Chapter 3

Early the next morning, when the wedding planner knocked on the front door with her overly bright smile and her arms full of flower catalogs. I knew she'd come because of the changes I requested last night. But still, I played dumb.

Alpha Martin sat beside me at the breakfast table, staring at her.

"Simona," he said, brows furrowed, "is there something about the reception you want to change?"

My inner wolf snorted in the back of my mind. Liar. We don't even plan on attending this wedding.

Afraid he might notice something, I quickly responded, "Just the bouquet. I want something... softer. "

The planner nodded, scribbling notes. Martin, however, wasn't letting it go. He yanked the size chart out of her hands, and narrowed his eyes.

"Simona, I remember you wear size 35 heels. Why are these changed to 36?"

I bit my lip nervously and took the chart back, looping my arm around his and playfully clinging to him.

"I thought I might get nervous and swell up. Bigger shoes seemed... safer?" I tacked on a small laugh for good measure.

Alpha Martin stared at me intently, like he was trying to figure out whether I was lying.

Just then, Beta Louie rushed in, flustered and out of breath. He leaned close to Martin's ear and whispered,

"Yvonne just had a little fall. She's being rushed to the hospital. She was crying and begging for you to come."

The sound of knife and fork scraping against porcelain shrieked through the air.

Alpha Martin jumped up from his seat, panic written all over his face.

"Call Dr. Millar. Now!" he barked. "And tell him I want the full team on standby. I don't care what it costs—just save her."

I calmly watched him lose his composure, lips curving into a mocking smile.

He was too consumed by worry to even notice my odd behavior.

I acted clueless.

"Martin? What's going on?"

He threw on his coat in a hurry, voice clipped. "Shadow Crown Pack project—something urgent. I'll explain later."

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly turned back, held my face in his hands, and kissed me.

"Be a good girl and wait for me at home," he whispered against my ear.

That phrase. Be a good girl. My wolf growled so loudly in my head I had to clench my jaw to stop from baring my teeth.

I pushed him gently. "Go on, Alpha. Handle your business."

As soon as his footsteps faded, the wedding planner gave me a puzzled look. "Miss Simona, if I may... neither the dress measurements nor the shoes match your previous fittings."

I shrugged. "Change them."

She hesitated. "And… didn't you once mention you were allergic to gardenias? You've requested we replace all the venue roses with them."

I nodded. I remembered that Yvonne seemed to like pink, so I added,

"Also, change the wedding theme to pink."

"Pink?" she blinked. "But Alpha Martin said you loved the ocean. He chose blue to reflect—"

"I know what he chose," I said, my voice cool. "But now I choose pink."

She opened her mouth again, and I cut her off before she could get herself fired. "Don't tell Martin. Just do it."

Once she left, I started packing.

My life with Martin started when we were just pups. Martin's parents were my parents' closest friends, so they let me stay with Martin.I used to chase his tail around the training field while he taught me how to dodge rogue attacks with a stick.

On our 18th birthday, during our first shift, we both awakened powerful wolves.

The luckiest part? My wolf excitedly whispered,

"Martin... he's our destined mate."

Now, twenty years of shared memories stared back at me from every wall—photos of mud fights, first training sessions, school dances, even the first time I kissed him by the lake.

I yanked each one down and tossed them in a pile. One photo had a smudge of chocolate on the corner from our anniversary. Another had a wolf pawprint on the frame—mine.

Whenever I needed him, he was always there.

One by one, I tossed the photos into the trash. Then I struck a match.

The flames danced and licked the glossy prints, turning them slowly to ash.