Chapter 1
Out on a pack hunting run, a grizzly mauled me, and I was rushed straight to the infirmary.
The last thing I remembered clearly was the scent of pine and blood before everything went dark.
Now I was awake, bandaged, and staring at a man who looked ready to fall apart.
Watching my boyfriend Ryan spiral into a blind panic beside my hospital bed, a mischievous thought popped into my head. I'd play a little trick on him.
I locked eyes with him and tilted my head. "Who exactly are you?"
Ryan froze.
I was already about to crack a grin and drop the act, ready to tell him I'd only been messing around. But before I could, he shoved his older brother Nathan toward my bed.
"I'm your boyfriend's younger brother," Ryan said without hesitation.
A heartbeat later, he pulled my closest friend Paige tight against his chest. "And—" His arm tightened around her waist. "I'm her mate now."
My expression hardened.
Nathan stepped closer to my bedside. "That's right. I'm the one who's your boyfriend."
I met his eyes and curved my lips into a cool smile. "Fine. Then I'm leaving here with you."
A boyfriend wasn't irreplaceable. If he turned out to be the wrong one, I could just find another.
Nathan actually brought me to his penthouse.
He was the Alpha's heir in the Silvermoon Pack. His place was spacious and bright, expensive but understated. There was no sign another woman had ever lived there.
"We've always lived here together," Nathan told me, watching my face.
I looked down at the pink slippers he offered. They looked brand new. I slipped them on anyway and nodded.
No sign I'd ever worn them before. I knew he was watching to see if I'd notice, so I kept a straight face.
Nathan showed me to the bedroom without another word. I was exhausted from the infirmary, and sleep came easier than I expected.
Voices in the hallway woke me just past midnight.
Nathan and Ryan were standing just outside my door, their voices low but sharp enough to carry.
"Look, just play her boyfriend for a while. It's only a week," Ryan said. "She turns eighteen next week. Once we bond, I'll be stuck with her for good. Let me enjoy myself a little longer."
I eased closer to the door, my bare feet silent on the hardwood.
"And you and Paige?" Nathan's voice had an edge. "You lied to Mia so you could spend this time with Paige?"
Ryan gave a shameless laugh. "Mia's the one I love. She's the only mate I'll ever take. But come on—why waste this chance?"
My chest tightened. I dug my nails into my palms.
"What happens when she gets her memory back and finds out?"
"I'll smooth things over. Mia loves me. She'd never leave." His tone turned smug. "Besides, you're my brother. Everyone knows you can't stand her. You'd never touch her. Just keep an eye on her so she doesn't find some other wolf. Deal?"
Nathan lit a cigarette. I heard the flick of his lighter, then the slow exhale. "Yeah."
I backed into the hallway. My heel caught the vase by the side table and it hit the floor with a crash.
Nathan came in at once. Glass lay scattered around me.
He took in the mess, then looked straight at me, his brows drawing together.
I stood in the middle of the shards with nowhere safe to step. Ryan stayed outside. Nathan came to me.
Ryan was right about Nathan's reputation. He avoided drama, kept his distance from everyone in the pack. According to pack gossip, he despised me most of all.
"Sorry," I said, my throat tight. "I was getting water. I didn't mean to break it."
I stepped back and a shard bit into my bare foot. Pain shot up my leg.
His eyes narrowed. He crossed the broken glass without seeming to notice, lifted me into his arms, and set me on the couch.
He handed me a glass of water and opened a bandage, though the cut was already closing, my accelerated healing kicking in.
"Anywhere else hurt?"
I shook my head, still gripping the water glass.
"Good." A small smile tugged at his lips as he rested my injured foot on his lap.
I went still.
I'd just heard Ryan tell him not to touch me. I'd heard Nathan agree. And everyone in the pack thought Nathan despised me.
Then his scent surrounded me, clouding my thoughts.
He bent over my foot. His fingers traced the nearly healed cut—so gentle I forgot to breathe.
I flinched. He only smiled, stood, and pressed a kiss to my forehead that lingered longer than it needed to.
The bandage sat unused on the table while he checked my foot once more.
His attention was so gentle I couldn't reconcile it with his answer to Ryan in the hall.
"We can take this slowly," he said softly. "You don't remember me yet. We'll start over."
He helped me back to the bedroom, made sure I was settled, then left—pausing at the door as if he wanted to say something, but didn't.
So Nathan had his own game to play. Neither of us was being straight with Ryan.
Morning light slipped through the blinds. Nathan handed me a coffee, his expression unreadable.
"There's a party tonight at a lakeside resort," he said. "Outside our territory. You up for it?"
I nodded.
The resort's main hall was already crowded when we arrived. As soon as we stepped through the doors, I saw Paige on Ryan's lap, feeding him wine from her mouth.
My steps faltered. Nathan's hand tightened on my waist, steadying me.
The guests had been cheering. They stopped the moment they saw me, their eyes jumping between Ryan, Paige, and me.
Paige stayed exactly where she was, as though moving now would mean admitting guilt.
Ryan called it his third anniversary with Paige. Everyone there knew it was supposed to be our third anniversary.
No one corrected him. They just exchanged knowing looks and waited to see what I would do.
My fingers curled into fists at my sides.
Paige wiped her lips and straightened, still draped over him. "Does this bother you, Mia? Oh, right—you probably forgot Ryan and I have always been... close at parties."
My so-called best friend wound her arms around Ryan's neck, staking her claim.
"Not at all." I smiled back at her and raised my glass toward Nathan.
"Actually, I love red wine. Don't I, sweetheart?"
