Chapter 1

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 to reason with him. “But you’re with Ivy every day! Have you ever thought about how Emily must feel?”

Aden looked down. “She’ll be okay. Emily’s stronger than Ivy…”

Sorrow cut straight through my heart like a blade.

I stumbled back, accidentally knocking over a broom leaning against the wall.

Instantly, the house was silent.

I clamped a hand over my mouth and bolted until I was far from the house.

That was when I realized I was still holding Aden’s keepsake.

It was the one thing that had kept me going through all those nights—a token of our love.

Five years ago, when we had just made our relationship official, he had slipped the pendant around my neck and pulled me into his arms.

He told me obsidian could counter the strength of werewolves, and he’d shaped it into a pendant as a vow.

From that moment on, I was his only one, and he’d spent forever protecting and cherishing me.

Before he left for the war, I had taken it off, red-eyed, and placed it in his hand.

I told him to come home safe and that I would wait. When he returned, we’d hold our Marking Ceremony together.

And he did come back.

Only to fake his death, take James’ place, spend every day with Ivy, and plan to have a pup with her.

All that while he watched in silence as I grieved and lost all my will to live.

I had never imagined the man I loved most would be the one to hurt me the deepest. It was just like this obsidian pendant. Made to protect me, but now dug into my palm, making me bleed.

I felt like a fool.

I could no longer hold back as I looked at my bleeding hand and cried.

When I finally pulled myself together and made it back to my own home, my phone rang.

It was my brother, Marco.

“Emily, the Silver Spring Pack is moving to Southland in a week. You know how much we’ve missed you. We just want you to let go of the past and start fresh…”

Since Aden’s “death”, my family had been calling me again and again. They hoped I could come home and move on.

However, I had refused every time.

In my heart, life without Aden wasn’t life at all. I’d rather be buried in the ground with him.

Now…

Hearing the longing in Marco’s voice, I wiped away my tears and spoke, my voice steady.

“Okay. I’ll come.”

Marco was shocked by my answer.

Suddenly, the front door burst open.

Aden stormed in, his face dark. “Emily, where are you going?”

I quickly hung up the call. The way he stood there demanding answers almost made me laugh.

“I couldn’t sleep. So I was going to head to the church at sunrise.”

At that, he visibly relaxed. He then took a step closer to me, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard.

“Emily, even though Aden is gone, you can still stay here in the Moon Forest Pack. I’ll take care of you. You don’t need to go anywhere. Stay with me… with us, okay?”

The absurdity of it all hit me like a wave.

For the past three months, he’d lived a lie.

He’d been by Ivy’s side every day, loving her, building a life with her, while I broke apart right in front of him. Now he wanted me to stay?

I didn’t expose his hypocrisy. Instead, I buried my feelings and nodded quietly.

It didn’t matter. In a week, I’d be gone for good.

Later, as I was packing my things in the bedroom, I heard Ivy’s sudden scream.

“Oh, crap!”

Her shriek tore through the night.

I ran out of the room just in time to see a disheveled Aden carrying a pale Ivy out the door. Her nightgown was soaked red, a stark contrast under the moonlight.

Aden looked completely panicked.

Bitterness swelled in my chest. My eyes burned.

Ivy was rushed to the treatment room.

Outside, Aden paced anxiously back and forth, and when he saw me, he paused, clearly startled.

He opened his mouth to say something when the healer came out.

“James, relax. Ivy’s going to be okay. She’s pregnant and will need to be careful from now on.”