My Mate’s Deception

Though I was saved again from suicide, the despair inside me was so heavy that I couldn’t even fall asleep.So I went to Louise’s house and locked myself in Aden’s childhood bedroom, hoping to sense his lingering scent.That’s when I overheard Louise and James arguing in hushed voices.“Aden, Emily tried to kill herself three times because of you! Are you really going to keep lying to her?”“Mom, I promised James I’d take care of Ivy. She’s fragile. If she finds out it was James who died, she won’t survive it.”“My plan, now that I’ve faked my death, is to give Ivy a child. That way, she has a reason to live other than James. As for Emily, I haven’t formed a mate bond with her. She won’t sense who I truly am. Once Ivy has the baby, I’ll tell her everything.”My mind went completely blank, and I could hear buzzing in my ears. All the blood in my body froze. The obsidian pendant in my hand dug deep into my palm, but I couldn’t feel the pain.Louise sounded panicked as she tried

Once we sat down, Aden ordered fluently from the menu, filling the table with all of Ivy’s favorites.I had no appetite. I didn’t want to see them acting all sweet and affectionate across the table, either. So I kept my head down and ate mechanically.It wasn’t until my throat suddenly tightened that I realized there were bits of minced shrimp in my pasta.I was allergic to seafood!Aden used to remember everything I liked and couldn’t have. He even used to tell restaurants to keep every trace of seafood, especially shrimp, out of my meals.Now he had ordered a full plate of seafood pasta.Aden noticed something was wrong with my expression. When he saw the food in my hand, he suddenly shouted, “Emily, did you eat shrimp?!”However, by then, my throat was already swelling. It was as if I were being choked, and my breathing got harder and harder. The people and lights around me began to blur.I saw Aden get up and rush toward me, but Ivy stepped in his way, frowning.“James,

The next time I woke up was because of the searing pain in my arm.My eyes instantly welled up when I saw the raw, blistered burn stretched across my skin. “Do you feel wronged? You almost killed Ivy and her baby. A burn on your arm is nothing. If anything, you should be grateful that you got off easy.”Aden’s cold voice cut through the room.I looked up and saw his face twisted in anger.“I told you to wait! Why couldn’t you stay patient? Don’t tell me you tried to hurt my and Ivy’s baby because you’re jealous?”I bit my lip so hard that it turned white, staring at him like he was my enemy.“She said I did it, and you just believed her?”“Of course I did. She’s my mate now. Who the hell am I supposed to believe if not her?”“Then what are you doing, standing by my hospital bed? Get out!”I couldn’t hold my anger in any longer. I grabbed the pillow and hurled it at him.Aden dodged easily, his irritation only deepening. He didn’t even notice my red, swollen eyes.“Fine. Co

My new life turned out to be better than I had ever imagined.When I first came back to Silver Spring Pack, Marco was heartbroken to hear that I had not only lost two bloodroots, but I was left with painful burn scars on my arm.Furious, he wanted to storm Moon Forest Pack and demand justice from Aden.After all, if I’d had even one bloodroot when I was burned, my arm wouldn’t be marred by such ugly scars.For werewolves, scars were symbols of weakness and shame, having been defeated to gain them.However, Jonas then held out the bloodroot his parents had left him and applied it to my scars.He calmed Marco’s rage and soothed me with soft words.“Once we get to Southland, we’ll find more. This is your new beginning, Emily.”He brushed a finger across my healing skin and smiled knowingly.That’s right. Congratulations to me. My new life was about to begin.The day before we migrated to Southland, I stood alone by the calm lake of Silver Spring. In my hand was the obsidian pe

My Marking Ceremony with Jonas was both simple and grand.After exchanging our vows, Jonas gently kissed my lips. As he lifted the white veil from my face, I caught a glimpse of a familiar figure among the crowd.It was only for a moment before it disappeared.I convinced myself it was just an illusion, a sign that I had finally moved on.Little did I know that at some point, that familiar figure really did try to crash my wedding.After escaping from Moon Forest Pack, Aden had headed straight for Southland.He searched everywhere until he finally found me, only to see me in a wedding dress, about to complete the Marking Ceremony with Jonas.He tried to shout and tell everyone that he was my true mate.However, Jonas quietly grabbed him, dragging him away from the venue.“You bastard! You stole my mate!” Aden roared, lunging at Jonas.But Jonas easily blocked his attack. “You’re the one who stole her!“I’ve loved Emily since we were kids! Ever since I heard you were dead, I