Chapter 1

paid chapters:4

For six years, I was Edwards’ mate. His provider. His pack’s savior.

I housed his family, paid off their debts, and funded their lavish lives with my own earnings.

In return, my mate sent me into a death trap so his ex-girlfriend could take my place on our family vacation.

He looked me in the eyes, with no trace of shame. "The convoy was at capacity. I had to give Rebecca your spot. You are powerful. You can cross the Shadow Thorn Wastes by yourself."

His family agreed. I was strong, they said. Rebecca was fragile.

It was a small sacrifice.

But as they welcomed her into my home, my heart turned to ice. My love for him died at that moment.

Now, after I’ve cut him off and severed our bond, he stands before me, begging.

His voice is a pathetic whimper through our broken bond. “Liana, I cannot lose you!”

But he doesn’t want me.

He wants my money.

He wants his golden goose back.

Too bad for him. This goose has flown, and he’s about to find out what it’s like to starve.

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1

My mate Edwards rarely took leave from his enforcer duties, so I planned a family journey to the Frostfang Wilds.

As the Crimson Peak Pack’s empath and mind-Healer, the cost was trivial. My private practice earned $60,000 a month. Edwards’ Enforcer stipend was a paltry $4,000.

I devoted six months to charting the safest passages and securing travel rights with other packs.

The Frostfang Wilds were infamously dangerous for foreign wolves. Each pack demanded its own permit, some costing $11,000 for safe passage alone.

The entire family left the work to me—the permits, the safe houses, the hunting access, even the stores of Moonpetal Salve we might need.

Edwards’ parents, the Elders Gideon and Harley, occupied the guest wing of our lodge. They lived entirely off my earnings after retiring from their pack roles.

His teenage sister, Julia, had been my ward since she turned ten.

I never resented supporting them. Their happiness was worth any price.

My mind-healing practice was flourishing. Wolves from every territory sought my skills, especially to mend fractured mate bonds.

Gaining safe passage was a delicate process, so I secured our permits well in advance.

When Julia confessed she’d never traveled in a protected convoy, I used my own savings to upgrade the whole family’s travel. The additional $18,000 was a small price for their security.

Then, on the eve of our departure, Edwards delivered his blow: “Rebecca heard about our trip and wants to come. The convoy is full, so you’ll have to take the route through the Shadow Thorn Wastes alone. I’ve already handled your passage permit.”

He sent the document to me through our Mind-Link.

My blood turned to ice as I read the route—it cut straight through the heart of that cursed marshland. Three wolves had been slaughtered there last month.

“What are you saying? This is our family trip, and you’re bringing Rebecca?”

“Yes. Rebecca wanted to join, so of course I made a place for her.”

My wolf snarled under my skin. “When my mother asked to visit last week, what did you tell me? You said it was a pack-only trip. But Rebecca asks, and you bend over backward for her?”

“Rebecca is not your mother. She is essentially pack—more than pack. In my heart, she has always been my family.”

I felt my claws strain against my fingertips. “Then why am I the one traveling alone? I booked those convoy seats months ago.”

“The convoy was at capacity. I had to give Rebecca your spot. You are powerful. You can cross the Shadow Thorn Wastes by yourself.”

I stared at the permit again. Of all the paths, he had chosen the most lethal.

“So Rebecca travels in the protected convoy while I risk my life alone in hostile territory?”

“You always claim you want to see other lands. This is your opportunity.”

I looked to Gideon and Harley, the Elders I had sustained for years.

Gideon looked away.

Harley approached with a placating look. “Liana, dear, Rebecca and Edwards ran these mountains together as pups. They share so much history. It’s only right they travel together. Just take the longer path and we will see you there.”

Julia added her own plea: “Liana, Rebecca is fragile. She could never survive the Shadow Thorn Wastes alone. You’re formidable and strong—you can do it.”

A bitter laugh escaped me. “Who is truly pack here? An outsider is treated with more care than your pack’s Mind-Healer, your provider. One might think Rebecca was your son’s true mate!”

Edwards’ eyes flared gold with fury. “It is just a different path. Do not make this a scene. Rebecca is family—we were pups together. We cannot ask her to face that danger alone. Make this one sacrifice—prove you know what it means to be a true mate!”

The front door of our Blackwood Lodge swung open.

Julia ran to embrace Rebecca, who glided in wearing clothes that cost more than Edwards’ monthly stipend.

“Rebecca! I have been waiting for you! Come inside!”

Julia took Rebecca’s enormous designer travel bags.

“I missed you terribly! If you had not left our pack during the Scourge—you would have been my real sister when you mated with Edwards!”

Harley took Rebecca’s perfectly manicured hands. “Precisely! I always pictured you as my daughter-in-law. In my soul, no one else has ever measured up!”

They spoke these words before me, without an ounce of shame.

In that instant, the warmth of my bond with them turned to ice.