Chapter 1

After getting the new number, I didn't go back to Lucian. I sat down on the other side of the hall by myself.

I looked at the time and my mind drifted back to the bet I'd made with my father.

Three years ago, my father and I had seriously discussed an alliance with the Shadow pack.

The elders of both packs had approved. They'd even talked about a date for the Mate Bond Ceremony.

Then I met Lucian.

Back then, he was warm, strong, and always showed up exactly when I needed him.

So I broke off the alliance with my own hands and chose Lucian instead.

My father had seen through Lucian from the start. He bet me that Lucian would never actually marry me.

If I lost, I had to follow his arrangement and marry Ronan.

I was so sure I'd win that I agreed without thinking.

So starting today, I had to honor the bet.

Lucian noticed I was sitting far away. His face finally darkened.

He walked over and dropped his voice.

"Elara, knock it off."

"Can't register today, we'll come back next time."

"You don't need to pull this face over a joke."

For the first time, I didn't go along with him.

"A joke?"

I looked up at him.

"Then tell me, why did you cancel my registration?"

"There were only two numbers left. Everyone here knew. Why was I the only one who didn't?"

"You all stood here watching me get played. That was fun for you, right?"

Lucian frowned. "It's a joke. Do you really have to take it this seriously?"

His friends behind him laughed along.

"Elara, you're way too sensitive."

"Lucian just wanted to mess with you a little. It's not like you actually lost anything."

I looked at them, and suddenly the whole thing felt absurd.

This wasn't the first time they'd done this in three years.

Last time, they hid my Mate Bond oath ring in the garden. I spent two hours searching for it in a blizzard.

The time before that, they changed the location of our anniversary dinner without telling me. I sat alone in an empty banquet hall until midnight.

And once, they told me Lucian had already headed back to the territory. I drove through the night to catch up, only to find out he'd never left the hunting grounds.

Every single time, they laughed until they couldn't breathe.

Every single time, Lucian would hold me afterward and tell me they were just treating me like one of their own.

Now I finally got it. They kept doing it because they were absolutely sure I'd never actually leave Lucian.

I looked at him. "So canceling the Mate Bond registration was your idea too?"

Lucian didn't deny it. "Yeah."

"You've been checking the ceremony details every single day. It was getting annoying."

"I just wanted you to understand that even after we bond, you can't make your whole life about me."

He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. And I actually laughed.

"Don't worry. From now on, I won't."

Lucian's brow twitched.

For the first time, he seemed to sense that this answer was different from before.

But the people around us were still laughing.

"That's more like it."

"You were always too clingy with the Alpha."

"Everyone only teases you because your reactions are so entertaining."

I lowered my eyes.

It wasn't until this moment that I truly saw why they dared to treat me like this.

I raised my head. My voice was quiet, but it made every person within earshot go silent.

"You keep messing with me because you know Lucian would never get angry at any of you for it. Right?"

The laughter in the hall died instantly.

The smile on Lucian's face faded completely.

Only Maya came over, carefully tugging at my sleeve.

"Elara, I'm really sorry."

"I figured you'd find a way to make today's registration work no matter what. You always handle things yourself."

"Lucian said it wouldn't actually affect you. I believed him, so I went along with it. How was I supposed to know you'd take it this hard?"

I slowly pulled my hand free.

"I heard your apology."

"But I'm not going to forgive you."

Maya's face went white.

I didn't look at her again. I opened my phone.

On the screen, a message from the other end: [Ten minutes. I'll be there.]