Chapter 2

He thought I was angry because he'd come too late.

He had it wrong.

On the night of the attack, when Lucian got back, I didn't even stop to get my wounds looked at. I dragged myself to his chambers.

I just needed to see he was okay.

He didn't even glance at me.

He carried the frost roses straight into the inner room and called in every healer in the Keep to figure out how to save their dead roots.

I curled up on the couch in the side room, cramping, waiting for somebody to come help me.

The roses sat on the windowsill of his chambers, only a few steps away.

Later, I found out frost rose roots give off a scent that's poison to a pregnant she-wolf.

I'd been lying too close to them that whole night. That was why the bleeding wouldn't stop.

When I learned that, it was like someone had reached into my chest and ripped my heart out.

Everything I'd given up for him turned into one big joke.

So much for love growing over time. I'd made the whole thing up in my own head.

The room suddenly felt too small to breathe in. Lucian stood up. "I need some air."

But one of the maids was already waiting outside the door. "My King, Miss Vivienne is asking for you. She'd like to... talk about old times."

They kept their voices down, but the courtyard was so quiet I caught every word.

The door was open a crack. I watched Lucian stop and say nothing.

His back was to me, so I couldn't see his face. But I knew he'd go.

Men never get over the one that got away.

And he'd loved her so much.

Sure enough, he turned back like he wanted to explain.

I beat him to it. "You don't owe me an explanation, my King."

I'd heard enough lies in my life. Tonight, I was too tired to sit through whatever excuse he'd come up with for Vivienne.

The coldness in my voice was impossible to miss.

Lucian went stiff. His brows slammed together. "Do you hate me that much, Maren? Your sister's barely home and you can't wait to shove me out the door?"

His chest rose and fell hard, his eyes stormy. He grabbed his coat and slammed the door behind him.

Unbelievable.

He was the one who crossed the line first. Somehow, I'd ended up the cold-hearted one.

Tears spilled over before I could stop them. I scrubbed them away hard.

Then Mother slipped in and took my hand. "Maren... I've never been good with words. I couldn't get through to your sister, so I asked the King to go calm her down."

"Could you put up with her a little longer? She's stubborn, but she has a good heart. She'll come around..."

I looked down and smiled. It was a bitter smile.

A good heart?

When she ran six years ago, did she once think about what that meant? A Mating Ceremony is the most sacred rite our pack has. One wrong move, and our whole family could've been wiped out.

I pulled my hand away. My voice came out flat and cold. "Mother, all these years, and you still give her whatever she wants, no questions asked."

"Was there ever any room for me in your heart?"

Vivienne and I had the same mother. But I was a sickly little girl, so they sent me away to be raised in the countryside. They only brought me home the year I turned eighteen.

By then, Vivienne had had our parents all to herself for years, and she hated me for showing up. She framed me, picked on me, and never let up.

I cried. I tried to explain. But every time, Father and Mother punished me without even asking what happened. No matter how flimsy her lies were, they believed every word.

They even locked me in the root cellar for days.

It wasn't until Vivienne ran off that they remembered me down there, barely breathing.

Truth was, she and I had only lived under the same roof for half a year.

"Maren, do you really feel nothing for me at all?"

Mother's eyes filled with hurt.

I just stared at her.

That cold distance between us, the one we'd both understood without ever saying it out loud... and now she was asking about it like it was news?

Did six years without Vivienne make everyone forget I'd only ever been the spare? The backup they pulled out to fill the empty spot?