Chapter 1

The night before the mating ceremony, Adam Quinn slipped something into my drink. I didn't wake up until the next morning. When I finally looked in the mirror, my head was completely bare. Chloe Murphy had taken care of it while I was unconscious.

I stood in front of the bathroom mirror for what felt like forever, staring at the stranger looking back at me.

Chloe flipped her long curls over her shoulder and gave me a fake little pout.

She said, "Oops. My hand slipped. You're not mad, are you, Zoe?

"It's all my fault. Now Zoe's going to be the ugliest bald mate in history."

Adam reached over and pinched her nose like a pup who had done something cute.

"She can wear a wig. The veil covers it anyway. Not that it matters.

"She never looked as good as you, Chloe," he said with a shrug.

No one in the room said a word. They all stared at me, bald and humiliated, waiting for me to snap.

The old me would have given them a show. I would have screamed so loudly that the whole pack house could hear.

Instead, I smiled.

I slipped the mating ring off my finger and held it out to Chloe.

I said, "Why go through all this trouble? You take my place. As he said, with the veil on, no one can tell the difference."

For a second, no one knew how to react.

Then Chloe said, "I only wanted to give you a new look, but..."

She pressed herself against Adam's chest, her eyes shiny with tears that weren't real. "Please don't be angry with me."

The others exchanged uncomfortable glances.

Finally, one of them stepped forward, trying to smooth things over. "Zoe, you've got it wrong.

"Chloe's just a friend of Adam's. We all grew up together in the pack. You're the only one he's mating."

Adam's face darkened. His jaw tightened, his eyes hardening.

He said, his voice cold, "Chloe is just playful. She wasn't trying to hurt anyone."

He called that playful? She shaved my head. The night before my mating ceremony.

And while she apologized, she took pictures and laughed the whole time.

If that was playful, I didn't want to see what she did when she actually meant harm.

What a lame excuse.

I met Adam's protective glare with a sarcastic smirk.

I said, "If Chloe gets another playful idea and decides she wants to play mate, maybe I should step aside now."

Adam's face went darker, his expression thunderous. "Zoe, are you done with your drama?

"Chloe has the heart of a pup. You're really going to pick a fight with a pup?"

As soon as he said that, the room went dead silent.

I was six months younger than Chloe.

And even if she were a pup, what kind of pup would shave someone's head the night before their mating ceremony?

I watched as Adam pulled Chloe behind him, his body angled to shield her.

He was so careful, so protective.

Once upon a time, however, I was the one he put himself between.

"Zoe, it's all my fault," Chloe said, peeking out from behind his shoulder. "Don't be angry at Adam. If you want to hit someone, hit me. I won't fight back."

Her voice was trembling like she was about to fall apart.

Her brows were drawn together, her whole face a mask of fragile innocence.

But underneath it, I saw the smirk and the dare. She was begging me to make a scene.

Adam's voice and eyes went soft.

He said, "How could this be your fault? I'm the one who put the drugs in her drink. If she wants to, she can be angry at me.

"Don't take her words to heart. I spoil her too much. She throws a tantrum over every little thing these days."

Something hard and bitter lodged in my throat.

Adam used to say he would protect me forever.

He promised I could be myself, do whatever I wanted, and never have to put up with anything unfair.

Now, Chloe was clearly the one at fault.

But he acted like I was the one overreacting.

I watched them for a long moment, the way he whispered to her, the way his eyes softened in a way they never had for me.

I almost laughed at how stupid I'd been.

The old me would have fought. I would have screamed until my throat bled.

But I was done.

In this relationship, I had already lost everything worth losing.