Chapter 2

Five years ago, I ran away rather than accept the marriage Father had arranged for me. While hiding from those searching for me, I met Ivan, who was traveling alone.

"Hey, are you out on an adventure?" he teased, eyeing my dirty clothes.

Ivan wasn't upset when I ignored him. Instead, he followed me around like he had nothing better to do, occasionally bringing me food, clothes, and little trinkets he'd come across.

Apparently convinced that I was a helpless she-wolf who couldn't survive on my own, he became my uninvited but surprisingly capable bodyguard, driving off everyone who came looking for me.

When I told Ivan I was running away from an arranged marriage, he merely raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Where are you planning to run off to? Why not take me with you?"

He said it while he worked on the cabin with his shirt off, the moonlight spilling across his solid muscles. Sweat trickled down his abs, making him look incredibly sexy.

I had to admit, I was falling for this passionate yet gentle wolf.

And soon, we became mates and moved into the little cabin he had built himself.

But now, our home was gone.

I could only follow Ivan back to his pack, where I was given a beautifully decorated house that felt utterly lifeless. It stood in a secluded corner, with only one or two people occasionally passing by.

Still, there were always guards stationed outside, keeping watch over me. I wasn't allowed to leave until Ivan and Iris completed their bonding ceremony.

I'd asked Ivan to bond with me before, but he always caressed my face and gently refused. "Oh, Chloe, things between us are too uncertain right now. I can't let you bear that kind of risk and pain."

Now, he would be bonding with Iris Webb in three days.

I closed my eyes and finally made up my mind. In three days, I would leave with my pup and return to Father. I wouldn't wait for Ivan anymore.

I had lost him and our home, but I still had my pup. I couldn't keep my pup in a place that wasn't truly ours, where he'd have to endure other people's contempt. I would take him back to our real home.

The night before the ceremony, Ivan came to me.

"Chloe, do you remember my promise to get you a new necklace?" Ivan's voice was soft as he took a moonstone necklace from the box and put it around my neck. "I picked the brightest one from the pack's treasure. It suits you."

I slipped away from his reach. "No. I just want that bone necklace."

Ivan retracted his hand in embarrassment and smiled. "What's so special about that necklace? Look at this one. It looks like the whole moon is set into it. Isn't it prettier than that bone necklace?"

He had clearly forgotten that the bone necklace was the token of our love.

My gaze landed on the ring finger of his left hand, where a ring I'd never seen before now sat. Before he could honor the promise he'd made to me, he'd already adorned his hand with a token meant for someone else.

Noticing where I was looking, Ivan explained guiltily, "I'm only wearing this for tomorrow's ceremony. Once it's over, I'll take it off. Darling, I'll make another ring for you myself and put it on your finger."

"I don't need it." I closed my eyes and said quietly, "Ivan, once everything is over tomorrow, can you have the people guarding this place leave?"

Ivan looked a little flustered. "Of course. They're only here to protect you."

"You promise?"

"Yes."

I finally relaxed and gazed at the wolf I'd shared countless days and nights with for the past five years, knowing this might be the last time I'd ever see him.

The heartache I'd kept buried for so long surged up at last, swallowing me like a rising tide. And Ivan had no idea what was going on.

He brought some pastries and placed them in front of me. "You haven't eaten all day. Come on. Be good. Eat something, okay? I don't want you to go hungry."

I picked up a piece and took a small bite, deciding to ask him one last time. "Ivan, could you please not bond with Iris?"