Chapter 2
A black sedan glided to the curb without a sound.
The window rolled down, revealing a profile with sharp, chiseled features.
Evan didn't glance at me, his gaze fixed straight ahead. "Get in."
His voice was low and rough, like sandpaper scraping against wood.
The moment I pulled open the car door, Evan's scent hit me out of nowhere.
It was cedar, cold and sharp.
My inner wolf suddenly stirred, restless and uneasy.
Something was off.
A Beta shouldn't have a scent this strong.
The heater was blasting inside the car.
Evan drove in silence. After two blocks, he reached into the glove compartment and tossed a folder onto my lap.
He said, "Your death certificate. Cause of death: cardiac arrest from post-op complications. The coroner who signed it works for me."
I flipped through the file. Every detail was airtight: official seal, signature, and timeline.
If this were submitted to the Blackwood Clan's Council, I'd be as good as dead in the eyes of the law and the clan.
I asked, "What's the price?"
"I already told you." Evan finally turned, his deep brown eyes darkened to shadows in the fading light. "Marry me."
His knuckles were bone-white as he gripped the steering wheel.
I said, "A Beta marrying his brother's widow? You think the Blackwood Clan will let you walk away?"
Evan's voice was flat, emotionless. "That's why you need to 'die' first.
"Elena Collins is dead. In three months, a woman named Ella Winters will show up in Emberport. A whole new identity. A whole new set of records. You'll need to enter into a blood bond ceremony with me as Ella."
Blood bond ceremony.
It was an ancient binding ritual, older than the fated mate mark. Both parties had to swear an oath before the Moon Goddess's altar, with blood as the seal.
Once it was sealed, it lasted until death.
More final than divorce, only death could break it.
I said, "Are you kidding me?"
Evan said, "Do I look like I'm joking?"
The car rolled to a stop in front of the old chapel at Frostmark.
Evan killed the engine, twilight swallowing half his face in shadow.
He said, "Lucas won't ever let go of what's his. The fated mate scent bond and an Alpha's territorial instinct give him the means to track you to the ends of the earth, so long as you are Elena Collins.
"But if you are my wife by blood bond, even if he finds you, he won't be able to lay a finger on you.
"The blood bond trumps the mark. That is the Canon."
The chapel's stained-glass windows creaked in the wind.
Inside the chapel, it was pitch black, like a gaping mouth.
Evan said, "You've got ten minutes to think it over."
Then he got out, his tall silhouette vanishing through the chapel's side door.
I stared down at the death certificate.
Just then, my phone screen lit up.
Lucas's message popped up: [Baby, where are you? The driver said you didn't call for a car.]
The next one was colder: [Elena, get back to the hospital.]
The third was two words: [Don't run.]
I stared at those two words on the screen.
In my dream, those same words were carved into the attic door.
I picked up the death certificate and pushed open the car door.
The night wind slammed into me, carrying the lingering scent of frankincense from the old chapel.
The chapel was surprisingly well-preserved inside.
Moonlight poured through the shattered stained glass in the dome, lighting up the stone patterns before the altar. It was the Wolf Totem left by the first Alpha, twisting and coiling like frozen veins.
Evan stood next to the altar, flipping through a yellowed parchment scroll.
He didn't bother to look up when he heard my footsteps. "So, have you made up your mind?"
"What happens after the blood bond ceremony?" I kept three steps between us, just enough space to bolt if I needed to. "What do you get out of this?"
The sound of the parchment snapping shut echoed through the empty chapel.
Evan glanced up at me, a barely-there smile tugging at his lips. "The Blackwood Clan's inheritance.
"Lucas is the eldest, an Alpha by blood, the natural heir. But Clan Law, Article Seven, spells it out. If the Alpha heir's fated mate dies without issue, the inheritance goes into reassessment.
"If you're gone, he's no longer guaranteed the clan leadership.
"I'm only a Beta."
He looked down at his palms, his tone as flat as if he were reading a business report. "A Beta can't claim the inheritance through strength alone. You need leverage."
I said, "So I'm your leverage."
"No, you're your own leverage." Evan stepped closer, the cedar scent rolling over me again.
My inner wolf growled, uneasy, 'His scent is way too strong.'
The voice echoed deep in my mind. 'He's not a Beta.'
I took a half step back.