Chapter 1

On the day of our anniversary party, Sebastian Garland, my mate, brought another lover home for the 96th time.

This time, he only brought one home with him. Her name was Isabella Stewart, but to me, she was "Lover 99".

I felt like I'd maxed out my tolerance. I said I wanted to break our bond, but my words only drew waves of laughter.

"Let's place our bets!" someone shouted, fanning the flames by eagerly egging the others on. "I bet she'll start regretting it before she even makes it out the door!"

"I bet half a million that she won't actually go through with it!"

"I'll bet 200 thousand!"

The other werewolves simply considered me a laughingstock, and my actions were nothing more than a farce to them.

"I think she's leaving for real this time!"

A deep voice rang out, one that sounded rather familiar. I looked around, but there were too many people around for me to pick out who had spoken.

"Listen up, Cassandra," Sebastian uttered icily as he stood with one arm wrapped around Isabella, his latest fling. "Your threats don't work on me. It's time you knew your place. Now do as you're told and bring the gown over."

My gaze was now still and hollow. "It's upstairs, in the second drawer of the closet. Get it yourself."

Every second I spent in this room suffocated me. Once I finished speaking, I turned to leave.

Perhaps the fact that I was no longer the meek pushover I used to be made Sebastian grab my wrist. He gripped it so tightly that it hurt.

"Where do you think you're going? I'm warning you! I've had it with your nonsense, so don't push it!"

As I flung him off me, I retorted, "Where I go is none of your business. Your Lover 99 is waiting for you."

My defiance clearly enraged Sebastian. His eyes bored into me, and his mouth curled into a vicious smile. "I've changed my mind. Take off what you're wearing, now. Let Isabella wear it."

"You want me to undress myself here?" I stared at him in disbelief.

He came up with all sorts of ways to torment, and each time, it made me feel as though he was a stranger whom I was getting to know for the first time. How was he the same Sebastian that I once loved dearly?

He gripped my chin disdainfully. "What's the matter? Is there something wrong with that? Back when your father's pack was on the verge of collapse, your mother was so desperate to make me marry you as soon as possible that she stripped you naked and threw you onto my bed. You were nothing but a slutty whore then, so why are you pretending to be so chaste now?"

I felt as though an icy grip had tightened around my heart.

This was the root of all the conflict and resentment between Sebastian and me.

Not long after he brought back the antidote for my Silver Moon disease, Father's pack faced bankruptcy. To save the pack—and to gain Sebastian's help—Mother did as he had said.

That night was the beginning of all the humiliation I was forced to endure. If she hadn't interfered, maybe Sebastian and I could have had a good life together.

But ever since then, he kept bringing new lovers home, getting more and more outrageous each time.

I shut my eyes and forced out the words that made my whole body tremble. "I'll take it off."

As everyone else looked in with mocking and scornful gazes, my shaking hands undid the gown I'd carefully chosen for our anniversary celebration. When the gown slid down my body, I felt the gazes burning into my skin like a scorching branding iron.

The humiliation, agony, and rage almost swallowed me whole.

Sebastian had just squandered his 97th chance. I thought he'd be gloating with satisfaction, but instead, his expression darkened, and his eyes churned with fury.

He ripped off his suit jacket and threw it at me, bellowing, "Get the hell out, you filthy bitch!"