Chapter 1I found another she-wolf's underwear in my Alpha mate's bathroom.
So what? Let her have him.
Because I've got bigger problems now—like the bounty on my head and the rival pack offering me triple his salary.
He thinks I stayed because I loved him? Cute.
I stayed here only because I needed a place to hide.
Five years. I faked as a warrior.
Trained his fighters. Secured his borders. Made him look like a legend.
Now his pack is strong. But him? Rotten to the core.
So that very same night, I bounced.
Three weeks later, his rival Alpha posted a photo.
I was the new head warrior of his rival's pack.
My target?
HIS ENTIRE PACK.
--
Linnet Thornwell stuck her head out the half-open window and yelled back at me.
"My bad, Sera Nightwood. I just really needed to blow off some steam at the bar, you know? But hey, don't worry about it—I'll make sure Alpha Kaelen grabs you something to eat when we get back!"
I didn't get a chance to answer before Kaelen grinned and messed up her hair.
"You're such a damn food fiend. Just because you're always hungry doesn't mean everyone else is. Ignore her—she'll stuff her face and then start whining about her wolfsbane acting up again. I'm not dealing with that drama."
So he did see how rough I looked. He just figured I was faking it to make him feel guilty.
Before, I would've lost it—tears, arguments, the whole mess—trying to make him understand.
This time, though, I just kept my mouth shut and gave a small nod. "Sure. You two have fun."
Kaelen paused, looking thrown off for a second, then that smirk came back. "Good. Long as you're not gonna start something."
Right before they left, Kaelen rolled down every single window because he was worried Linnet might feel cramped. Then the car pulled away.
I always got motion sickness, and it was always way worse in his car for some reason. Never once did he crack a window for me, though.
"Motion sickness? Yeah, right. Can you stop being so damn fragile?"—that's what he always said.
Now I got it. I slipped the ring off my finger and chucked it into a passing garbage truck.
First thing the next morning, I went to the pack house to turn in my resignation. Ever since Kaelen took over as Alpha, I'd been working as his warrior liaison.
"You're quitting? Does Alpha Kaelen know?" Dorian Blackwood, the Beta, looked like I'd just told him the sky was falling.
"He'll find out when my replacement as warrior liaison shows up." And with that, I walked out and didn't look back.
When I got home, Kaelen was there. He smelled like my body wash—the fresh, clean scent I always used. He adjusted his wrist, then looked down at me.
"Something came up last night, so I crashed somewhere else. Didn't want to wake you."
First time in five years he'd bothered to explain himself. I nodded but didn't say anything.
"Where were you this morning?" he asked.
I looked at him. After every pack event, I'd always get up before dawn to make him warm meat soup. Made sense he'd be confused when he came back and found nothing.
"Had some things to handle." I turned to go, but Kaelen, who'd been frowning, suddenly grabbed my wrist, his expression darkening. "Sera, cut it out. It's just a delay on the marking. It's not like I'm not gonna do it, so quit acting like this."
But I wasn't acting. And I really didn't plan on letting him mark me anymore. Figured it was time to just say it, and I was about to when a soft, whiny voice cut through the air.
"Alpha Kaelen! This is your fault! The thing you got me this morning is totally the wrong size! This style doesn't work on me at all! You really don't get me, Alpha Kaelen!"
Linnet walked out wearing Kaelen's shirt, barely two buttons holding it together, collarbone on full display. She went straight to him, hooked her arm through his, and swayed.
Kaelen's frown vanished instantly. His voice went gentle—a tone I'd never once heard from him. "Why didn't you sleep in a little longer? I'll get the right size next time."
He even reached up to smooth her messy hair, the movement easy and familiar. Like they were the ones who'd spent five years together.
I watched them, and something tightened in my chest like a hand squeezing. But that sharp, stabbing pain from before? Gone. Just a hollow, numb feeling left behind.
That's when Linnet noticed me. A flicker of smugness crossed her face before she put on a surprised look.
"Oh, Sera, you're here too? Sorry, I thought it was just the two of us at Kaelen's place." She made sure to stress "just the two of us," like she was staking a claim.
Kaelen didn't deny it. He just glanced at me with irritation, like I'd interrupted something.
I pulled my hand free from his grip, fingertips ice-cold.
"Just came to grab something. I'll be out of here soon," I said flatly, voice steady.
Chapter 2
Linnet walked up to me, grabbed my hand, and said in that sweet, clingy voice, "Sera, I'm so glad you're not mad."
That's when Kaelen noticed she wasn't wearing shoes. He shoved past me and rushed over, scooping her up in his arms. His tone turned sharp and urgent. "You're not in good shape, and you're running around barefoot? You got a death wish?"
A few memories flashed through my head.
Earlier this month, my heat had been so brutal I'd curled up in bed, begging Kaelen to grab me suppressants and painkillers. But he'd just frowned. "I'm an Alpha. How the hell am I supposed to go out and buy that kind of stuff? You're the one who dismissed all the servants. And now you want me to do errands for you?"
"Every she-wolf goes through this. Just deal with it. Why make it such a production?"
When I snapped back to reality, Kaelen was already carrying Linnet into the bedroom.
I looked away, pushing down the faint ache in my chest. Then I picked up my phone and contacted the Beta from the borderlands who'd been trying to recruit me.
Right after, a notification popped up—Linnet had tagged me.
In the video, a large hand slowly rubbed her lower stomach. Her voice played in the background, soft and sweet. "Alpha Kaelen, your hands are so warm..."
The caption read: [Alpha feels terrible that I'm hurting during my heat, says he'll take all the pain away! Being cared for like this is amazing.]
I double-tapped to like it, went to my profile, and deleted the background photo of Kaelen and me.
Today, Betas from other packs were here for a training exchange. Most of the warrior coordination still needed me to handle it, so I led the visiting warriors to the lounge to get them settled.
A group trailed behind me, and at a glance, they spotted Kaelen inside, feeding Linnet at the table.
"Wow, I heard Alpha Kaelen found his fated mate ages ago. Didn't think they'd still be this tight!"
"Right? Alphas are always the ones getting served, but he's actually feeding his Luna!"
That's right.
Since the day he was born, his meals had always been brought to him. After the help got dismissed, I took care of everything for him.
And now, he was doing all of that for another she-wolf.
The admiring chatter finally reached their ears. Linnet spotted me at the front and immediately pouted, whining, "Sera, look at Alpha Kaelen! He keeps making me eat foie gras. I'm gonna get fat from him feeding me!"
Kaelen didn't even glance my way. He gently wiped the corner of her mouth. "Be good. Finish this and drink your milk."
The chatter around me died.
Once everyone was settled, I pulled out my phone again and kept working on arranging my travel to the borderlands.
At some point, Kaelen appeared behind me. He glanced at my screen, tone puzzled. "The borderlands? Who are you heading there for?"
Chapter 3
Before I could come up with an answer, he suddenly snatched my hand, voice sharp with shock. "Sera, where the hell is the ring I gave you?! Don't tell me you forgot it at home!"
I knew exactly why he was freaking out. In five years together, I'd never once taken that ring off. But he'd never worn the one I gave him anywhere public.
Unease flickered across Kaelen's face. He squeezed my hand harder, eyes locked on mine. "Sera, answer me!"
I was about to just tell him when Linnet suddenly let out a sharp cry.
"Ah! It hurts, Alpha Kaelen... it really hurts..." Every head turned toward the noise. Linnet had dropped to the floor, and her outstretched palm had a nasty bleeding cut on it.
Kaelen shoved me out of the way and bolted over, pulling her up into his arms. "What the hell were you thinking being so careless!"
Tears poured down her face as she pressed herself into his chest. Looking all hurt and scared, she kept glancing my way. "I don't know... Sera was supposed to do a sweep of everything last night. I have no idea why there'd be such a huge piece of broken glass sitting on the table... It hurts so bad, Alpha Kaelen..."
Kaelen's eyes landed on the blood-smeared shard on the ceremonial table. Rage flooded his expression.
The next second, he whipped around to face me and roared, "Sera, have your games really gotten to the point where you're hurting people now?! Get your ass over here and apologize!"
I ignored the disgusted looks from everyone else and walked over. "I didn't do it."
"Who else could've? Everyone in this pack knows how jealous you get. You're the one who personally sweeps everything here, aren't you?!"
Before I could get a word out, Kaelen grabbed a small stone carving sitting nearby and smashed it onto the floor.
Then he seized my hand and shoved it down hard onto the scattered pieces. Blood covered my hands instantly. Sharp fragments dug into my skin.
"This is what you get! No one is allowed to bandage you! Think about what you did. Come apologize when you've figured it out!"
With that, Kaelen scooped Linnet up and walked off without a backward glance.
My eyes stung, and everything went blurry. One tear after another dripped onto the broken bits of the carving. My hands hurt like hell, but my chest hurt worse—so much I could hardly pull in air.
The two little wolf figures on that ornament had been custom-made by Kaelen when he proposed to me. Now they were shattered.
Back then, I was all he saw. He'd said, "Sera, I swore it before the Moon Goddess. You and me, for life."
Now, he was the one breaking that promise.
I scooped up the broken pieces and dumped them in the trash, along with every memory and whatever little feeling I still had left for him.
As I walked past the main pack hall, loud clapping echoed from inside.
Kaelen was up on stage, looking proud as hell. After he stepped down, he took Linnet's hand and pulled her up there with him to soak up the praise.
Kaelen had stood in the spotlight as a legendary Alpha plenty of times before. Not long ago, I'd overheard some reporter ask him, "Your top warrior has busted her ass at your side for years. Why not bring her up to thank her too?"
Kaelen's answer had been cold. "I got here on my own strength. She's just coasting on my reputation, honestly. And she's not getting any younger. Can't exactly put her on display!"
My eyes drifted back to the stage where Linnet stood next to him, grinning like she'd just claimed the title of Luna. Under those bright lights, the two of them really did make a good-looking pair.
Right then, my phone buzzed. My travel to the borderlands was all set.
