Chapter 4

At the pack banquet, I handed Eleanor, Daniel's mother, a cedar box.

Inside rested a silver-sage tincture I had spent three years distilling, specifically crafted to ease the chronic joint pain from her old battle injuries.

Eleanor squeezed my fingers with genuine warmth, praising my dedication in front of the entire high table.

Then Stacy barged in.

"Luna Eleanor, I know how much you adore relics. I pulled some strings to track down this heirloom. It's centuries old."

She flipped open the velvet case. The entire hall went dead silent.

A sour, metallic stench rolled off the oxidized torque. It reeked of unpurified rogue scavenge—straight from the dark web border market.

Several elders visibly recoiled, nostrils flaring in disgust.

Tainted contraband was an absolute taboo on pack grounds.

Stacy was truly stupid enough to parade it as a gift.

Sensing the suffocating tension, Daniel forced himself between them.

"Mother, Stacy meant well. A rogue broker conned her. Let's box it up and move on to dinner."

Eleanor pinned her son with a blistering glare.

"If you paid this much attention to Ember, you wouldn't let black-market filth cross my threshold!"

Daniel clamped his jaw shut, tossing me an irritated glare.

"The Luna ceremony... that depends on what Ember wants."

I offered a thin, polite smile and held my tongue. A public brawl wasn't my style.

Eleanor made no effort to hide her bias throughout dinner, consistently having my plate filled with braised venison and wild greens.

Stacy scrambled to save face, raising a crystal goblet for a toast, only to knock it over in a panic.

Red wine seeped across the white linen.

Daniel bolted upright to shield her.

"She's just overwhelmed. Don't hold an accident against her, Mother."

The pack elites quietly looked away.

Everyone saw the mighty Alpha bending over backward for his childhood playmate.

Eleanor asked me to stay behind for half an hour after dessert.

When I stepped into the corridor, Daniel was pacing by the archway, eyes sharp with suspicion.

"What did my mother say to you?"

"Nothing. Just talking."

"Did you mention the thing with Stacy?"

His paranoia was pathetic—terrified I'd expose his twisted little fake-mate game.

I shook my head.

He let out a massive sigh of relief.

"You're always so level-headed, Ember."

"So calm, sometimes I wonder if you even love me at all."

I looked right through him and brushed past his shoulder.

Before we left, Eleanor insisted on slipping an heirloom moonstone ring onto my index finger.

I tried to pull back, but her gaze was fierce and mournful.

"That foolish boy has no idea what he's throwing away."

Daniel frowned. "Mother, what does that mean?"

Eleanor tapped my hand, burning a cold glare into her son.

"It means you'll get what's coming to you for taking your fated mate for granted!"

Daniel rolled his eyes, brushing it off as an old woman's bias.

We drove off under her watchful gaze.

At the curb, Stacy habitually reached for the front door handle.

For the first time, Daniel blocked her.

Stacy stiffened, swallowed hard, and quietly slinked into the back seat.

I slid into the passenger seat, staring straight ahead.

The cabin reeked of her perfume—sickeningly sweet and cloying.

My senses rebelled. Halfway home, my stomach convulsed violently.

"Daniel, pull over. Now."

The tires skidded against the gravel. I kicked the door wide, gripped the roadside guardrail, and gagged into the dark brush.

"What's wrong? Do you need the clinic?"

"Don't."

I jerked away from his reaching hand.

Surprisingly, he didn't drive off and leave me.

He handed me a clean handkerchief and a mint lozenge.

"Stacy and I... it's just a game," he muttered, voice low. "You can lean on me. Stop pushing yourself."

I looked up at him. If this remorse had come months ago, things might be different.

Once the nausea passed, I opened the back door and slid inside.

Stacy immediately pounced, diving straight back into the front passenger seat.

"Daniel, you promised to take me to that late showcase downtown tonight. Are we heading straight there, or going to the estate first?"

Daniel caught my pale reflection in the rearview mirror.

"Ok, but we're going back to the estate first."

Back at the main manor, I sank onto the sofa and shut my eyes.

Stacy pranced straight into my closet to touch up her makeup.

Looking at that door, I couldn't help but think of my ruined greenhouse.

Watching her hijack my personal space so casually, a bitter memory suddenly choked me.

It was exactly like what happened to my greenhouse last month.

I had spent countless nights cultivating rare medicinal orchids there. But Daniel leveled the whole thing without a single second thought—all because Stacy casually mentioned she wanted a sun terrace.

Daniel tracked my stare and stepped closer.

"Stacy is only here temporarily," he said. "I had the Beta find her a place in town. She's moving out next week."

"I'll have the greenhouse rebuilt for you too. You can plant whatever you want."

I listened to his pathetic, charity-like promises. I felt completely numb.

Near the foyer, Stacy was slipping into her heels.

I spoke up, offering one final test.

"Don't go with her."

Daniel's expression shifted. He let out a weary sigh. "I gave her my word, Ember. An Alpha doesn't renege. I'll stay with you next time."

The door clicked shut.

A soft laugh slipped past my lips.

He was predictable to the end.

Whenever I drew a line, he crossed it just to prove his dominion.

That was fine. This was the last time he would ever go against me.

My phone buzzed.

Three hours until my flight to the United Pack.

I picked up the small suitcase I had prepped earlier. Just one bag, carrying away whatever dignity I had left in this place.

I walked out without looking back once.

Once, Daniel had sworn beneath the stars, "Ember, with you by my side, I'm a real Alpha."

I had been naive enough to believe it meant forever.

The mate bond would hold me prisoner no longer.

I stepped into the airport terminal just as Daniel's call flashed on my screen.

"Ember, that bakery downtown just put out a fresh batch of those blackberry honey tarts you love. Want me to grab a box on my way back?"

The boarding announcement blared through the speakers.

"No need."

Silence stretched over the line. "Ember, how long are you going to keep up this tantrum? Just admit you're jealous and play along. We can put this behind us."

"You're right. This is the last time."

"What do you mean?" The PA called my gate again.

Daniel's voice turned frantic. "Ember, where are you?"