Chapter 1

"She's the Alpha's mate, and you sent a kid who hasn't even finished his training?" The healer snipped the suture thread and looked up at the young guard by the door.

The boy fidgeted with the hem of his uniform, too afraid to look at the wound on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Ashford. The Alpha is handling something urgent. He told me to tell you he's busy, and that you should take a cab back to the estate."

The healer slammed the instrument tray onto the table. "A silver blade wound. Twelve stitches! And you expect her to get home on her own? No matter how strong her healing is, it can't keep silver poisoning at bay. Where are your medical vehicles?"

The boy ducked his head lower. "The Alpha said Ms. Ashford's healing has always been strong. The medical vehicles... were all reassigned."

The healer's brow furrowed. "Reassigned where?"

The boy fell silent for a few seconds, his eyes darting away, too afraid to answer.

Maggie's soft voice drifted from the TV in the lobby.

"Please don't blame Logan. He just worries too much about me. I really only got a little scrape. He shouldn't have made such a fuss."

On the livestream, Maggie was draped in Logan's black coat, leaning against his chest.

Ten helicopters sat behind her.

Logan held her wrist and applied a bandage to her scratch himself.

"Anyone who makes her bleed a single drop is making an enemy of me." His expression was tender as he said it.

Three years ago, he had said the same thing to me.

Back then, he stormed into Red Fang territory alone and carried me on his back for eight miles. He said that as long as he was alive, he would never let me bleed alone again.

"Ms. Ashford, should I go find a car?"

The boy's voice pulled me from my thoughts.

I endured the searing pain in my shoulder and shook my head calmly. "No need."

The healer held me by the shoulder, worry in her eyes. "You can't move around. The silver poisoning hasn't been fully cleared. Have Logan come pick you up."

I forced a bitter smile. "He won't come."

"How do you know?"

I looked down and reached for Logan through the mate bond, but there was no response from his end.

When the first stitch went in, I called to him through the bond. When the second went in, I tried again.

By the twelfth stitch, I realized it wasn't that he hadn't noticed. He had deliberately shut off pain-sharing.

Deep in the bond, traces of his reassurance still lingered. It wasn't meant for me.

"Wendy?"

The healer called to me softly, breaking through the chill settling over my heart.

I forced myself to sit up. "Could I have the bill, please?"

The boy spoke quickly. "The Alpha said the costs can go on the territory's account. He also told me to tell you not to overthink things about Ms. Hale. He'll buy you a gift when he's done."

I raised my eyes and looked at him steadily. "When exactly did he learn I had a silver wound?"

The boy shrank under my gaze and stammered his answer.

"It was... ten minutes after the attack."

The healer's face went dark. "He knew, and he still sent every medical vehicle to pick up someone with a scrape?"

"Ms. Hale was in shock." The boy finished the sentence and dropped his own head.

On the TV, Maggie raised a hand toward the camera in thanks.

Around her wrist was an obsidian charm. My mate charm.

Last night, Logan had taken it from my neck, saying the priestess needed to reinforce it. He had only wanted to give it to Maggie.

"That's yours she's wearing, isn't it?" The healer recognized it too.

I looked away from the painful sight on the screen.

"They might just look alike."

I settled the bill and prepared to leave.

The boy hurried after me, trying to block my path.

"Ms. Ashford, where are you going? The Alpha said you should go back to the estate and wait for him."

I gave him the address of the Moon Goddess altar.

The boy went pale. "They only handle bonding and dissolution there. What are you going there for?"

"My wound is bothering me. I want an Elder to take a look."

I had taken two steps when my phone buzzed.

Logan had finally sent a message.

"Stop making a scene. Maggie took a hit for you during the attack. It's only right that I look after her. I'll be home for dinner tonight."

Another transfer followed immediately.

The amount was enough to buy half a shopping district.

Every time we fought in the past, this was how he smoothed things over.

He would give me jewelry or cars, or slide a list of passwords to his accounts across the table, then hold me and say that his money and his life both belonged to me.

I had always believed that was love, clumsy but real. Now I understood. Money was simply the thing he valued least.

I declined the transfer and turned off my phone.

The Elder at the altar frowned when she saw my wound. "Didn't the mate bond absorb any of the silver poisoning for you?"

I shook my head, my voice as detached as if I were talking about someone else. "I don't know."

The Elder placed her palm over the mate mark on the back of my neck. After a moment, she pulled her hand away.

"Logan has kept pain-sharing turned off for at least six months."

So six months ago, when I burned with fever for three days, he hadn't felt a thing.

And I had thought he was just too busy, so I hid my illness and organized his birthday celebration anyway.

The Elder looked at me with pity. "Would you like to repair the bond?"

"No."

I shook my head firmly and set the mate chain before her.

"If my mate deliberately shuts off pain-sharing, can I sever the bond unilaterally?"