Chapter 2

”;Decades of bondmates deserve a second chance,”; Finley pleaded. ”;Even alphas can learn—”; I slammed my palm over the receiver. Tears carved tracks through the rash on my cheeks, each itch a reminder of Caspian’s ”;gift”;: a crate of rotting jasmine perfume, its scent laced with wolfsbane to make my skin blister. ”;He’s not learning,”; I hissed. ”;He’s teaching me how little my pain matters.”; Caspian’s voice echoed in my head: ”;Stop whining to my mother.”; As if he hadn’t spent last week in Venice, auctioning a diamond-encrusted garter for Cilian. When his mother Sara saw it, she’d called him a ”;disgrace to the pack’s honor.”; His response? Dumping those perfumes at my feet with a smirk: ”;Thought you’d appreciate something pretty, since you’ve forgotten how to be one.”; Now, as Finley’s fingers trembled under mine, I stared at the silk negligee sprawled across our marriage bed—Cilian’s patchouli stench clinging to it like a curse. Three days ago, my mother-in law had dared to say, ”;A true alpha protects his den,”; and now the entire pack reeked of his mistress. ”;Don’t call him,”; I repeated. ”;Stephanie and Elizebeth are dead. The compound broke them.”; Finley’s gasp was a knife to the chest. ”;But Master said they were training—”; ”;Training?”; I laughed, the sound raw. ”; They were skinned for sport. Stephanie’s last shift was forced on a bed of silver nails. Elizebeth…”; I choked Outside, Sara’s limousine purred to a stop. Sara’s face paled as I described Stephanie’s final moments—chained to a silver rack, howling for a mother who couldn’t reach he. ”;No… not my grandchildren,”; she gasped. Her wolf’s eyes flickered, golden hues dimming . I caught her before she hit the floor, . Three days of machines beeping, of pack healers chanting moonlit rituals, couldn’t stop the darkness. Sara clung to life long enough to squeeze my hand. ”;You… deserve better,”; she whispered, breath rattling. ”;Break the bond. I command it.”; Then her grip slackened. Caspian’s line stayed busy. I stared at the twins’ birthday cake, still untouched on the sideboard. Pink frosting, two wolf-shaped candles—now melted into grotesque puddles. Today was meant to be laughter and presents, not a triple funeral. Caspian never came home. Not when his children’s ghosts still lingered in the nursery, not when his mother’s body grew cold in the ceremonial chamber. ”;We can’t reach him, Lady. Alpha’s… occupied.”; Finley swallowed. ”;He’s… hosting a full moon mating ritual on his private isle. For Cilian.”; On the holographic screen, headlines blazed: ALPHA CASPIAN’S OCEANIC MATING FEAST: 1000 GUESTS, 100 TONS OF BLOODWINE. Cilian’s photo dominated—she wore a gown of sharkskin and moon pearls, Caspian’s teeth marks fresh on her throat. In the background, my children’s birthday cake—now moldy—still sat untouched in the dining hall. Finley snarled. She snatched the comlink: ”;Alpha! You must return— the pups and Lady Sara—”; ”;Spit it out, mutt,”; Caspian’s growl crackled through the speaker. ”;Th-they’re dead!”; Finley wailed. Silence. Then a cold, cruel laugh: ”;Cute prank. Tell Aurelian to stop being a drama queen. I’ll be home when Cilian’s heat ends.”; My vision redlined. I laughed through sobs. At least now, Stephanie and Elizebeth would never again spend their birthdays staring out the window, pretending not to ache for a father who’d rather feast on betrayal. ”;But the children are dead,”; I whispered into the comlink, voice trembling. Caspian’s snarl static the connection. ”;You think I’d fall for this pathetic ploy? Milo says they’re thriving at the compound—”; ”;They’re ashes! T Please—just come home. Help me get their body.”; A deafening boom cut me off—Caspian’s fireworks. ”;Save your drama for the pups who care,”; Caspian sneered. ”;I’m claiming my real mate tonight. Just don’t embarrass me.”; The line went dead. I stood there, staring at the comlink in my hand I turned to the mantle, where the twins’ framed portraits smiled back at me—Stephanie with her missing front tooth, Elizebeth clutching his teddy. Below them, Sara’s alpha medallion glowed faintly, its engravings whispering ”;Protect the den.”;