Chapter 2

The sound of Liam's voice woke me the next morning.

He was out on the balcony with his phone pressed to his ear and a solemn look on his face.

"You fell? Is it serious?

"Don't cry. It's fine if the necklace broke, as long as you're not hurt. Hang in there. I'm on my way." His tone was thick with worry and tenderness.

Then, he pushed open the bedroom door. He barged in so loudly he seemed to have forgotten I was still asleep.

Catching sight of my open eyes, he froze. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

Liam leaned down, aiming to drop a kiss on my forehead.

But I turned my head away and asked softly, "Leaving so early?"

His posture went stiff for a second before he straightened up, acting as if nothing had happened.

"Lilith accidentally dropped the necklace. She's hysterical on the phone. I'm worried about her. I need to run over."

He pulled on his jacket as he spoke, even taking the time to carefully style his hair with mousse.

"Liam," I called out suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"I want to check on my ceremonial dress."

His hands paused in his hair.

The dress I wanted to see was based on a design Liam and I had drawn together.

After handing it to the designer, we had spent an entire year going back and forth until the final piece was completed.

Liam had promised I would be the most breathtaking bride in the entire pack.

He had said that as soon as he succeeded as Alpha, we would go try it on and take pictures.

Liam turned around with a small frown and pressed his lips together. "There's no rush to try on the dress today. Lilith is in a bad state right now. I need to go calm her down first. Once I get past this busy period, I'll go with you, alright?"

I lowered my eyes and nodded. "Okay."

Liam let out a sigh of relief, his demeanor softening noticeably. He leaned down and patted my head. His tone became tender as he said, "Wait for me to come back."

I got up and stood on the balcony, watching him rush off. Then, I turned back inside to finish packing my luggage.

At the very top of the closet sat a dusty storage box. I climbed onto a stool to pull it down.

It was packed with off-season clothes and odds and ends. Lying right at the top was a white shirt, still stained with sauce.

I rested my fingers on the spot, pressing against the blotch.

Memories came rushing back to me, beyond my control.

Back then, right after Liam was confirmed as the heir, his schedule was packed to the brim.

Yet knowing my stomach was sensitive, he insisted on cooking for me every day—three meals a day, without fail.

Once, I casually mentioned wanting to try meat sauce from Westervale.

He traveled halfway across the kingdom just to find someone there to teach him how to make it, completely unaware that he had splattered sauce all over his new shirt.

By the time he returned, it was late at night and pouring rain. He was shivering from the cold, but the sauce wrapped in his coat was still warm.

He had said, "I'll learn how to make whatever you want to eat. That way, whenever you crave it, I'll always have it ready for you."

And now?

Even going together to see my ceremonial dress—a promise he made—had become a burden I was placing on him.

I finished packing and zipped my suitcase shut.

Honestly, I didn't own much. After spending half the day going through everything, I had only packed a few everyday clothes.

The rest were things Liam had bought for me based on his assistant Lilith Powell's tastes.

"Lilith says this style is trending among the shewolves lately. Give it a try.

"Lilith looks so pretty with this hair accessory, so I bought one for you too."

I cleared out all those items and laid them out neatly on the bed.

As I picked up the suitcase, its corner bumped into the edge of the vanity table.

A glass specimen with an embedded evening primrose rolled off and shattered on the floor.

A heavy scent of evening primrose instantly filled the room.

I immediately covered my nose and mouth as a wave of intense nausea surged up my throat.

I was severely allergic to evening primrose. Even just smelling it would break me out in hives.

And that specimen was something Liam had brought home just two days ago because evening primrose was Lilith's absolute favorite.