Home / Counterfeit Mate: Carved From His First Love / Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

All Chapters of Counterfeit Mate: Carved From His First Love: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

Leia's POVEvan Hillard walked in and placed a gift box on the bed. "Your gown is here."He unfolded the white fabric, revealing fine silver threads stitched across the hem. He held it up against me and traced my waist with his fingers to check the fit."It needs to be taken in a little right here. We'll do the fitting tomorrow, and the witch will come by to tattoo the crescent moon on you."I reached out to touch the lining, then stopped. "Why did you use scent-treated fabric?"I worked in the pack's infirmary, where we used this material to transport injured wolves. It temporarily suppressed the wearer's natural scent and released another scent sealed into the fabric, preventing enemies from tracking the wounded by smell.Evan smoothed the lining back into place. "It's for the marking ceremony. The fabric has been specially treated.""Whose scent did you seal inside?" I asked."No one's. Just try it on first." He brushed my hair aside and reached for the buttons of my clothes

Chapter 2

Leia's POVThe next day, Evan arrived with the witch, Ada Chapman, and the tailor. "We can do the tattoo right here so you don't have to leave the house," he said. He moved a chair over by the window and had me sit in the sunlight.Ada had known me for years. When she saw me keeping my head down, she handed me a tube of pain-relief cream.The tailor lifted the gown, then leaned toward Evan and whispered, "I've infused the fabric with Ms. Dawson's scent. Should I have Ms. Montgomery try it on now?"The tailor kept her voice low, but I heard every word. The tube slipped from my hand and hit the floor.Evan asked her to step outside, then bent down to pick up the tube.Gripping the armrests, I looked up at him. "The golden-brown fur, the red mole beside my eye, the tattoo on my neck, and now this dress. You want to turn me into Vera Dawson, don't you?"He didn't answer.I pulled up a screenshot of the message and held it out between us.After reading it, Evan turned and asked A

Chapter 3

Leia's POVThree days before the ceremony, I received a message from an unknown number."Leia, it's Vera. Evan gave me your number. There are some things I'd like to explain to you personally."I stared at the screen but didn't reply."Leia, Evan told me you already know about us. Don't worry. I won't show up at the marking ceremony. Once I move to the north, I won't bother you two anymore."Then she sent me a set of vows."From the moment we first met beneath the birch trees, I've dreamed of this day with you. With the Moon Goddess as my witness, I accept your mark and promise to be your one and only mate for life."Could you read these vows to him for me during your marking ceremony?"Evan and I had met on the edge of the northern snowfields. I'd never even been to the southern birch forests in my life."I'm not reading your vows," I replied.Vera sent a voice message. "This was just a dream, Evan, and I never got to fulfill it. Could you help me make it come true?"A sec

Chapter 4

Leia's POVThe night before the ceremony, the dyeing supplies were laid out beside the hotel bathtub.I shifted into my wolf form, and Ada brushed aside the fur along my abdomen to expose the skin that had not fully healed.Evan frowned. "Avoid this area."Ada pointed to the new silver-gray fur growing over the wound. "If we leave it untouched, there'll be a patch that doesn't match the reference color."He looked down at the photo, then rested his palm against my back. "Use less dye here and take it slow."The moment the dye touched my skin, I jerked my hind legs inward.My paws slipped on the wet floor of the tub, and my abdomen scraped against the edge. I let out a sharp whimper.Evan immediately pulled me into his arms and told them to stop.I pressed against his chest, trembling uncontrollably, my nose buried in his soaked shirt."Lanie, don't be afraid. Look at me." He supported my body, rinsed the dye off the injured area, and had Ada bring a cool towel.With his hand

Chapter 5

Evan's POVOne of my men held out two brooches to me. "Mr. Hillard, which one are you pinning on? The one from Ms. Dawson or the one from Ms. Montgomery?"I picked up the one Leia had given me. "This one. Make sure it's fastened securely."Whenever she checked the clasp, she'd tug on my collar and tell me to lower my head so she could reach it. I'd lean down, wait for her to finish, then kiss her forehead.Remembering that, I straightened the brooch and told the driver to go. The wound on Leia's abdomen had hurt badly the night before. I'd carry her downstairs myself.When we arrived at the hotel, I knocked on her door. "Lanie, I'm here to pick you up."There was no answer.I used the spare key card to open the door. The bed was neatly made, and the bathroom was empty. Her suitcase was gone.The only thing left in the closet was the gown. I took it down and called Leia's number, assuming she'd headed to the hall ahead of time.When she didn't answer, I called the elder officia

Chapter 6

Leia's POVEvan was wearing his suit, with the brooch I'd given him pinned beside his collar. He stood outside the examination room, looking exhausted from the long journey, his eyes bloodshot.When he reached out to me, I instinctively wanted to go to him, but a sudden stab of pain shot through my abdomen. I gripped the doorframe and stayed where I was."Does it hurt to walk? Let me carry you." He stepped closer and bent down to slip an arm beneath my knees.I shrank back, and his hand froze in midair.Maeve Nixon, the healer treating me, came out of the examination room and draped a coat over my shoulders."Sir, this area is off-limits to visitors. Ms. Montgomery hasn't finished her treatment yet, and she needs to rest.""Let me talk to him for a few minutes," I said.Maeve helped me sit in a chair in the hallway and set a glass of water beside me.Evan crouched in front of me and took my hand. "Come back with me first. I've replaced your pillow with the kind you like, and I

Chapter 7

Leia's POVOver the next three weeks, Evan came by many times. He brought me hot soup and expensive grooming towels, but I returned them untouched. Later, he brought the belongings I'd left at his place, and those I accepted.Maeve helped me recover and change my dressings during those weeks. She also trimmed away the fur around my wound that had been damaged by the dye.When I shifted into my wolf form and lay on the padded bed, I noticed a small patch of silver-gray fur growing back on my abdomen. The fur on my back was still golden-brown, and the two colors blended unevenly.Maeve picked up her scissors and lifted the tips of the fur nearby. "Do you want me to trim the rest of it, too?"I raised a front paw and pressed it against her hand.She immediately set the scissors down. "Alright. We'll wait for the rest of the dye to grow out."I looked at myself in the wall mirror, then glanced up at her.She gathered the trimmed fur into a bag and adjusted the padding beneath me, m

Chapter 8

Leia's POVEvan stayed at the Healers' Association for a week to recover. He stopped waiting outside my office and instead sent his men to ask how the wound on my abdomen was healing.When Maeve removed the last layer of my bandages, I braced myself against the edge of the bed and slowly sat upright. My skin still felt tight, but moving no longer sent sharp pains through me."You can join us on medical rounds in a few days," Maeve said, setting a schedule down in front of me. "We'll start with minor injuries, and you can rest whenever you get tired."I picked up a pen and signed my name on the form.Our first stop would be a few small packs in the south, and we'd be gone for a month.I was organizing my medical kit and packing my suitcase in my room when Evan's subordinate knocked on the door."Ms. Montgomery, the Alpha would like to see you. He has something you left behind and wants to return it to you in person."I fell silent for a moment before closing my suitcase. "Let's

Chapter 9

Leia's POVSix months later, I developed the first batch of specialized potions, using samples I'd collected from silver wounds and brought back to the Healers' Association.Maeve and I refined the anti-silver formula. Clinical trials conducted across several large packs showed that it cured nearly every patient.I was promoted to Senior Supervisor at the Healers' Association. During medical rounds, other healers sought my advice, and the younger apprentices treated me with respect.I rented a sunlit wooden cottage in a small town north of the association. I bought a large solid-wood desk and placed it directly in front of the window. My notebooks and herb samples covered the desktop.Whenever sunlight streamed into the room, the fresh, clean scent of herbs filled the entire cottage.One afternoon, the Blackrock pack sent over two injured wolves.I carried my medical kit into the examination room and saw Evan standing beside one of the beds.He'd lost a lot of weight since I'd

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP