Chapter 1

"No problem."

I replied instantly, without a second of hesitation.

The businesslike voice on the other end relaxed a little.

"A wise decision."

"In addition to the money, all marital assets will be transferred to your name. If you'd like to leave Serpent territory, I'll arrange someone to handle the transition."

"Sounds good." I said.

The call ended with a beep, and seconds later, the bank notification came through. One billion, deposited.

I stared at that long string of zeros until my vision blurred.

Then I ran to the safe. It was packed with gemstones, glittering like a dragon's hoard.

"Heh heh heh."

Jackpot.

As the most powerful purebred serpent, Victor had inherited the entire Serpent Clan the moment he came of age. Five years of marriage, and he'd not only bought me an estate that rivaled a palace, but because I liked shiny things, he'd hoarded enough gemstones to fill a vault.

And now? All mine.

I rolled across the bed several times, giddy, already mapping out my brilliant future.

Step one, sell all the gems. Step two, find a gentler shifter and live the rest of my life in blissful comfort.

Anyway, absolutely no more two-dick guys.

I grabbed my phone, ready to browse which clan territories were nice to live in.

My eyes landed on the lock screen.

One of the few photos we had together: Victor, stone-faced as always, but with his arm locked tight around my waist.

My fingertip traced across his face on the screen. The phone rang.

Louis. Victor's younger brother and the Serpent Clan's famously elegant second-in-command.

Right now, though, his voice had lost every trace of composure. He sounded like he was falling apart.

"You can't divorce him just because he got hurt."

"He's the one who insisted," I reminded him quietly. "Ever since he lost his memory, he's been pushing for it. Honestly, I figured you'd be happy about this."

"That's because he forgot." Louis's voice shot up. "Think about how he was before. He was crazy about you."

"The first time he saw you, he broke clan law to mark you on the spot. He nearly died from the punishment."

"The bonding ceremony? He obsessed over every single detail. You mentioned you liked the night sky, and he almost emptied half the clan treasury to build that starlight dome."

"Work? Clan duties? Did he give a damn about anything besides you back then? He dumped it all on me."

Louis's voice was angry and frantic, with a hint of genuine hurt underneath.

"Last month, he told me you'd agreed to try for a baby. I already built the crib. And now you're just leaving him? Then what was the point of everything I did? What was the point of him?"

"You humans are so heartless."

Okay. I did feel a little guilty.

But the moment he mentioned babies, my brain flashed to a certain night before Victor lost his memory.

He'd pulled me into his arms, lips brushing my ear, laughing low.

"You're amazing, baby. How about round seven?"

The guilt vanished without a trace.

Victor loved me, yes, but his love was overwhelming, suffocating, all-consuming.

Maybe some distance would be good for both of us.

I sighed.

"He doesn't remember anything right now. Let's just take a break and cool off."

"Then make him remember." Louis was desperate. "Just give me two more weeks. I'll find a way to restore his memory, I swear."

I sighed again. "Louis."

He was practically begging now.

"What guy out there is as devoted and loaded as my brother? It's just two weeks. Can you really stand to watch him get his memories back and realize what he lost? Can you imagine the look on his face?"

Devastated and full of regret. The Victor I knew, dominant, unyielding—would he really make that kind of face?

The thought of him in that kind of pain made something twist in my chest.

Outside the bedroom door, there was the faintest click.

The sound of high-clearance authorization being accepted.

My breath caught. I turned toward the door as it slowly swung open.

A tall man stood there, golden hair, green eyes, staring straight at me.

"So you're my mate."