Chapter 5

"Pack your bags. You're coming with me to the San Juan Islands."

I had barely stepped into the lab when Kallum shoved the door open, his voice dripping with arrogant entitlement.

My right shoulder still throbbed with residual venom from the wolfsbane bolt. I set down my test tube and turned around with a blank face. "What are you talking about?"

"Making up for our honeymoon." He loosened his tie, looking pleased with his own generosity. "The private jet is waiting on the summit airstrip."

A honeymoon.

Four years of secret marriage, and this was the very first time he had ever said the word.

I used to dream of a real trip with my Alpha. Every single time, he brushed me off with excuses of pack business.

I longed for him to claim me publicly. Yet every Spring Hunt, every full moon, his eyes were glued to another woman.

Now, just to clear his guilt for ditching me at the clinic to be with Scarlett, he tossed me a honeymoon like a scrap of charity.

My heart was numb. I almost wanted to laugh.

"Fine." I took off my lab coat without a word.

In less than seven days, the bond would snap for good. Going anywhere made no difference to me.

Two hours later, the private jet landed at an estate in the San Juan Islands.

The crisp, salty breeze of the Pacific hit my skin. I carried my small duffel down the stairs, but shrill laughter near the infinity pool stopped me dead in my tracks.

Scarlett stood by the water in a white designer resort dress, her champagne flute raised as she waved toward the plane.

My feet froze on the steps. A sharp throb shot through my wounded shoulder.

Kallum closed the distance behind me, leaning down to murmur against my ear, his hot breath thick with dominance. "Scarlett's wolf is unstable after the attack. She risked her life to save mine four years ago. I owe her a blood debt. I brought her along to clear her head. It won't affect our time together."

Brought her along.

The honeymoon he handed me was just a side perk for his favorite woman.

"Kallum!" Scarlett sauntered over from the pool deck and slipped her arm through his.

She glanced at me, faking a dramatic gasp behind her manicured hand. "Oh, isn't that Chief Sierra? Who's running the new drug trials? Kallum, why bring a researcher on vacation?"

I stared straight at the smug taunt in her eyes. Before Kallum could speak, I curled my lips into a cool smile. "I just split from my ex. The Alpha was kind enough to let a tired subordinate tag along for a break."

Scarlett blinked, then flashed a victorious, patronizing smirk. "Oh, you poor thing. You definitely need some rest."

Beside her, Kallum's jaw tightened, but he let out a quiet breath of relief.

At dusk, the sunset burned the ocean into a sea of blood red.

I sat alone by the cliffside terrace, the melted ice in my glass freezing cold.

The sharp click of heels against the deck broke the quiet.

Scarlett sat across from me with a glass of Pinot Noir, her cheeks flushed with wine.

"Miss Sierra," she murmured, swirling her glass with pure superiority. "Dumped by your ex? How pathetic."

I took a sip of ice water, my voice steady. "We weren't a match."

"Men love women who lean on them," Scarlett gloated, leaning in. "Just look at Kallum. My ex caused a scene yesterday, and Kallum sent the elite enforcers to snap his arms and throw him out of the territory. Kallum swore that as long as he breathes, no one on this continent will ever lay a finger on me."

The sea wind pulled at my hair, sending a dull ache through my shoulder wound.

"He certainly protects you," I said.

Scarlett's vanity flared. She leaned across the table like she was sharing the greatest secret in the world. "You know about the ambush in the Rockies four years ago, right? His wolf went completely feral. The whole pack was terrified to go near him. But I ran straight into the safehouse. I stayed by his bed for three straight days with the empty serum vial and saved him with my own scent."

She stroked her neck, laughing into the wind. "That was the day I knew. Married or single, whenever I turn around, his heart belongs to me."

Every word was a blade.

I looked down at the swirling ice water, laughing at the utter absurdity of it all.

The one who fought through the blizzard, ripped her own soul in half, and stabilized his mind was me.

To protect his new Alpha authority, I ordered everyone to swear an oath of silence before passing out, leaving behind only the empty vial of my core calming serum.

And this shameless woman simply walked into the room, picked up the glass, and stole four years of my sacrifice.

Even worse, the arrogant, sharp Alpha took her cheap lie as an undying debt of devotion.

"Cat got your tongue?" Scarlett smirked, arching an eyebrow.

I finished my water and met her smug gaze, a faint, cold smile touching my lips. "Not at all. I just think the two of you deserve each other."

Dinner was served at the long outdoor terrace table.

For two solid hours, Kallum's eyes never once left Scarlett.

"Your steak is well done. Your stomach is weak, so don't eat it rare."

"I had the kitchen remove all the nuts from the salad. You're allergic, remember?"

"Open this Pinot Noir. It's the exact vintage from the old manor you love."

He never looked at my empty plate. He had no clue that the lingering wolfsbane in my veins meant I couldn't touch raw seafood or cold platters.

I quietly sliced my dry bread, sitting among them like a ghost.

Late into the night, I stood up and walked down the dimly lit hallway toward my room.

A warm, heavy hand grabbed my wrist from the shadows.

Kallum pinned me against the wall, smelling of red wine and dark cedar.

"Sierra... thank you for being so understanding today," he whispered, his tone softer than usual. "Scarlett has suffered too much, and I have to protect her. But in six months, at the Continental Summit, I will gather all the pack elders."

He reached out to cup my cheek, but I turned my face away.

His hand froze in midair, yet his voice was dead serious:

"When the time comes, I will stand before every pack on this continent and announce you as my one and only Luna."

The summit in six months.

His one and only Luna.

Looking at the grand future he thought he was gifting me, pure disgust churned in my stomach.

I stepped back, slipping out of his grip, and met his eyes with a blank stare.

"Sure, Kallum."

I turned, walked into my room, and slammed the lock shut right in his face.

I walked to the glass window, looking up at the cold, pale sliver of the moon.

Six days left.

Kallum, you have no idea. The future you promised is something I don't want for a single second longer.