Chapter 1

"Alexandria, we need to talk."

Alpha William of the Silver Claw Pack didn’t even look up.

Chemotherapy had ruined my sense of taste. Everything I ate tasted bitter.

"Let’s break the bond," he said, his tone as casual as discussing the weather. "Just temporarily. A fake break."

Darkness clouded my vision. I had to grip the edge of the table to keep from collapsing.

"Why?"

The question stuck in my throat.

The countdown to my last three months of life flashed before my eyes, weaving into his words like a suffocating net, tightening painfully around me.

I’d told Alpha William I was leaving for the Southlands to pursue advanced studies.

In truth, I went abroad seeking treatment for my illness.

But miracles are rare. A year later, the doctor delivered my final verdict:

I wouldn’t survive another three months.

He finally looked up, his gaze sweeping over my pale face without pausing for even a second.

“Wendy and Wynne… they deserve an explanation.”

That day, I had asked him—was there someone else?

He roared, “That’s enough from you!”

“I never knew you were this paranoid. If you’re sick, go see a doctor!”

“Them?” I clenched the napkin in my lap, the fabric soaked with cold sweat.

I remembered the shadow I saw in the castle that day—it hadn’t been just one.

“We can’t keep this hidden forever,” he said as he tapped his coffee cup with a silver spoon.

“Breaking the bond gives them legitimacy. Once things settle, we’ll bond again.”

“Bond again? Does he think a bond is like tying shoelaces?”

My wolf soul, Alice, let out a laugh that made my ribs ache.

“Ten years ago, when he bit into the skin at the back of your neck under the moonlight, he sure didn’t talk like that.”

Ten years ago, at our bond ceremony, he kissed me and said he’d never let me suffer.

“What will others say?” He suddenly leaned forward.

“This will quiet the rumors. It’s better for you.”

A wave of nausea hit. I clutched my stomach to stop myself from retching.

“I’ve been meaning to tell you…”

I wanted to say I was dying. I wanted to say I just wanted to spend my final days quietly by his side.

But he glanced at his watch and cut me off. “I know this is hard, but it’s just a few months.”

He placed a hand over mine. “Trust me, okay?”

“Hurry up and nod, Alex.” He urged me gently, his thumb brushing over my knuckles.

“Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”

This was the same man who used to get up in the middle of the night just to make me hot cocoa.

Now, he couldn’t even hear the wheeze in my voice when I struggled to breathe.

I saw the medicine box sticking out of his suit pocket—it was the stomach pills I’d bought him.

He never even took one.

“…Okay.”

He immediately relaxed. “I knew you’d be reasonable.”

He adjusted his tie and headed for the door.

“Vince will bring the papers by tomorrow.”

I stared at his tall, straight back, remembering how I’d fainted in the bathroom last week.

All he’d done was frown and say, “Stop pretending to be sick just to get sympathy.”

He used to treat me so well.

When I was a child, my mother always favored my older brother.

She told me more than once: “You’re just a pawn for our alliance marriage.”

Back then, it was Alpha William who stood up for me:

“Alexandria isn’t a pawn. One day, I’ll marry her and give her the most magnificent bond ceremony in the world!”

In school, I was under-weight and frail from malnutrition. My classmates mocked me, bullied me, even threw garbage at me.

Alpha William stood in front of me to shield me from it all.

“The stink takes forever to wash off. Good thing it didn’t hit your clothes,” he said.

“By the way,”

His voice pulled me back to the present.

“Come with me to the jewelry store tomorrow afternoon.”

My nails dug into my palm.

“Wendy and Wynne love surprises.”

He tugged at his collar. “I need to pick out two rings they’ll really like.”