Chapter 1

Dahlia

If there is anything Derrick Wolfsborne of Silverline Pack hates more than rogues, it is me. Dahlia Silverclaw, his wife. His love for me runs so deep that he would never taste any meals cooked by me. Every moment, every second, that he spends with me feels like torture for him. Almost like my presence rids him of the ability to do so much as breathe. Nothing I do ever impresses him. Gifting him feels like chasing a lost cause, as he never accepts them, or at the very least appreciates me. To him, I’m nothing more than a bug in his world. The stubborn kind that even the best insecticide can’t triumph over.

Yet, this doesn’t stop me from swooping out of my lonely bed, which he hasn’t touched since we got married a year ago. I’m not sure I even remember the last time he visited my bedroom—yes, we sleep in different bedrooms that are far apart, like a magnet repelling its pole. But this doesn’t discourage me. Instead, I wake up every morning, challenging myself to never give up on Derrick to finally notice me. To smile and talk to me like he would with his other Pack members. To see me as his woman. To have a family with me. Because in the end, regardless of how icy and uninterested he might be…I love him. I’ve always loved him from the moment we found out we are mates. And frankly, it will only take death to my wolf and me to stop loving him. 

My bath in the bathroom is quick, so I could have ample time selecting the best dress to make Derrick’s enthralling hazel eyes bulge out of his sockets once he sees me. I eventually settled for a simple, short, floral yellow gown that my full-length mirror didn’t fail to highlight its allure on my skin. I packed my black hair into a neat ponytail and attached a butterfly hairpin to the base.

With a sweet smile, I hopped out of my room to be met by the gaze of Derrick’s shut white door at the other end of the hallway. Every fiber of my body craved to reach for his door, but I was quick to remind myself about the last time I listened to that impulse. Derrick growled at me like I was vermin. So rather than pissing him off, I hustled down the stairs and straight to our ridiculously large kitchen. 

Today is special, and I want to surprise him with his favorite meal—spaghetti and meatballs.

My phone chimed on the counter, drawing my eyes to the screen while I tied my apron ropes behind my back. It was a text from my best friend, Laila. 

“Happy anniversary to you, and your grumpy boy!” I could feel the smile that was latched to her face sending this text, and it easily infected me with a grin. It’s all thanks to Laila that Derrick and I found each other. I had visited this Pack to spend a few days with her, which happened to be around the time of the Luna choosing ceremony for Derrick, as he’s the beloved Alpha’s heir. I thought that night was only going to be a party synonymous with prom night, but it turned out the moon goddess had more in store for me.

Another notification followed from her, 

“So what’s your plan today, babes?!” 

My heart skipped as angst scorched my belly up to my throat. It wasn’t because I’m not prepared—I already have a long list of how our day should pan out. It stemmed from the fact that Derrick might treat today just about as any other day. 

I was about to pick up my phone to bombard Laila’s phone with my exciting list, only for a towering figure to walk in with his sharp cedarwood scent that tantalized the nerves in my nose—Derrick. I nearly drooled at how his grey t-shirt clung to his body, accentuating his thick arms and full chest. It should be deemed diabolical how flawlessly hot he was, even with his messy dark hair and those baggy blue pants. I had to take a split second to swallow the lump of desire that lodged in my throat to gather myself. But my charming husband couldn’t do as little as spare a glance. I didn’t exist in his line of sight. He simply opened the fridge meters beside me, using the door to block his face from me. Perhaps he didn’t see me, after all, he just woke up—Another one of the million excuses I concoct to suit my delusion.

“Hey…” the word rolled off my tongue with a hearty smile, expecting he would bat his eyes at me. All I got was the chugging sound of milk down his throat as he closed the door.

“Derrick…” 

“Need anything?” he offered an uninterested arched brow that matched the gruffness in his voice. The same gruffiness he has been using since we got married, yet I still haven’t grown accustomed to the twinge of pain it shoots my heart with every damn time. 

His gaze peeled away from mine before the next moment came. One would think it was a taboo for him to stare at me longer than a split second. It was also enough for me to draw my conclusion…he doesn’t remember.

“It’s our anniversary,” I spilled mindlessly, even though this isn’t how I imagined it would go. 

“Oh,” not even an ounce of thrill bloomed in his tone, and somehow it was catastrophic enough to make my throat walls burn with heated air. He turned away from me, about to head out, 

“Is that all you’re going to say?” I queried, a desperate attempt to stop him from leaving. 

“Unless I’m missing another piece of useless information,” he replied with a flimsy look over. Taunting my wolf with his contemptuous golden yellow eyes. My smile faltered, morphing into the saddest shade of pain. Getting slammed against a brick wall was better than hearing these heart-wrenching words.

Useless? Is that all our marriage amounted to? Why does it even rile me up when he was clear from the onset? He doesn’t love me. Doesn’t want me. He only married me at the insistence of his father, Alpha Christoper. And I only agreed, foolishly thinking one day our bond could change him. That we would build a happy family together.

“Why…” my frustration burst out of me in a raspy whisper. I didn’t want to break, but my eyes just had to go ahead and water. “Why, Derrick?!” A drop trickled to the floor. 

“I have done everything. Every single thing! Just to please you. Would it kill you once to smile at me? To even hold an actual conversation that lasts a minute?!” Another tear recklessly toured my cheek, yet he remained rigid.

“Tell me…what am I…what am I doing wrong?” 

His jaw ticked, and I could see how hard he was struggling to keep his claws from extending. Whatever answers he had, he thought it best to remain trapped in his chest.

“Please, Derrick…I’ll do anything–”

“Nothing,” he calmly stated, yet that one word cut through my wolf like the merciless sword of a Viking. “Just do nothing. Your days in my life are numbered anyway.” 

I blinked like a zillion times. What did he mean by that?  

“I have a business meeting to attend in the city,” he muttered, his typical way of ending the conversation. “I’ll be back late, so don’t wait for me.”

My fists tightened by my side as he trudged out of the kitchen, taking all of the warmth with him. My wolf winced in my core, churning my stomach, making my eyes protest with more itchiness. Yeah, happy anniversary to us. 

“Hellooooooooo!” chimed my phone with another text from Laila. My hands trembled as I picked up my phone that suddenly became as heavy as a mountain. 

“I think Derrick wants to dump me.”