Chapter 2

Gideon's POV

The last place I wanted to be was Balthazar's estate.

If the bastard hadn't begged for a meeting under the guise of discussing border routes, I would never have set foot inside his den of filth.

Women lined the terrace in expensive dresses that couldn't hide the terror in their eyes.

I didn't look at them. I had no interest in breeders. Or women.

"Surely one of them will please you, Alpha Gideon."

Balthazar's voice dripped with the same false warmth that made my skin crawl. I swirled the amber liquid in my glass without taking a sip.

"I didn't come here to shop."

He chuckled nervously.

"Of course not. I simply thought perhaps one of these beauties might catch your eye."

"They won't."

"At least have a look."

He really didn't know when to quit. The sooner we finished discussing the eastern border routes, the sooner I could leave this place and forget I'd ever set foot inside it.

I had spent years dismantling the filth men like Balthazar thrived on: human trafficking, illegal auctions, and breeder farms.

I despised every part of it. Unfortunately, his territory controlled one of the most important trade routes in the East. Ignoring him entirely wasn't an option. In fact, tolerating him barely was.

"They're frightened because they've never stood before an Alpha of your stature," Balthazar continued.

I remained silent. "They'll do anything you ask."

Nothing.

"I personally selected every one of them."

Annoyed, I lifted my eyes for less than a second. That single second destroyed the peace I'd spent three years trying to build.

Chloe.

The crystal tumbler almost slipped from my fingers and shattered against the marble floor.

She stood near the middle of the line. Her face was pale, dark bruises circled both wrists, and her lower lip split.

The bright smile I'd once known was gone, replaced by fear. My wolf surged forward.

Mate.

"Be quiet."

She's hurt.

"She isn't ours anymore."

The words scraped against my throat. Even after everything...after what she'd done…seeing her like this twisted something inside me.

I hated it. I hated that after three years, she could still make my heart stumble. Balthazar kept talking, but I couldn't hear a word.

My eyes refused to leave her. Then she looked at me.nOur gazes met.

I waited for recognition, guilt, regret, anything. Instead, she frowned. As though she had never seen me before.

It had the same look. The same damn look. Of course. She was still pretending.

My wolf growled.

Something isn't right.

I ignored him. Because I'd heard that voice before, the very day she betrayed me.

It first started three years ago when I thought I had found the woman the Moon Goddess had chosen for me.

My mate.

The woman I'd asked to spend the rest of her life with me. She'd smiled when I asked her to become my Luna.

She hadn't understood what the title meant. She'd laughed, thinking I was joking.

Then she said yes. I marked her that night. My wolf had never been happier.

Hours later, my phone rang. My father was dead. The Blackwood Pack needed its Alpha.

I had no choice but to leave. I kissed Chloe goodbye while she slept, left her a letter, and promised I would return. And I did. Six days later.

I stood outside her apartment carrying fresh lilies. Those were her favorite. I imagined her smile the entire drive there.

Instead, another man's laughter reached my ears. It came from the bedroom. Every instinct inside me froze. I pushed the door open. A man stood beside her.

His hand rested comfortably on her shoulder. She looked at him and smiled.

The bouquet slipped from my hand. The flowers scattered across the floor. She turned toward the sound. Our eyes met.

For one hopeful second, I thought she'd run into my arms. Instead, confusion filled her face.

"Can I help you?"

I stared at her. "Chloe."

She frowned. "I'm sorry..."

Her fingers curled around the other man's arm. "...Do I know you?"

I laughed. It was not because anything was funny. I mean, she had to be joking. She had to be.

"Enough." My voice shook. "Stop pretending."

Her brows knitted together. "I think you've mistaken me for someone else."

The world stopped. The mark I checked was gone. So was her scent. The bond I'd felt only days before had vanished completely. It was as though she'd erased every trace of me.

Every trace of us. The man stepped between us. "I think you should leave."

I did. The truth is, if I hadn't, I would have killed him and perhaps, her too.

For three years, I searched for answers. None ever came. It was only silence, betrayal, and the memory of the woman who looked me in the eyes and pretended she'd never met me.

The memory shattered. I was back in Balthazar's private room. Back in front of the woman who was still pretending.

She looked at me with the same empty confusion. It was as though I were nothing more than another stranger.

How amusing.

Did she really think I'd fall for it twice? Whatever softness remained inside me had died three years ago.

Balthazar's eager voice broke the silence. "Alpha Gideon?"

He gestured toward the women.  "Which one catches your eye?"

My wolf whimpered.

Mate...

I buried him beneath years of anger. My expression hardened.

"I have no interest in women."

Without sparing Balthazar—or Chloe—another glance, I buttoned my suit jacket and turned on my heel towards the door. I didn't look back because if I did, I wasn't sure whether I'd finish walking away.