3

My father's birthday fell ten days before the mating ceremony.

I'd booked the best restaurant in the pack ahead of time and had someone track down a set of hunting knives my father had wanted for ages.

That evening, I hurried to the restaurant with his gift, only for the waiter to tell me my family had canceled the reservation.

"They went somewhere else. They said it was a last-minute change."

I called my mother.

She picked up right away. In the background, I could hear silverware clinking and people laughing and talking.

"Mom, you changed restaurants?"

"Oh, yes," she said breezily. "Thea wanted to try the new seafood place, so I switched."

I held the phone in silence for a long moment.

"Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"Oh, we probably just got busy and forgot."

She didn't sound like she cared at all.

"Ask Kane. He knows the address. Hurry up and get here. Don't keep your father waiting."

After she hung up, I stood alone outside the restaurant.

It had started pouring.

I didn't have an umbrella, so I huddled under the awning with the gift in my arms and texted Kane.

No answer.

A few minutes later, he finally called.

"Chloe, where are you?"

"Outside the restaurant we were supposed to go to."

He paused.

"You didn't get the new address?"

"No."

The line went quiet for a moment.

"Maybe Damian forgot to tell you. Hang on, I'll come get you."

Twenty minutes later, Kane pulled up.

I opened the car door and found Thea sitting in the passenger seat.

The back seat was piled high with files, leaving barely enough room for me.

Kane got out and opened the back door for me.

"Thea gets carsick. She's more comfortable up front. Just squeeze in for now. We'll sort it out when we get there."

I turned sideways to squeeze in and set the gift by my feet.

As we drove over a rough stretch of road, Kane braked sharply.

The mountain of files toppled over, and a heavy binder came down on my left arm.

I winced and pushed them away.

Thea shrieked.

"Oh my God, be careful! Kane gave me those files to organize. It's my very first assignment!"

Kane glanced at me in the rearview mirror.

"Chloe, be careful. Don't knock the files over again."

He didn't even ask if I was hurt.

When we got to the restaurant, my father was already seated at the head of the table.

I handed him his gift.

"Happy birthday, Dad."

My father opened the box, and his eyes lit up when he saw the hunting knives.

But before he could say anything, Thea brought out a carefully wrapped wool scarf.

"Fenrir, I knitted this myself. I hope you like it."

My father wrapped it around his neck right away, beaming.

"Thea's always so thoughtful. She knows how to take care of people."

My mother chimed in.

"Thea's so much more considerate than Chloe. Look at Chloe. She never thinks about whether a gift is actually useful."

I glanced at the gift box sitting at the edge of the table.

My father had been talking about those knives for months.

But I didn't argue. I just put the gift away and took the empty seat.

The dishes came out one by one.

It wasn't until the waiter wheeled a cake into the private room that I finally understood who this dinner was really celebrating.

The silver frosting on top spelled out a message.

"Congratulations on your first job, Thea!"

I stared at the words. The whole thing was absurd.

It was my father's birthday.

But his name wasn't on the cake.

My mother seemed to notice where I was looking and explained with a smile.

"Back when you were away at the Imperial Academy, Thea was always the one here for our birthdays.

"Now she's just found a job. Isn't it nice for all of us to celebrate together?"

I couldn't help looking at Kane.

He didn't look surprised at all. He'd obviously known.

He cut the first slice of cake and handed it to Thea.

"Congratulations, Thea."

Thea took it with a smile.

Then Kane cut a slice and set it in front of me.

It was covered in chopped nuts.

My fingers stiffened.

I was severely allergic to nuts.

During our first year together, Kane had taken me out to dinner.

The kitchen put crushed nuts in my dessert by mistake, and I had an allergic reaction almost right away.

Kane had gone white with panic. After that, whenever we ate out, he'd go to the kitchen himself to check every ingredient.

But now he'd forgotten.

"I can't eat this."

Kane's hand stilled.

Thea jumped to her feet.

"I'm so sorry, Chloe! I forgot to mention it when I ordered the cake. Let's switch. Mine doesn't have any nuts."

She pushed her plate over to me.

Kane took the slice with the nuts away, clearly annoyed.

"Thea's been busy all day. She can't think of everything. If you can't eat it, don't eat it. Don't ruin everyone's night over a piece of cake."

I looked up at him.

My mother's face darkened too.

"Chloe, it's your father's birthday. You've had a sour look on your face since you walked in, and now you're finding fault with the cake?"

My father put down his glass, looking displeased.

"Chloe, it's just dinner. Can't we all just enjoy being together?"

Thea's eyes filled with tears.

"I'm sorry. This is all my fault."

She grabbed her coat and headed for the door.

Kane was on his feet in an instant.

"Thea, wait."

He looked at me as though it were all my fault.

"Chloe, you've really gone too far tonight."

"I've gone too far?"

My voice was quiet, but I couldn't stop it from shaking.

"You changed restaurants at the last minute, and not one of you told me. Kane came to pick me up, and there wasn't room for me in the car. None of you even remember what I can't eat."

I looked around the table.

"And I'm the one who's gone too far?"

Kane's expression changed. He was about to say something when we heard Thea sobbing quietly outside the door.

"Chloe, Thea's upset. I'm going to take her home first."

He glanced at me, and for a second, he seemed torn.

"I'll be right back to get you."

I suddenly remembered how I'd pulled a muscle during training five years ago.

When Kane found out, he didn't leave my side. He waited on me hand and foot.

When I told him to go home and get some rest, he took my hand. "You're hurting. How could I leave?"

Back then, I thought I'd found someone who would never leave me, no matter what.

Now I understood. It wasn't that he'd never leave. It was just that back then, no one else had come along to call him away.