Chapter 3

Eric pulled Mia behind him, shielding her with his body. Those eyes of his that once used to soften just for me were frosted over now.

I parted my lips, but my voice caught and died in my throat.

He frowned at me. "Have you lost your mind? Mia's carrying the pack's heir. Are you really going to disappoint me?"

I had no interest in arguing. I just wanted to leave immediately.

Just then, the stonemason stepped out and handed me a headstone with the name already carved on it.

"Luna Evelyn, the headstone you ordered is ready."

Eric and Mia saw my name on it and froze.

Mia's hand flew to her mouth. "What? A headstone? Luna Evelyn, you followed Alpha Eric all the way here just to put on this show? You even had a headstone made just to fish for sympathy. How original."

Anger flashed across Eric's face, and his voice turned cold. "So this is what you were after? Why keep pulling these stunts to win my favor and grinding my trust to dust?"

The stonemason fidgeted and gave a nervous wave. "No, no. Alpha Eric, you've got it wrong. Luna Evelyn said the headstone was for a friend who shares her name."

Eric gave me a look, as though I'd become a stranger to him. "She's even lying now? As if I wouldn't know. She doesn't have a friend with the same name!"

He knew perfectly well that I didn't. So why was it so hard to believe that I'd ordered a headstone for myself?

Once, even the softest cough from me could make his chest tighten. Now, with a headstone sitting between us, he decided I was using death as an excuse just to get his attention.

I let out a brittle laugh. "Yeah. I pulled a stunt to get your attention. I wanted to know if you'd worry about me once I was gone."

"Then get lost."

Eric shouldered past me with Mia, never once looking back. She turned and shot me a smug little smile.

What strength I had left slipped away. My knees gave way, and I crumpled to the floor.

I had no idea how much time passed before I finally dragged myself home, feeling like everything inside me had gone dead. I slumped onto the couch, spent to the bone.

Through the fog, my thoughts drifted back to that night seven years ago.

I could still feel the white-hot bite of the silver arrow piercing my shoulder blade. Back then, my injuries had been so bad that I was hanging by a thread.

To keep me alive, Eric used every cent he had. He even quietly sold the gold medal he'd won at a hunting competition.

He carried me to every infirmary in the pack. By the end, the healers began closing their doors the moment they heard his name.

Watching his face grow thinner by the day nearly broke me. I didn't want to weigh him down, so I stopped taking the potions behind his back.

As soon as Eric found out, he got down on his knees at my bed, all his pride as the Alpha gone.

With his eyes rimmed red, he pleaded, "Evelyn, please, take the potions. I'll do anything as long as you live. Without you, being the Alpha means nothing."

But now he was the one who wanted me gone.

I glanced at the calendar. There were only a few days left until the date the healer said I'd die.

Maybe that was for the best. Soon, I'd give Eric exactly what he wanted.