Chapter 2

Before I left the parking lot, I submitted a request to leave Blackwood, asking the pack registrar to keep it confidential.

Then I drove to my parents’ house.

Seven months ago, I’d moved back into my childhood bedroom so Bianca could settle into the Blackwood Alpha’s residence.

Just until she’s better, everyone had said.

I pulled my suitcase out of the closet.

My phone buzzed.

Mom had tagged me in Bianca’s Recovery, the group chat we’d created without Bianca.

Did you leave? We’re looking for you.

Then:

She’s been talking about this ceremony for weeks. We couldn’t break her heart.

It was just an act. There’s no reason to be upset.

So her feelings mattered. Mine were an overreaction.

Cade replied.

Come on. She nearly died for you. Don’t make this a whole thing.

Dad added:

No vows were exchanged. No marking took place. You know that.

Then Rowan.

We’ll have our own ceremony when she’s better. I’ll make it up to you.

He’d made promises like that before.

After taking Bianca to the Moon Temple, he’d promised me a private blessing.

I’ll arrange a private audience for us. It’ll mean more without the whole pack watching.

When I’d packed my things and left the Alpha’s residence, he’d promised we could build somewhere of our own.

You’ve always wanted a garden. We’ll find a place with some land.

I’d held on to those promises long after he stopped mentioning them.

Tonight, I put my phone facedown and opened the suitcase.

Under my pillow lay the leather notebook Rowan had given me when he proposed.

He wasn’t good at talking about his feelings. That was what he’d told me before handing it over, looking almost embarrassed.

Inside were years of things he’d never said aloud.

The first time we’d stayed out until dawn. The afternoon my wolf had finally trusted him enough to fall asleep beside his. The day he’d bought my ring.

On the last page, he’d written:

There’s no one else I want beside me.

I’d read that sentence so often the page had begun to come loose.

When Bianca moved into the residence, Mom had taken down our photographs.

“She can’t wake up surrounded by pictures of you and Rowan. Think how frightening that would be.”

Dad had removed the plaque with our names. Cade had packed away the gifts Rowan had given me.

I’d found the notebook beneath a pile of framed photographs and slipped it into my bag.

Some nights, it was the only reason I could still imagine a future with him.

I dropped it into the wastebasket.

Then I went to the balcony for my gardening gloves.

My roses were gone.

Three pots of sunflowers stood along the railing.

Bianca’s favorite.

Someone had been in here while I was getting ready for my ceremony.

My phone buzzed again.

Clear your things out before bed, Mom wrote. Bianca wants to use your room as a painting studio. The light’s better in there.

I read it twice.

Where am I supposed to sleep?

Dad answered.

The storage room downstairs. We’ll move the equipment out.

Cade added.

It’s only temporary. You can have your room back when she recovers.

I waited for Rowan.

He’d read the messages.

Surely he could say she already had an entire floor of his residence. Surely he could ask them to leave me this much.

Nothing.

I didn’t want to explain why I needed a bed more than Bianca needed somewhere to keep her paints.

I simply left the chat.

By the time I finished packing, my suitcase was barely half full.

The rest of my life was scattered through boxes in the garage, things I’d been told I could unpack when I moved back in with Rowan.

I zipped the case shut.

Downstairs, the front door opened.

“Easy,” Rowan said. “There’s a step.”

Bianca laughed, followed by Mom’s anxious voice.

“You’re staying here tonight. I want you where I can keep an eye on you.”

I carried my suitcase downstairs.

Rowan was steadying Bianca by the elbow. Mom hovered beside her, while Cade carried her purse and gift bags. Dad held the door.

Rowan spotted me and explained.

“She got carried away with the champagne. I was just helping her inside.”

Bianca frowned at him.

“Why do you have to explain that? You are my mate!”

She swayed and fell back against Rowan. He caught her with a sigh.

“Let’s get you some water.”

Then she noticed my suitcase.

“Oh. Mom told you about the studio.”

I said nothing.

“I’d help, but I’m exhausted.” She glanced upstairs. “Can you leave the easel by the windows? And don’t put your boxes in there. I need the space.”

Her words were suddenly clear.

For a second, her eyes met mine, and that same triumphant look returned.

I knew exactly what Bianca meant.

Six weeks after the attack, I’d overheard her on the phone in our parents’ garden.

“Of course I know he’s engaged to my sister. That’s the whole point.”

“Why do you think I staged the attack and played the hero? Now everyone thinks she owes me. By the time I’m done, I’ll be Blackwood’s Luna.”

I went straight to Dad.

He asked whether I thought I knew more than the healer who’d examined her.

Whether I’d forgotten the blood on her clothes when she was carried back through our borders.

I told Rowan that evening. He said jealousy was making me cruel.

I’d tried to explain to my mom and Cade. They’d both walked away.

Neither of them had believed me.

After that, I just stopped trying to explain.

I will left.

Then Bianca stumbled, and Mom reached for her.

“The room downstairs isn’t ready,” Mom told me. “Leave your suitcase in the hall for now.”

I looked at Dad.

“There’s a cot in the garage,” he said. “Cade can bring it in.”

Nobody suggested Bianca wait one more day for her studio.

Mom turned back to me.

“You’re home tomorrow, aren’t you? Make sure Bianca eats something before she takes her medication.”

Rowan watched me.

I could see him waiting for me to agree, to get through tonight without upsetting her.

I tightened my grip on the handle.

“Don’t worry about the cot. I’m leaving.”

Rowan hurried toward me, reaching for my arm.

“Wait. Where are you going?”

Because he could finish the sentence, Bianca gagged.

Rowan turned and caught her arm. Mom hurried them toward the bathroom.

“Cade, get some water,” she called. “Honey, a towel!”

Dad headed for the kitchen.

A moment later, I was alone in the foyer.

Through the open bathroom door, I heard Rowan telling Bianca to breathe slowly. Mom asked if someone should call the healer.

I opened the front door.

Nobody noticed. Once again, they’d forgotten I was there.

This time, I didn’t wait for them to.