Chapter 1

11:40 PM.

The black truffle steaks on the dining table were stone cold.

I reached out through our mind-link again. Silence.

Derrick threw up a mind-wall. He shut me out cold.

"Mommy, is Daddy coming home tonight?" Six-year-old Hazel stood by the stairs, rubbing her red eyes. She held a worn bunny doll tight to her chest. "He promised to cut the cake with me."

Tonight was our fourth mating anniversary.

It was also the third time he abandoned our daughter for an "emergency patrol."

"Time for bed, sweetie." I picked her up, carried her back to her little bed, and tucked her in. "Daddy is busy protecting our borders."

Once she fell asleep, I grabbed my keys from the entryway and headed down to the garage.

Three weeks ago, I caught a sickly sweet vanilla scent on the passenger seat of Derrick's truck.

It belonged to Nadia. The fallen guard's widow.

Rain slammed against my windshield. The wipers shrieked across the glass.

I floored the gas and sped straight toward the eastern watchtower.

My mind screamed danger, yet my inner wolf clung to one pathetic sliver of hope.

Maybe rogue wolves attacked.

Maybe the golden glow of our mate bond still burned on him.

Ten minutes later, I slammed on the brakes beside the muddy training grounds.

The light under the tower was dim and wet.

No pack war-line. No sound of rifles cocking.

Only his truck, engine running, heater on, passenger door half open.

Derrick had his tactical jacket wrapped around a trembling Nadia.

"Don't be scared. It's just thunder." His voice was low and tender. I hadn't heard that tone in a year. "I'm right here. Nobody will ever hurt you or Wyatt."

Nadia pressed her face right into the crook of his neck. Her hands gripped his black t-shirt as she sobbed. "Derrick, without you, I can't survive this."

Their scents tangled together in the warm cab. Thick. Intimate.

I stood frozen in the pouring rain. My vision shifted into my bloodline sight.

The bond never lies.

Four years ago, when Derrick marked me, his soul flared blazing gold. It nearly burned me alive.

That sun-bright gold on him had faded to a much lighter shade, no longer as radiant as before.

I knew the truth. His loyalty had wavered.

No pain struck my chest. Just pure, venomous ice straight to my skull.

My white wolf gave one low, cold whimper inside me. Then, complete silence.

She no longer recognized him as our mate.

I didn't yell. I didn't honk.

I shifted into reverse and turned the truck around.

Tires tearing through mud and rain, I drove back to the empty mansion.

Dawn broke. I sat in my study, staring at the completed document on my laptop.

I picked up the phone and dialed the private aviation service.

"Book a flight to the Colorado territory in seven days," I said quietly. "Gulfstream G650. One-way. Rush status."

I hung up just as the doorknob turned.

Derrick walked in smelling of damp rain and cold air. Nadia and her son trailed behind him, eyes fixed on the floor.

Derrick frowned at me, wearing his usual Alpha arrogance. "Valerie, we had an emergency at the tower. I lost track of time."

"I know." I closed my laptop.

My calm caught him off guard. A flicker of surprise crossed his face, followed by cold entitlement. "Nadia had a panic attack last night. Her doctor said her PTSD is severe. She can't stay on the outer perimeter anymore. The east wing of the main house is empty. She and Wyatt are moving in."

Moving another female into the pack house.

Not a discussion. An Alpha order.

Nadia peeked out from behind him, pale and fragile. Her fingers dug into her sweater. "Valerie, I'm so sorry to intrude. If this makes you uncomfortable, I'll take Wyatt and leave right now."

"Stop," Derrick cut her off instantly. He turned to me, his voice sharp with command. "Valerie, you're the Chief Healer and a high-tier white wolf. Be the bigger person. She lost her mate. She has no one. Stop starting fights over petty titles."

I looked at him and smiled.

"You're right."

I opened my desk drawer, pulled out a thick stack of stapled papers, and slid them across the wood.

"If she lives in the main house, we do it by the books. This is the medical authorization for Nadia. Specialized trauma therapy, full medical coverage, and private nurses. It needs your Alpha signature."

The suspicion in Derrick's eyes vanished. A smug look took its place.

To him, I was still the obedient Luna, always yielding for the pack's sake.

"Finally acting like an Alpha's mate."

Nadia let out a weak cough beside him and swayed on her feet.

Derrick lost his patience. He didn't bother skimming the medical attachments. He pulled his tactical pen from his vest, flipped roughly to the final pages, and signed his name in bold strokes.

Next, he took off his black obsidian signet ring, pressed it hard into the red ink pad, and slammed it down onto the paper.

"Take it from my private trust," he said, tossing the pen aside. He put his arm around Nadia's shoulders and led her out the door. "Get the east wing ready today."

The heavy oak door clicked shut.

I walked over, picked up the file, and turned to the very back, hidden beneath layers of medical paperwork.

Bold black letters sat beneath the blood-red seal of the Werewolf High Council.

Permanent Mate Severing and Territory Exile Agreement.

Right beneath the execution clause was Derrick Thorne's signature. The obsidian seal pulsed with magic, binding the law.

My phone screen lit up on the desk. A text from the private hangar:

[Dear Ms. Sterling, your private flight to Colorado is locked in. Countdown: 7 days.]