Chapter 1

Back at the Alpha's Manor, I carried out a cardboard box and started packing everything that belonged to Kael.

The first thing I put in the box was a pack yearbook.

I opened it to the first page. It was a photo of us at age five. He stood stiffly next to me.

Kael's mother told me he had refused to take the photo alone that day, insisting on being with me.

That was the first time he showed his possessiveness over me.

The second item was a wolf fang.

It was the trophy from his first solo kill at 16. On the Rite of Passage, all the females were fighting over the males' hunting tokens.

I sat quietly at my desk and did nothing. When the rite ended, I found this fang lying in my desk drawer, along with a note that said "Only mine."

By then, he had already used his status as the future Alpha to make sure no other male dared come near me.

The third item was a mating ring.

He proposed to me on the giant screen in the pack's central square. As rose petals fell from a building, the ring glinted coldly in his hand.

He slipped it onto my finger himself, his eyes full of love.

"Elena, for the rest of my life, I am yours."

If it hadn't been for Lila Moore, I truly believed we would grow old together.

I laughed bitterly, put all these things into the box, and threw the whole thing in the trash.

I woke up the next morning to noises downstairs.

I walked out and saw the pack staff carrying armfuls of luxury goods into the living room.

Designer handbags, gemstone jewelry, couture gowns.

Lila stood in the middle of the hall.

"Alpha, this is too much. I never asked for any of this."

Kael looked at her gently.

"Be good. Take what I buy you. A happy mother makes a healthy baby."

Just then, he saw me.

His face froze.

"Elena, I'm sorry... Tell me what you want, and I'll get it for you next time."

Before I could speak, Lila said softly, "Alpha, I have a gift for Luna. It's something she's wanted most."

She walked over to me and handed me a file folder.

I opened it and found a signed mating dissolution agreement. This was the official pack document. Once signed by both parties, it became final in seven days. No appeals were allowed.

Kael's signature was bold and sweeping, exactly the same as the love letters he had written me years ago.

"A friend of mine gave this to me. She said you went to handle this that day. You probably haven't finished it yet, right? So I helped you finish it. How is this gift? Does it please you?"

I stared at the signed agreement, and my heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand.

Lila had actually done it.

I didn't care how she had gotten Kael to sign it.

"Elena, what gift is she talking about?" Kael leaned over suddenly, his brow furrowed.

He reached for the folder, but I pulled it away quickly.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Secrets now?"

I pulled my lips into a thin smile. I gave him a cold smile.

"You kept a pregnancy from me for three months. I think I'm allowed one secret."

His face paled. He glanced quickly at Lila and lowered his voice. "We talked about this. You know I have no choice."

His voice softened. "I didn't tell you because I was terrified you would leave me."

Terrified I would leave?

But Kael, you always destroy the thing you love most.

Lila's eyes filled with tears. "It's all my fault. I should never have helped you that night. I should never have told the Elders about the baby. I never meant to hurt anyone."

She looked like she was about to collapse from grief.

Kael immediately went to her side, his voice gentle as a lullaby. "None of this is your fault."

I couldn't watch anymore. I turned and walked toward the door.

He finally noticed and ran after me. "Elena, where are you going?"

"Out."

He frowned. "It's pouring. I'll drive you."

Then he turned back to the staff and started barking orders. "Lila can't have cold food. Keep the house at 72°F. No citrus in her tea. She gets nauseous if she smells garlic."

I stood by the door and watched.

"You're going to be an amazing father."

He froze. He had never expected me to say that.

His claws pricked through his skin as he grabbed my wrist, his wolf howling in agony.

I stared out the window and said nothing.

The car was silent for miles.

Kael tried to make small talk. "Elena, what do you need to do in this weather?"

Before I could answer, his phone rang.

"Alpha," Lila sobbed through the speaker. "My stomach hurts so bad. I think something's wrong with the baby."

Kael's face went white. "I'm coming. Stay where you are."

He hung up and looked at me. "Elena, where you need to go is two blocks away. Can you walk?"

"Sure."

I stood on the sidewalk and watched his car peel away. I laughed until I cried.

You almost found out I was going to the Council to finalize our divorce, Kael.

No cabs would stop in the storm. I walked the two blocks in the pouring rain. My umbrella broke, and the water ran down my face.

When I walked into the Council building, I was soaked to the bone.

"I'm here to file a bond dissolution," I said, handing over the dry papers.

The clerk looked at me with pity. "The seven-day waiting period starts today. Come back next week for your certificate."

I walked outside. The rain had stopped.

I looked up at the blue sky. Maybe the rest of my life would be this bright.

When I got back to the house, I heard Kael's voice coming from upstairs. "And the little prince said to the fox, 'You become responsible forever for what you've tamed.'"

He was reading a bedtime story to Lila's belly.

I felt dizzy and crawled into bed. I don't know how long I slept, but I woke up with my throat on fire.

"Water," I croaked. No one answered.

Through the wall, I heard Lila laugh. "Alpha, I hope he has your eyes."

"He'll have your smile," Kael said softly. "You're the kindest person I've ever met."

They sounded like a real family.

I tried to reach for the glass on my nightstand. My hand slipped, and it shattered on the floor.

I knelt down to pick up the pieces. My vision went black, and I fell.

Shards of glass cut into my palms. I cleaned up the mess alone and took some herbs.

The laughter from the next room never stopped.

I lay back down and remembered the time I had a stomach ache. Kael stayed by my bed for three days, feeding me soup and holding my hand.

"Elena," he had whispered, his eyes red. "If you die, I die with you."

Where was that Kael now?

Tears soaked my pillow.

I closed my eyes and let the darkness take me.