Chapter Two

Maren’s POV

I’d only taken a few steps when Dominic called after me.

“Celeste isn’t feeling well. I’m taking her home. We’ll talk about your surgery tonight.”

I glanced at Celeste, who was leaning against him.

“Then you’d better stay with her for a few days. That way, she won’t have to call you if the pain comes back in the middle of the night.”

Celeste flushed. “Do you have to assume the worst about us?”

Dominic handed her the bag of medication and turned to me.

“Still upset I missed our anniversary? That meeting came up at the last minute. I wasn’t away on vacation.”

Two weeks earlier, we’d marked three years since our bonding ceremony.

I’d finished my design work ahead of schedule, cleared the evening, and booked a table at his favorite restaurant. I’d put his gift and my medical report together, planning to give them to him after dinner.

It wasn’t until the server asked whether I still wanted dessert that I admitted he probably wasn’t coming.

Celeste had just posted a photo. On a street in a city I didn’t recognize, Dominic stood with his head bent, buttoning her coat.

I called and asked where he was.

“Out of town. Meeting about a partnership.”

“Did you forget what today is?”

He paused, as though he’d finally remembered.

“Can’t we celebrate when I get back? Several Alphas are waiting for me. I can’t ask them to reschedule just so I can have dinner.”

“But you didn’t even tell me.”

“Would you have been any less upset if I’d told you?” His voice cooled. “Maren, you have a job, too. Find something to do besides wait around for me.”

The server was still standing beside the table. I lowered my eyes and put his gift back in my bag.

“I’ve been waiting for three hours. You think I have no reason to be upset?”

He didn’t answer. He only said we could talk once I’d thought things through, then hung up.

The next day, I requested a transfer to the Denver branch.

The manager brought out the paperwork but held on to it.

“Maren, you’re Blackpine’s Luna. Denver’s a long way from Boston, and it’s Frostridge territory. This is a long-term transfer, not a business trip. You should check with Alpha Dominic first. There’s no rush to sign.”

I shook my head and reached for the agreement.

“I’m ready to sign. I’ll tell him. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure the transition here goes smoothly.”

The manager finally let go. I turned to the last page and signed.

I would tell Dominic. I just wasn’t going to ask his permission anymore.

Once, when I’d had a chance to work on a hotel project, I’d brought him the details and asked whether I should go for it.

He pushed them back and said he didn’t have time to plan my career for me.

But when Celeste returned to Blackpine and couldn’t choose a training track, he went through every option with her. He contacted the person in charge himself and asked them not to put too much pressure on her.

I used to think he preferred to keep work and home separate and didn’t want to spend his energy on small things at home.

Eventually, I realized he only drew that line with me.

If I wanted to talk about work, he said to leave it at the office. If I asked him to come furniture shopping, he told me to send the links to the butler.

But Celeste only had to complain that her dorm mattress was too hard, and he took her shopping for a new one. He even scheduled the delivery.

Celeste’s father had been a personal guard to the former Alpha. When he died, Celeste was his only child. The former Alpha took her in, adopted her, and told Dominic to look after her.

She’d spent a few years away from Blackpine. When she returned, he was still the first person she went to for everything.

I’d told him they were too close.

Dominic thought I was refusing to accept his family.

“She just got back. She barely knows anyone. If I don’t help her, who’s she supposed to ask?”

“You’re my mate. Can’t you try to understand?”

He expected me to be reasonable and understanding. The time I wanted with him could always wait.

I was done arguing over whose needs came first.

That afternoon, after leaving the office, I also filed an application with the Pack Council to dissolve our bond.

Dominic didn’t know any of that yet.

Now he stood in front of me, still waiting for an answer about our anniversary. I adjusted the strap of my bag.

“If you say it was work, fine. I have things to do. I’m leaving.”

This time, he let me go.

On the way home, my friend Talia called to say she’d be bringing her bags over that evening.

I felt bad about taking up her time. “Your bonding ceremony’s coming up. You have so much to get ready. You don’t need to come look after me.”

“I have help with all that. How are you going to shower and get dressed with one hand after surgery tomorrow?”

She paused, her voice softening.

“Besides, it’s not just you now. We’re following the doctor’s instructions. Don’t try to tough it out.”

I looked out the car window. After a moment, I said, “Thank you.”

“If you want to thank me, stock the fridge. I’m not going hungry on my first day taking care of you.”

I laughed, and she asked, “You still haven’t told Dominic about the pup?”

“No.”

“You’d already planned out how to surprise him.”

I touched the report in my bag but didn’t explain. I hadn’t been able to give him the report at the restaurant. When I’d called afterward, he hadn’t let me tell him about the pregnancy.

Talia didn’t press. She just told me to rest when I got home.

“And don’t do any more cleaning in the guest room. I’m not coming over to check for dust.”

“It’s already done. I put the new sheets on yesterday.”

The car stopped outside the house. I went in and headed upstairs to check whether I’d forgotten anything.

“I even got the kind of pillow you like. You’ll be nice and comfortable tonight—”

I pushed open the guest room door and stopped.