All Chapters of They Favored My Sister, So I Left the Pack: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

My engagement ring struck the metal trash can with a sharp clink.My brother Cade’s brow furrowed.Before he could speak, Bianca laughed.“There you are! Alice. What do you think of the gown?”She stepped away from the altar and turned, letting the skirt sweep across the flagstones.My gown.The seamstress had needed four fittings to get the neckline right. Then, two weeks ago, Mom had called to say Rowan wanted a different design.I’d tried it on once. The zipper wouldn’t close.Mom had promised to get it fixed.Now I knew why she hadn’t.“Rowan and I saw it in the boutique window,” Bianca said. “I said it was gorgeous, and he actually remembered.”She held out her left hand.“And look. The exact ring I wanted.”I remembered sitting beside Rowan at the jeweler’s, studying two velvet boxes.“Why do we need two?” I asked.Rowan smiled. “In case something happens to the first one.”Bianca tipped her hand toward the light.“Rowan told me you helped with all the planning. Seriously, what w

I found a hotel twenty minutes from pack territory.The room was nothing special, but it beat the storage room my parents expected me to sleep in.I left my suitcase beside the bed, printed my release application in the lobby, and brought it upstairs.Rowan called as I was filling out the last page.I watched his name flash across the screen.Then I answered.“Alice, you left the chat.”His voice sounded tired.“Yes.”“Can you stop? It’s been a long day.”I’d spent that day watching him stand beside my sister at the altar, but somehow I was the one asking too much.I’d thought he might be calling to explain. Tell me why he’d let me walk into that ceremony without warning, then ask me to understand, the way he always did.But I was done trying to understand.Rowan loved me, but whenever it came to Bianca, he made me feel guilty until I gave in.“Where are you?”“A hotel.”He exhaled.“You didn’t need to leave. I talked to Bianca. She’s willing to wait until the weekend for the studio.”

Rowan’s wolf slammed against him, searching for a presence that was no longer there.He reached again.Nothing.Across the table, Mom dropped her glass. Water spread over the tablecloth.“What’s happening?” She pressed a hand to her chest. “I can’t feel Alice.”Dad gripped the back of a chair.“She’s left the pack.”Cade stared at him.“What? No. Why would she do that?”Rowan couldn’t answer.I’d been beside him for years. He’d always known I was there, somewhere within reach.Now he couldn’t find me.His phone lay beneath the table.He crouched to retrieve it, nearly losing his balance when his wolf surged again.The investigator was still on the line.“Alpha Rowan? Are you there?”“Yes.” His voice came out rough.“We’re sending you the evidence now.”“Where’s Alice?”“I can’t disclose her location.”“She’s my—”He stopped.This morning, in front of the council, he’d called me a friend.Now he couldn’t even finish saying what I was to him.“I need to speak to her.”“You’ll have to con

When my plane landed, a woman in a dark coat was waiting beyond baggage claim.Her face lit up when she spotted me.“Alice? I’m Mara, the Council’s security Beta. We’re so glad you’re here.”She shook my hand warmly, then took my suitcase.“How was the flight? Have you eaten?”Outside, she opened the car door and waited while I settled in.“Would you like to grab something to eat first, or go straight to your place?” Mara asked. “Whatever works best for you.”Whatever worked best for me.I couldn’t remember the last time anyone had said that.For the first time since leaving, I felt sure I’d made the right decision.The Northern Pack Council had sent nine invitations.I’d turned down eight.They wanted me for my work on protective wards: the magic woven through pack borders to keep rogues out.Most specialists could detect a breach after it happened. I could trace the weaknesses that would cause one.My graduate research had caught the Council’s attention. They were rebuilding the defe