Chapter 1

The wind lashed cold rain against the window. I sat on the living room couch, my fingers turning white from clenching so hard.

I heard the sound of a turning key coming from the entryway. Callum Kilbourne strolled through the door, the notes of the perfume Lena Morrison always used lingering just beneath the sharp scent of alcohol on him. My nose prickled at the pungent, assaulting scent.

Courtesy of my keen werewolf sense of smell, I'd learned that Callum and Lena's so-called flirting had gone beyond usual work banter the first time she dropped off paperwork at our home.

I hadn't cared at first. After all, this marriage had been self-serving for Callum and me from the start. I needed his resources for my mother's medical treatment, and he needed a seemingly decent mate to secure his position.

But now, five-year-old Mia Kilbourne had gone missing.

"Where's Mia?" I stood up, my voice trembling.

Callum loosened his tie and growled in annoyance, "What about Mia?"

"Mia's missing. You didn't come home at all last night. I kept calling you!" I charged forward and gripped his arms, my nails practically digging through his skin and flesh.

He shook me off. "Well, don't make a big deal out of it! Mia probably got bored and ran off to play."

"She wouldn't!" My eyes were red-rimmed, the fear and rage that I'd accumulated since last night finally exploding out of me. "Let's dissolve our bond, Callum."

Callum suddenly gripped me by the neck and pinned me against the wall. I felt his fingers curling. "Dissolve the bond? How dare you even suggest such a thing, Ayla!"

I felt my breath coming up short. Using all my strength, I smacked his hand, tears streaming down my face uncontrollably.

He froze, then released me. My hand flew to my throat as I burst into a coughing fit, lifting my head to glare at him. "Did you think I wouldn't notice your feelings for Lena?"

Something like surprise flickered across Callum's face. "She and I just work together. Don't go jumping to conclusions…"

I was about to retort when the clicking of heels sounded from the entryway. Lena came in with a document in hand, her hips swaying with every step.

She deliberately handed the document to Callum, her fingers inadvertently brushing the back of his hand. "Callum, this document is in urgent need of your signature. I brought it here immediately to avoid unnecessary delay."

Callum looked down and signed the document, then turned to look at me. Only contempt was in his eyes, as if he were waiting for me to fly into a jealous, manic rage.

I watched the pair go on with their evening, nonchalantly, while my daughter was still out there, her fate unknown. Unable to help myself, I grabbed Lena's wrist, demanding, "Did you hide Mia somewhere? Give me back my daughter!"

Lena shrieked and ducked into Callum's arms. He roughly shoved me off, causing me to stagger and hit the wall. A dull pain shot up my back, but it was nothing compared to the searing ache in my heart.

"Have you lost your mind, Ayla?" Callum shielded Lena and glowered down his nose at me. "So what if Mia's missing? You don't have to take it out on Lena!"

"Mia is your biological daughter!" I braced a hand against the wall as I rose to my feet, my body trembling.

Callum's expression was grim. He shot me a dark look. "Maybe she ran off somewhere to play and forgot about the time."

Lena, still tucked in his arms, piped up meekly, "Ayla, what's your excuse for not keeping a close eye on your daughter when you're a full-time stay-at-home mom? I'd pour my energy into looking after my kid if I were you."

I stared at Lena's sickening expression of false innocence and snorted. "So you could misuse your position as Beta to stay by Callum's side and mark someone else's home as your territory?"

"That's enough!" Callum interrupted me. "Get a hold of yourself. Lena's only here to deliver paperwork, so don't jump to any crazy conclusions!"

At that moment, two uniformed enforcer werewolves strolled through the door. The first one swept his gaze over us. "Which one of you is Ayla Townsend? We've retrieved the neighborhood security footage to further investigate your daughter's disappearance."

I stepped forward immediately. "I'm Ayla Townsend! Did you find any leads?"

The enforcer werewolf produced a digital tablet and pulled up the footage from the neighborhood park.

"Your daughter was seen here at 4:20 pm yesterday." He paused, glancing at Lena. "She was with her."

Lena had the audacity to look affronted. She turned to Callum and explained, "I just happened to run into Mia. She wanted me to play with her, so I did for a while. I had to get going after that because of work. I don't know where she went after that…"

"I believe you." Callum patted her back comfortingly.

The enforcer werewolf was not so easily placated, looking grave as he demanded, "You were the last one the pup saw before she disappeared. Tell us what you told her before you left, word for word. Where did you take her?"

I stared Lena down. "Out with it! What did you tell Mia? Where did you take her?"

An evasive gleam flashed in Lena's eyes as she shrank behind Callum, who didn't hesitate to shield her like a wall of muscle. "Lena is my most trusted Beta. She's always been grounded and would never hurt a pup. Direct your questions to me and stop scaring her."