Chapter 1

I was carrying two cups of coffee to the lab.

The door was cracked open. I heard Mason's hushed voice.

"Julian, does Vesper know you secretly filed the transfer request?"

I stopped dead.

"She'll understand," Julian said, his tone casual. "We're fated mates. We don't need to discuss it."

The heat from the coffee burned my fingers.

Mason sighed. "But she got the Chief Healer offer from Silver Crest. Wasn't that the whole point of leaving home for Neutral Territory? To go back and serve our pack?"

"Plans change," Julian answered dismissively. "Elodie's wolf is damaged. She needs me. Vesper will understand what's important."

My chest tightened. The mate bond ached.

"You're sure she'll agree to go to Crimson Peak?"

Julian laughed. "She wouldn't dare disagree. Ten years with my mark on her, her wolf is bound to mine. Besides, Vesper's the reasonable one. She never makes a fuss."

Reasonable.

The word stabbed me like a knife.

"Julian, you still have feelings for Elodie, don't you?" Mason asked the one question I was terrified to hear.

Silence.

Then the scrape of a chair on the floor.

"Vesper is the perfect mate," Julian finally said. "Professional, capable, independent. But with Elodie… that feeling of being needed… you get it, right?"

The flick of a lighter.

Julian took a long drag from his cigarette. "A Beta needs to be needed. Vesper's too strong. She doesn't need me. But Elodie… she makes me feel important."

My hands started to shake. My wolf let out a pained, disbelieving whine.

"But this breaks your vows," Mason said softly. "Did you forget what you swore back in Silver Crest?"

Julian scoffed. "We were kids. Mason, a Beta warrior deserves to be a little greedy. Vesper only cares about her research. I'll take care of Elodie. Everyone gets what they need."

Everyone gets what they need.

"What kind of warrior can't even protect the person right next to him?" Julian's voice was full of self-righteousness. "I can't let Elodie get hurt again."

Mason seemed about to argue, but Julian cut him off.

"Don't worry. Vesper will follow me. She has no other choice."

I backed away slowly, carefully.

The hallway was silent, except for the thunder of my own heart.

Back at our apartment, I set the coffees down.

My hands were still trembling.

A photo hung on the wall. Us, five years ago, at the Pack Chief Medical Summit. The day Julian gave the keynote speech.

I remember him on that stage, his eyes shining with conviction.

The last slide of his presentation read: "It is the mission of our generation to bring advanced medicine back to Silver Crest."

I was so moved.

That idealistic Beta was the man I'd pledged my life to.

I thought we shared the same dream.

I thought we would go home together, serve our pack together.

How naive I was.

My phone buzzed. A text from Julian. "Not coming home for dinner. Elodie's having a rough day, I need to stay with her."

I stared at the message and wanted to laugh.

How many times had I gotten a text like this in the last six months?

Today Elodie has a headache. Tomorrow she has insomnia. The next day her wolf is restless.

And me? The "reasonable" mate? I was just supposed to wait quietly.

Because I "never make trouble for him."

Because I have "no other choice."

I went to the window and watched the sunset.

The mate mark on my neck throbbed, a constant reminder of ten years of compromise.

Julian’s words echoed in my head.

"She wouldn't dare disagree."

"Vesper will follow me. She has no other choice."

"A Beta warrior deserves to be a little greedy."

In his eyes, I wasn't his partner. I was his property. An accessory he was sure would never leave his side.

My phone pinged again. A notification for Elodie's social media.

She'd posted a picture of her and Julian, smiling sweetly.

The caption: "So thankful for someone who understands my weakness."

I looked at the photo, and the last shred of warmth in my heart died.

He never wanted to go back to Silver Crest.

He just wanted to be wherever Elodie was.