, trembling breath – I refused to let myself cry over this. I couldn’t be weak because of a man’s betrayal.

Visions of rocking a cradle and singing sweet lullabies played in my head as I made my way down the hallway, standing at the door of what could’ve been my child’s bedroom.

I opened the door slowly, poking my head into the room. The walls had been painted a soothing shade of emerald green, the room complete with a bassinet, rocking chair, a bookshelf, and even a chest that was already full of toys. I’d prepared this room for two years, hoping that all of this hard work would manifest my future in motherhood, and month after month, nothing ever happened.

And now, my husband didn’t even want me. No child, no husband, no future.

“Stupid.” I sniffled, reaching over to flick the light switch off before a thought bubbled up in my mind.

What’s stopping me from having a child of my own?

My eyes flickered off to the side as I considered this thought. I could raise a child alone – all I had to do was walk into the Wolf Reproductive Center and choose a vial of sperm. I had never considered it before because all this time I’d been waiting for Mason to give me a child, but now…

Though I’d passed by the Wolf Reproductive Center multiple times while downtown, I’d never actually been inside it. It was much more… welcoming than I’d imagined, and far less medical. The walls were a shade of soft pink with pictures of random happy families hung on the walls, there were large decorative plants scattered around, and they even provided complimentary cucumber-lemon water in a fancy pitcher on the front desk.

I looked around as I stood at the front desk – multiple couples and a handful of single women were seated in the lobby, all focused on flipping through the list of donors. I couldn’t help but feel oddly connected to these complete strangers. After all, we were all here for the same reason.

“Ms. Ravenwood, you… You are married, aren’t you?” The receptionist asked quietly, clutching the clipboard to her chest as she looked over at me cautiously.

“I am. But my personal life is none of your business. The only thing that should matter to you is that I’m here for a sperm donor.” I stood firmly in place, reaching out for the clipboard, “I’d like to see the list of donors, now.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Blondes, brunettes, redheads. 20s, 30s, 40s. High school education, college education, even no education – none of these donors were good enough for me. I couldn’t help but frown as I continued flipping through the list, taking another sip of my cucumber-lemon water. Wasn’t this supposed to be a high quality place? It seemed like they were accepting just about anybody.

“Not good enough.” I muttered to myself, getting up from my seat. The door next to me suddenly swung open and I let out a gasp, holding my hand out to keep the door from smacking me square in the face. “Hey, watch it!”

“Oh, my bad- I’m sorry-” I looked up, my eyes widening slightly at what I saw. Handsome. Very, very handsome – in fact, he was the most striking man I think I’d ever seen. An alpha, strong yet graceful… like a sleek, powerful leopard. It’s him. My eyes flickered down to the vial of sperm he had clutched in his hand.

“...Give me that vial.”