Chapter 2

My cold tone gave Gideon pause.

He glanced back at me, a flicker of hurt in his deep green eyes.

But in the end, he said nothing and escorted Aveline from the hall.

The second he was gone, the whispers started.

"See that she-wolf with the Beta Gideon? That's Aveline, right? The one who saved him."

"Yeah, that's her. I heard she took a silver bullet for him. Nearly died. It wrecked her wolf and shattered her mind."

"No wonder he hovers over her like that. A life debt is a heavy burden. I'd probably do the same."

"It's more than a burden; it's a chain. He's tied to her for life. If they end up mating, at least the debt will be paid."

The words were like daggers of ice, piercing my heart.

So, in everyone's eyes, I was the joke. The outsider.

The foolish woman who dared to get in the way of true love.

I downed my champagne in one go. The burn in my throat was nothing compared to the ache in my chest.

After the festival, Gideon didn't contact me through our mental link. That was a first.

Usually, after any gathering, he'd be the first to check in, making sure no one had said anything to upset me.

But tonight, there was only silence.

I sat in my room, staring at my blank phone screen, feeling hollowed out.

Around midnight, I found myself scrolling through his social media page.

He'd actually posted a picture.

It was Aveline, fast asleep on his broad shoulder, her cheek pressed against his chest in peaceful contentment.

The caption was a single word: "Her."

The comments flooded in instantly. "A match made in heaven!" "Congratulations, Beta!"

The world stopped.

I felt the blood drain from my face, my fingers trembling so hard I could barely hold my phone.

Five years. For five whole years, his page had been a barren wasteland, without a single trace of me.

And Aveline gets a public declaration not long after her return.

I numbly liked the post, like a polite guest at a party I was never invited to.

When I refreshed the page, the post was gone.

He'd deleted it.

The realization was somehow more pathetic than the post itself.

He wanted to appease his precious savior, but he was afraid I'd see it and cause a scene. A coward's way out.

A second later, a message from Aveline popped up.

"Gideon brought me home and I fell asleep. He said my scent calms him, so he's staying the night. You don't mind, do you, Thalia?"

I stared at the words, the room spinning around me.

He said her scent calmed him?

What about all those nights I spent soothing his anxiety through our link? What was all that?

I sent back a curt "K."

Then, a message from Gideon came through.

"Aveline lost her moonstone, and she's spiraling. I need the obsidian necklace I gave you. Its calming properties are the best. Just let her borrow it for now. She's really unstable, Thalia. I can't risk something happening to her."

I froze.

The obsidian necklace was my eighteenth birthday present from him.

He’d told me obsidian was a guardian stone, meant to protect me from nightmares.

I'd treasured it for five years, never once daring to wear it.

And now, he wanted me to give the protection he promised me to another woman?

I stared at the words for a long, long time, until my eyes burned, but no tears fell.

So this is what it felt like for your heart to die.

I turned off my phone, refusing to reply.

But the next morning at ten, Gideon showed up at the Alpha's estate with Aveline and a pile of gifts.

Gideon was an orphan. His parents, the last Beta pair, died for the pack. My parents raised him as their own.

It was a tradition for Gideon to pay his respects to my parents—the former Alpha and Luna, now the pack elders—after the Winter Solstice.

But bringing Aveline with him meant something else entirely.

My parents welcomed them warmly, naturally assuming Aveline was Gideon's chosen mate.

"Aveline, you're as lovely as ever," my mother said, taking her hand. "We were all so worried when you left. It's good to have you back."

"Thank you, Luna," Aveline replied with a sweet smile. "I'm so happy to be here again."

A few honeyed words and the elders were beaming.

I, on the other hand, maintained the polite distance expected of the Alpha's sister.

"Beta Gideon, Miss Aveline, please, have a seat."

My formal tone made Gideon's expression darken.

He shot a question through our link: "What's your problem?"

I blocked him.

At lunch, Gideon insisted on sitting in the chair next to me.

That was my brother's seat.

Ronan looked at him, then at the empty chair next to Aveline, and raised an eyebrow.

"Gideon, your seat is over there."

Gideon stubbornly stood his ground. "I want to sit here."

The air grew thick with tension.

After a tense standoff, Gideon ended up sitting across from me.

His eyes were fixed on my empty plate, a displeased frown on his face.

"Thalia, why aren't you eating?"

I ignored him completely.

My mother brought up the topic at the table. "Thalia, look at Gideon, he's about to find his mate. When are you going to bond with someone?"

In the past, I would have blushed and changed the subject.

But this time, I agreed with surprising enthusiasm.

"If you or Ronan know anyone suitable, I'd love to meet them. Even an Alpha from an allied pack would be fine."