Chapter One

Violet

“What would you like to have today, Miss Violet?” the waitress asked me with a polite smile.

For fifteen minutes, I stared at the man across from me, counting how many times Nate’s phone lit up instead of his eyes meeting mine.

Alpha Nate, the alpha of Night Howl Pack- The man I was going to be mated and married to soon.

I waited for him to get off the phone. To look at me.

“Nate,” I nudged him gently, but he had already gotten up from the seat and walked away.

The waitress’s eyes flashed with pity.

We were seated at the fanciest restaurant of the city that was decorated with heart-shaped balloons and roses for Valentine’s Day.

I had made the reservations weeks in advance in a desperate attempt to rekindle our relationship. I was not even sure what had made the flames die down. 

Lately, I felt him growing distant. There was always a deal to crack, a treaty to sign that got in the way.

“Maybe you can surprise your partner with our special collection of whiskey or a special dish of his liking,” she offered.

“I will wait until he is free,” I said. “Of course,” she replied, turning around to attend to other customers.

My shoulders sagged as I watched Nate pace a few feet away from me, still busy on the phone.

When was the last time he had looked at me like I mattered?

My gaze flitted to my reflection in one of the glass doors to the side.

A woman wearing a soft pink dress, high heels, and a sleek pendant looked back at me. A light dab of mascara and soft shade of lipstick complemented her curled hair. It was the same soft pink dress he had gifted me on our first date, saying it brought out the color in my cheeks.

I rarely took an effort to dress up, but it had gone unnoticed today.

I twiddled with the fork and looked around. Around me, couples hugged and kissed, exchanging gifts.

A few tables across from me, a guy proposed to his girlfriend in a round of cheers. I looked away, blinking back the sting in my eyes, and that’s when I noticed a stranger seated alone.

Clad in a dark blue suit that stretched across his broad shoulders, the flickering candlelight, casting a hazy shadow over his face. 

The fabric pulled slightly when he reached for his glass of bourbon and lifted it up. Black ink curled across his entire arm and disappeared under his rolled-up sleeves, the other hand thrown back on the adjacent chair.

Not even a minute later, he caught me staring at him. Or maybe he had realized it before I did. Then, he lifted his glass and took an agonizingly slow sip, never breaking eye contact.

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed the drink and a ghost of a smile appeared on his lips.

That was…

I blinked furiously, tore my gaze away from him and looked back at Nate instead. 

And that’s when I saw his childhood crush, Nicole, step into the restaurant.

What on earth was she doing here?

I gripped my fork tightly as I saw a smile blossom on Nate’s lips. His eyes lit up brighter than the candles around us as he hurriedly disconnected the call and ran towards her to pull her into a hug.

It felt like a punch in the gut.

Then to my horror, Nate brought her to our table, his hand on the small of her back.

“Hey Violet, you know Nicole, right? She has just returned home today. Isn’t that great?”

Not really.

Nicole gave me a sweet smile, her dark red lips the exact shade of her short, curve-hugging dress.

“Hi,” I managed.

She barely acknowledged me and turned her attention to Nate, her hand casually resting on his chest, talking animatedly.

Annoyed, I got up from my seat to say something, but suddenly somebody screamed.

“Rogue attack!”

Rogue attack in broad daylight? 

Chaos erupted as rogues stormed in through the entryway, upending tables and throwing away innocent hotel staff that attempted to fight back.

Snarls and screams echoed through the air while my hand instinctively reached for Nate’s only to grab empty air.

Because he had already started running away with Nicole toward the nearest door, shielding her with his body. He didn’t even glance at me.

I stood frozen, numb with shock.

Something went flying past me and I heard a deep, commanding voice, “Get down!” 

Before I could react, I was knocked aside and a glass table crashed on the exact spot I had been standing.

I felt strong arms and the scent of bourbon wrap around my body as I was pushed behind a wall. 

I looked up at my savior as he pushed my hair aside, briefly checking for injuries.

“Stay here!” The tattooed stranger spoke in a rich, velvety voice. The same man who had been enjoying his drink alone.

By the time I could open my mouth, he had already slipped out of my temporary hiding spot and run straight at the attackers as I took a peek around.

I placed my hands on my ears to drown out the noise and stayed behind the wall, too terrified to move.

Meanwhile, he launched himself on the group, flipping tables into barriers, striking with fists and feet too fast for my eyes to follow.

Blood splattered everywhere, mixing with the red roses and painting the floor crimson.

In a mixture of fascination and horror, I saw him lunge at the last rogue who attempted to flee and dragged him back by the collar like a mutt on a tight leash.

In the midst of it all, his eyes flickered back to me for a brief second and widened.

I wanted to thank him, but my throat had gone dry. Thankfully, sirens started blaring outside, and paramedics rushed in.

I saw him stop one of the nurses and point in my direction, give me a brief nod, and leave the place with the rogue.

“Miss, you are bleeding.” I heard the nurse say as she gently helped me come out of my hiding spot.

“Thank God you are okay,” I heard Nate sigh in relief as he came running toward me, Nicole hot on his heels.

“You are hurt. Let us get you to the hospital,” Nate added in a concerned voice, his eyes flicking to my left shoulder with worry.

Three hours later, as I sat in the pack hospital after the doctor bandaged my arm, Nate asked.

“Are you feeling better now?”

I rejoiced at those simple words.

That was the softest he had spoken to me in months, the longest his gaze had lingered on me.

“I wouldn't be injured in the first place if you didn’t pick your childhood friend over me.” I couldn’t stop myself from stating the obvious.

But he only shrugged it away.

“You have been trained in combat since childhood, remember? But Nicole? She can’t even hurt a fly.”

I felt giddy that he complimented me and also took a dig at Nicole in the same breath.

“What if the rogue had attacked me?” I wondered aloud, hoping to hear more comforting words from him.

He was about to answer me when his phone buzzed, and I saw the caller’s name.

Nicole.

Oh goddess, why her again?

He received the call immediately, and I strained my ears to hear their conversation.

“I want to discuss something, Nate. Please, can you come and meet me?” 

I thought Nate would politely decline, but he had walked out of the hospital already.

“It hurts, doesn’t it?” My wolf, Rain, asked when we heard the unmistakable sound of his car engine sputtering to life.

“It was just a scratch, Rain,” I answered, but we both knew that was not the pain she was referring to.