Chapter 2

I'd barely ended the call when Marcus came back.

"Your anniversary gift." He held out a jewelry box. "A moonstone necklace. I picked it out just for you."

I didn't take it.

Marcus's hand froze in midair. A moment later, he pressed the box into my hand.

He glanced at me, his voice softening. "It's what pack tradition demands. I don't have a choice. Try to understand.

"I've had the cottage behind the estate cleaned. You can keep running the business from there as usual."

I looked up at him.

"So she gets to be your mate, and I get to keep doing the work?"

He frowned.

"You know this better than anyone. Would you rather I leave it all to a pregnant woman?"

For 20 years, whenever a problem arose with border trade, I'd travel through the night to negotiate.

The silver poison in my blood always flared up in the cold.

One winter, the pain was so bad I could barely straighten my back, but I still spent three nights at the freight depot making sure Silver Ridge had enough fuel to get through the winter.

When I got back to the pack, all Marcus said was, "You're always so capable."

Apparently being capable meant I never needed anyone to take care of me.

I pulled out the dissolution papers I'd signed at the party, flipped to the signature page, and handed them to him.

"I've signed. Now it's your turn."

He took the papers. A flicker of hesitation crossed his face.

It lasted only a second.

He signed and looked up at me. "Don't worry about your cut of the profits. I'll pay you the same as always. I won't shortchange you."

"I don't want a share of your profits, and I'm not going to keep running your business."

Marcus's pen froze over the paper.

"Once our bond is dissolved, I'm leaving the Silver Ridge Pack."

Marcus finally looked at me, irritation clear on his face.

"Once you leave Silver Ridge, who's going to support you?"

"Myself." I looked him in the eye. "With my skills, plenty of companies would be glad to hire me."

Marcus sneered as though I'd said something absurd. "Evelyn, you're 46."

He emphasized the number.

"You think you're still some pretty young she-wolf in your early 20s?

"If you leave me, you'll never find anyone willing to hire you."

My fingers curled into my palm.

For a werewolf, 46 was the prime of life.

But in Marcus's eyes, I already had one foot in the grave.

Even more ridiculous, my daughters thought the same way.

They always said I was too old to keep up with them and couldn't understand them the way Serena did.

But they forgot that Serena only had to keep them happy. She didn't have to raise them.

"Enough. Do you really think anyone out there will take you seriously once you've left me?" Marcus handed me the signed papers. "Move into the cottage tonight. Serena moves into the estate tomorrow."

I was about to respond when a servant hurried over.

"Alpha!" He bowed. "The Luna says her stomach hurts. She wants you to take her to the healing center."

Marcus's expression changed instantly.

He was already heading for the door, his voice tense as he ordered, "Get the car ready. Now."

At the door, he stopped and looked back at me. "Move tonight. Don't make me remind you again."

Then he strode away.

I watched him disappear down the long hallway.

But inside, I was perfectly calm.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed.

It was a message from Dane.

"Your application to join the Redwood Pack has been approved. You're welcome to come anytime."

I smiled and returned to the estate to pack.

Marcus had chosen the cottage for me.

But I wasn't going to spend a single day there.