Chapter 2

Early the next morning, Alpha Caleb brought our daughter into my room.

"Scar, I've got an emergency meeting today. I won't be able to stay with you."

I was about to respond with a simple "okay" when a sweet, whiny voice rang out behind him.

"Caleb, come on! We're going to be late!"

Omega Juliet stood in the hallway, pouting like a child denied candy.

"Our wedding's next week. If Scarlett hadn't given birth, I would've picked my dress already."

My heart was clenched. Wedding?

So, she was marrying my husband?

Then what was I?

A flicker of panic crossed Alpha Caleb's face. He turned quickly to Omega Juliet. "Go wait in the car. I'll be right there."

Once she was gone, he turned to me---maybe expecting a meltdown, maybe bracing for a slap---but instead, he pulled me into his arms.

"Scar," he murmured, "you know Juliet's been sick for years. She doesn't have long. I just want her to experience everything she's ever dreamed of... a big, beautiful wedding. I couldn't let her marry someone else, not when I---"

I didn't cry.

Didn't scream.

Didn't beg him to stay.

I was done playing the fool.

I'd cried all my tears the day I gave birth alone.

If he wanted to give her everything, then I wouldn't stand in the way.

My throat burned as I forced the words out. "Then go. Don't keep her waiting."

I turned away, gripping the blanket so tightly my knuckles turned white.

Scarlett, don't look back.

Alpha Caleb hesitated. His eyes lingered, unreadable. Then her ringtone went off again---soft, romantic, custom-made just for her.

He picked up and left without a word.

Even though I already knew the ending, it still felt like someone had taken a knife to my chest and twisted.

Not long after, the doctor returned with a clipboard in his hands and a deep frown on his face.

"Miss Scarlett, your latest results aren't good. The cancer cells have progressed aggressively. We need to increase your chemo dosage immediately."

My mind blanked.

"How long?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"If everything goes well for a month. If not, maybe a week. You should contact your next of kin to discuss your treatment options."

Almost instinctively, my fingers dialed Alpha Caleb's number.

Would he care?

Would he feel even an ounce of regret?

The call rang forever before someone finally answered.

But it wasn't him.

It was her.

Omega Juliet's sugary, venom-laced voice dripped through the speaker.

"Caleb's in the shower. But even if he wasn't, he wouldn't want to hear your pathetic voice."

"Scarlett, stop clinging to him like some desperate leech. Didn't he tell you? He's filing the agreement to sever the bonds between you. We're getting married, whether you like it or not."

I heard background noise---water running, his voice in the distance: "Juliet, who are you talking to?"

And then the call disconnected.

Just like that, whatever tiny sliver of hope I had left shattered into pieces.

The pack doctor handed me a tissue.

I hadn't even realized I was crying.

My fingertips brushed my cheek. Wet.

There it was again---that hollow, squeezing pain in my chest. As if my wolf had finally decided it'd had enough.

I looked at the baby lying beside me---the daughter I nearly died to bring into the world.

She was all I had left.

I swallowed the pain, sat up straighter, and met the doctor's gaze.

"Do it. Increase the dosage. I'll handle it."

The first day I was discharged and returned home, I walked through the front door---only to freeze in place.

And what I saw left me completely, utterly stunned.