Chapter 2

I walked over and looped my arm through his. "I'm coming with you."

He went still. "Bella, I told you..."

"I want to go home and see it. It's been three years."

He was quiet for a moment before finally sighing. "Fine. But promise me, if you feel uncomfortable at all, we leave immediately."

I forced a smile and nodded.

By the time we reached the Northern Pack, the party was already underway.

Madison stood at the center of the crowd like a little princess, people lining up to hand her gifts and well wishes.

Our parents, Edward Sinclair and Clarissa Hale, stood off to the side, beaming with pride.

People nearby recognized me and went quiet. Their smiles faded, and they stepped aside to clear a path for me.

Madison gasped, her brow furrowing. She jogged over to me, grabbing my hand with tears already welling in her eyes. "Bella, you finally came home!"

A tear slid down her cheek as she said it. With acting skills like that, it was a shame she hadn't gone into show business.

I pulled my hand free without any expression, and Madison let out a wounded little sniffle.

"I know you used to like Jeremy, but we're mates now. And... we're about to have our own pup."

She lowered her eyes and rested a gentle hand on her stomach.

"Can't you be happy for us?"

I ignored her and walked past, heading up the stairs. I wanted to see my old room.

The second I pushed the door open, I froze.

What used to be my bedroom had been turned into a bright, spacious study.

Madison trotted up behind me. "Bella, what are you doing in my study? Oh, right, this used to be your room. Mom said it got better airflow, so she had it converted."

I stepped inside and looked around. Nothing was familiar anymore. Even the wallpaper had changed.

There wasn't a single trace of me left in this room.

A file sat on the desk, and a familiar project name caught my eye.

Border Trade Initiative.

I flipped through a few pages, my breath catching in my throat.

The first page was the trade route map I'd drawn by hand.

The second page was the supply logistics plan I'd spent half a month calculating.

"Oh, that project? I actually have Owen to thank for it. He knew how hard the pregnancy's been on me, so he gave it to me as a gift!"

She stepped forward, snatched up the file, and waved it in front of me, a challenge in her eyes.

"This trade project's done wonders for my standing in the pack."

What?

Bitterness rose in my throat, and I instinctively reached up to touch the diamond necklace at my neck. Owen had given it to me, telling me it was proof of him defeating the last Alpha.

Madison saw the gesture and let out a mocking laugh. She pulled a box from a drawer and opened it to reveal an identical diamond pendant.

Except hers caught the light even brighter.

She held it up in front of me with a smirk, then lowered her voice.

"This one's the token Owen gave me when he came of age. He said it was the purest, hardest stone there was, and it would always protect me.

"And that one of yours? Who even knows where that cheap, low grade diamond came from. He only gave it to you back then so you wouldn't make a scene."

With that, she suddenly yanked, snapping the chain right off my neck.

I reached out instinctively to grab it back, but she stepped back and let out a sharp, piercing scream.

"Bella! Why did you push me?"

Before I could even process what was happening, two figures burst into the room and caught Madison between them.

Jeremy and Owen.

I looked up to find both of them glaring at me, furious.

After a long moment, once they'd confirmed Madison was fine, Owen finally let go of her. Soon after, Jeremy led Madison out of the room.

Owen's face twisted as he stepped toward me, his eyes bloodshot. "You... whatever you've got against her, you don't push a pregnant woman!"

I sneered, tears welling in my eyes as I pointed at the file and the necklace on the floor. "What is this? Explain it to me. Explain all of it."

His expression froze for a second before he pulled me close, rubbing my shoulders. "You know the Northern Pack is better positioned for this. It made more sense to hand the trade route over to them. And the necklace, what's the problem there?"

I pulled my gaze away, disappointed.

Forget it. There was no point hearing the answer anyway.

He saw my expression and gently said, "What's wrong, did I scare you? I was just worried about the baby. It's fine. Let's celebrate Valentine's Day early today. Whatever you want to do, I'm in."

I collected myself and looked up, forcing a convincing smile. "Sure. Let's go hiking tonight. I want to watch the sunrise."