Chapter 1

"Rowena, what are you gazing at?" Arnold flashed me a perfect smile.

I stared dead at the top of his head.

A string of numbers floated right there: 88%.

We'd been together for ten years, mated for five, and that number had always been 100%.

Today, it dropped without a single warning.

"Nothing. Your tie is a little crooked." I suppressed my racing heart, stepped forward, and steadily adjusted the silk fabric.

Arnold leaned down and pressed a kiss to my forehead. His unique Alpha cedarwood scent washed over me, full of comfort.

He turned and strode into the dining room. Our five-year-old pup, Lily, was sitting on a barstool, eating the cake he bought.

Arnold walked over, lovingly ruffled her hair, and then headed for the bathroom.

Lily suddenly put down her fork and leaned close to my ear.

"Mommy, why did the number above Daddy's head change?" she asked in a sweet, milky voice, her big eyes full of confusion.

My heart plunged into an ice box.

Lily inherited my gift.

Because she was too young, I hadn't explained the meaning of loyalty to her, only telling her it was our absolute secret and couldn't be breathed to anyone.

Her words completely shattered my wishful thinking.

I wasn't seeing things.

Arnold was the problem.

We had agreed to take Lily to the amusement park today; she had been talking about it for weeks.

But in the afternoon, Arnold suddenly told me:

"There's an emergency in the pack. I really can't make it. You take Lily and have fun, I'm so sorry."

Though I was a bit angry he broke his promise, I didn't think too much of it.

After all, as the Alpha of the pack, there was always an endless pile of pack business.

I spent the entire afternoon at the amusement park alone with our daughter.

It wasn't until eight at night that Arnold finally returned.

In his left hand was a huge pink gift box containing Lily's dream limited-edition doll. In his right hand was a fresh cake.

"Did you have fun today, my little princess?" Arnold opened his arms, his smile full of remorse and apology.

He strode over, pulled Lily into a tight hug, kissed her cheek hard, and then leaned in to capture my lips in a deep kiss.

"Rowena, I'm sorry. Today, an assistant carelessly made a mistake on an agreement, almost affecting our alliance with the Hurricane Pack. I had to go deal with it personally." His eyes looked incredibly sincere, his tone exhausted.

But I caught the fleeting softness in his gaze when he mentioned that assistant.

If I hadn't seen his loyalty drop to 88%, I really would have believed he was just fighting for our pack.

"It's okay, pack business is more important." I forced a flawless smile and discreetly dodged his hand as it reached for my waist.

Arnold didn't notice my stiffness. He was too busy coaxing a grumpy Lily.

He played the flawless, perfect father and husband to a tee.

While he went into the bathroom, I picked up the suit jacket he had just tossed aside.

My fingers paused at the collar.

On the dark gray cashmere, a few long, dark brown hairs lay quietly.

I have pure blonde hair. And these long strands, with obvious wavy curls, were glaringly obvious under the hall light.

My wolf growled uneasily inside me, and a hidden yet sharp pain shot through the mate bond.

This was another female's hair.

I pinched the hairs between my fingers, stayed silent for a few seconds, then let go, letting them drift to the floor.

I thought of my mother's advice to me, thought of the ten years we spent together.

Finally, I sighed.

I needed to start getting ready to leave.