Chapter 2

The next morning, I was woken by the alarm on my phone.

It was a calendar reminder — Silver Pine Grove camping reservation confirmed.

I stared at it for a moment before the memories came rushing back like a tide. This was the surprise I'd spent two full months planning: in the same Silver Pine Grove where he'd first kissed me, I was going to hang a hand-polished moonstone pendant around his neck — in the ancient wolf tradition, an invitation for the other to become your lifelong mate.

All this time, I'd believed the only thing standing between Kieran and me was for one of us to make the first move. Looking back now, the irony was almost poetic.

I opened the nightstand drawer and took out the pendant. The moonstone caught the morning light, glowing a soft blue, like a single drop of frozen moonlight.

I closed my fist around it, squeezing until the edges bit into my palm. Then I walked to the window, uncurled my fingers, and watched it fall without a sound.

I stepped out of the bedroom and immediately spotted Kieran busy in the kitchen.

"Morning." He slid a plate in front of me, his tone warm and familiar, as if last night had never happened. "Eat."

I looked down at the plate. Eggs sunny-side up. Toast done to a light crisp. Blueberries arranged on the side. Three years, and he'd memorized every detail.

He was the most feared Alpha in the North — decisive, ruthless in front of others — yet the way he cared for me was as gentle as moonlight, seeping into my life silently, drop by drop. How could I not have let myself believe this could last forever?

I buried the anguish behind my eyes and looked up at him. "Kieran, let's end this."

His hand shot out and seized mine. The plate crashed to the floor, the sound of shattering porcelain cutting through the quiet kitchen.

"Absolutely not."

I wrenched my hand free, my voice breaking. "You're bonding with another woman, Kieran. Pick a day and come get your things."

"Not a chance." He backed me against the wall, leaning down to kiss me. I turned my head away. "Lia, you don't get to leave unless I'm dead."

"You're about to bond with someone else. Why won't you just let me go?"

"I told you, it's only a contract —"

His phone buzzed, cutting him off mid-sentence.

Kieran frowned and answered. When he hung up, the tension in his face was obvious. "Lia, we'll finish this when I get back. Until then, you do not leave this apartment."

But I'd heard the voice on the other end — a woman, crying.

"In such a hurry to go comfort your Luna?"

He stiffened, something flickering behind his eyes, but he didn't deny it. "Be good, Lia. I have to go. Wait for me."

He was out the door before I could respond.

The door closed. Then the deadbolt clicked from the outside.

He'd locked me in.

I stared at that door for five seconds. Then I laughed.

He was bonding with another woman, yet he wouldn't even give me the freedom to leave.

I spent the next hour trying everything, but the keypad code had already been changed. Kieran had sealed every exit. While I'd still been believing everything was fine, he'd already figured out how to make sure I couldn't run.

I stood there, numb, surveying the home I'd lived in for three years — once bare walls, gradually filled with traces of Kieran and me. Those had been my happiest moments.

A fine, needling pain threaded through my chest. Tears fell before I realized they were coming.

That was when Anna called.

"Lia, the Blackwood Foundation press conference is at three this afternoon. I'll pick you up at two-thirty."

I'd nearly forgotten. Kieran's pack charity event — a public function for the entire supernatural community. I was attending as the brand ambassador.

"Anna, Kieran locked me in the apartment."

Two seconds of silence on the other end. "He what?"

"You heard me. Come to the lobby and pull the fire alarm. Building management will have to open the door for an inspection."

"Give me forty minutes."

After I hung up, I sat on the couch and waited. My gaze drifted to the small silver picture frame on the coffee table — a photo of Kieran and me from our first anniversary. It had sat there since the day I moved in.

I picked it up. The backing had always been loose; I'd never thought anything of it.

On instinct, I flipped the frame over and lifted the back panel. A photograph slid out and drifted down onto my lap.

Kieran and Selene.

His hands were cradling her face. She was smiling — the smile of a woman absolutely certain she was loved. And the way he was looking at her —

A violent tremor ran through me. The frame slipped from my hands and hit the floor with a sharp crack, glass shattering.

I crumpled to the ground after it, my palms landing on broken glass. Blood welled instantly.

I didn't feel it. With shaking hands, I picked up the photograph and turned it over.

His handwriting. I knew it by heart.

To my moon, Selene.

My moon. So Selene was his moon all along.

All those nights when he'd murmured "my moon" against my ear — had he been thinking of her?

It felt like a fist had closed around my heart and was wringing it downward. Thinking of Kieran's so-called contractual arrangement, I nearly laughed out loud. Tears dropped onto the photograph, bleeding through his handwriting.

Kieran, how many lies have you told me?

The click of the lock snapped me back. I shoved the photo into my pocket, grabbed my bag, and ran.

Anna was waiting downstairs. She took one look at my hand. "Lia, what happened to your hand?"

"I'm fine. Drive."

Backstage, Anna did a quick job of bandaging the wound. I changed into the dress she'd brought and pulled on long gloves to cover the gauze.

When I walked to the side of the stage and saw the two people out front, I froze.

Selene wore a white dress, blonde hair cascading loose, sitting there like a proud she-wolf. Kieran was beside her in a dark suit, the Alpha aura rolling off him so thick it made the air tremble. The distance between them was so small.

So locking me up wasn't just about keeping me from running. It was about keeping me from seeing this.

The instant Kieran spotted me, a flash of surprise crossed those golden eyes. But it lasted only half a second before his usual mask of indifference slid back into place.

It was Selene who spoke first, offering me a small smile. "Aurelia, it's been a while. You look wonderful today."

I sat down next to her. Same as always — at Kieran's side. Close enough to see, too far to touch.

Once I was seated, he didn't look at me again. Not once.

The host talked about the foundation's new initiatives, its charitable goals. I didn't hear a single word. Under my gloves, the wound throbbed with every heartbeat.

Then came the Q&A.

A reporter stood up. "Alpha Blackwood, is your bonding with Miss Silvercrest a political match or a love match?"

Another followed immediately: "Everyone assumed Miss Grey was your girlfriend. Does that make Miss Silvercrest the other woman?"

I watched Kieran reach out and take Selene's hand. I watched him smile at her — an open, easy, unhidden smile.

"Selene and I have known each other since childhood." His voice was steady, without a trace of hesitation. "We are each other's fated mates."

"There is no 'other woman.' Miss Grey and I ended our relationship three months ago. She's an ex. Nothing more."

The room went silent for a beat. Then every pair of eyes turned to me.

Three months ago.

Last night, he'd told me Selene meant nothing. Two days ago, he'd been sleeping in my bed. And according to him, we'd broken up three months ago.

I couldn't stop shaking. The bandaged wound flared with fresh pain.

A reporter called my name. "Miss Grey! Is what Alpha Blackwood said true? Did you break up three months ago?"

I felt Kieran's gaze land on me at last — the first time he'd looked at me during the entire press conference.

Not concern. Not remorse.

A warning.

He was waiting for me to play along with his script. Waiting for me to do what I'd done for the past three years — obediently perform whatever role he'd assigned me.

I looked at him. I looked at Selene's hand nestled in his. I looked at this meticulously staged lie.

Three years of playing the good actress, and today was the final take.

"Yes," I said softly, leaning toward the microphone with a faint smile. "We did break up."

Just not three months ago.

Starting right now.