Chapter 1

Layla

After a whole day of dealing with a disease outbreak at the pack’s border, I could feel my legs threatening to give way beneath me.

But I held on and went to the changing room. I met many other healers like myself there. Once I’d changed out of my white coat, I walked out of the room.

I’d already mind-linked my mate, Theodore Williams, Alpha of the Blue Wood pack, an hour ago.

“I’m done, honey. Come get me.” I had told him.

All I wanted was to get to the packhouse, crawl into bed, and sleep wrapped in my mate’s arms.

Theodore had promised he would buy us dinner and be here soon, and usually, he never made me wait. I trusted he would have arrived and walked faster.

I smiled widely as I reached the courtyard and spotted him.

But the smile faded when I got closer and saw him helping Elowen, a twenty-five year old she-wolf and secretary, into the passenger's seat of the carriage.

Then as if it wasn’t enough, I watched Theodore wrapping his black jacket around her shoulder.

The one he’d refused to let anyone else touch because it carried his scent.

The one he’d draped over my shoulders the first night I became his mate.

And now it was on Elowen. Not only that, she was seated in the same spot I had claimed as mine after my mate marked me, with the heart I spent nights working on still stitched into the leather.

I shook off the different conclusive thoughts that threatened to consume me and stopped before the carriage.

Only then did Theodore noticed me.

Even then, I expected him to immediately step out from beside her, but he remained rooted to the spot.

When I didn’t climb into the backseat like he expected, “What’s going on? Are you not getting in?” He asked softly, taking in my hesitance.

I folded my arms over my chest, eyes darting to the backseat then giving him a questioning look. He quickly understood.

“Oh. The thing is that Elowen hurt her foot when she went for a run in the woods. She can only sit here as the back is kind of tight and could make her pain worse.”

My stomach dropped. Not about to jump into conclusion, I shook my head, my eyes narrowing, “What are you driving at?” I asked.

He didn’t answer right away and went quiet for seconds. It was as if he hated that the answer wasn’t obvious enough and it was a hassle spelling it out for me.

Then he sighed. “I’m saying you’ll have to sit in the back.”

I couldn’t believe my ears. I stared at him, completely dumbfounded.

I’d left the packhouse two days ago and endured a long, exhausting journey all the way to the border, just so I could join in treating his infected pack members.

Moreso, I hadn’t slept a wink in the two days just because I wanted to prevent the pandemic from spreading wider, and this was what I got? I can’t even sit beside my mate, right in my own carriage?

My gaze strayed to Elowen. She had the said leg stretched out, with a slight bruise on her ankle. And not a trace of blood or swell.

Still, a tear slipped out of her eyes as she looked from Theodore to me, her pretense to be guilty clear as day.

My laugh came out sharp, ugly, nothing akin to a laugh at all. “You know what, Theo? I’m not getting in.” I said, then I turned around and walked away.

Disbelief filled me the entire way as I left.

Theodore was never like this. He always made sure I had everything I wanted. He would make sure to book the best seat for me at the pack’s saloon. He used to call me the best thing that had ever happened to him.

When we first discovered we were mates, he never allowed me to leave his side. He’d kept holding my hand, unwilling for me to return to my home.

Then when I agreed to start living with him in his pack house, he whispered promises that he’d remain with me forever and never put any other she-wolf before me.

But I never imagined there would come a day when I’d have to question whether any of those promises had ever meant anything to him.

I could feel my heart constricting hurtfully in my chest as I entered the medical center again.

The moment the door closed behind me, I waited ten minutes. My eyes kept going to the door, hoping Theodore would call my name, rush in and apologize. When that didn’t happen, I decided to mind-link him.

It took everything in me to say the words, “Let’s end this, Theo. The wedding ceremony is cancelled.”

As soon as that was done, I deactivated the mind-link.

Then I made it to the changing room. I pulled my assigned cabinet open. From my white coat to healing medicines I had brought over from the pack house, I packed everything into my bag.

I had barely stepped back into the hallway when Mia Davis, one of the healers, spotted me.

She hurried over, lowering her voice, “Layla, what happened? Why is your face dull?”

“I caught Theodore cheating.” I told her.

“You what?” Mia’s eyes widened in shock.

“I caught him.” I repeated. The words tasted bitter coming out of my mouth but I didn’t take them back.

“I’m not going to marry a man who cheated on me. So I mind-linked him. I told him the wedding was off.”

Mia gaped. Before she could comment, the hospital door swung open.

“Layla!” Theodore’s voice cut through the air.

Oh. Now he comes after me? I closed my eyes for half a second.

Then I walked toward the waiting room to find him storming toward me, while Elowen limped closely after him like a fragile egg.

I felt pairs of eyes turn on us as Theodore stopped before me, his face red with anger.

“What on earth was that mind link?” His voice reeked with both upset and disbelief.

My mouth opened, about to answer when Elowen stepped forward.

“Layla…” She whispered.

I looked toward her, my eyes narrowed.

“I’m sorry,” She lowered her head. “I never meant to cause trouble between you and Alpha Theodore. If I knew my condition would cause an uproar, I wouldn’t have asked him to help me.”

She looked up at me, her eyes already gleaming with unshed tears.

I dumbfoundedly watched her.

Before I could say anything, Elowen’s knees suddenly buckled.

Theodore caught her by the arm, steadying her before she could hit the floor.

My heart sank into the pit of my stomach.

Of course. Even now, his first instinct was to catch her.

Elowen leaned against him, her lips trembling as she looked at me again.

“Layla looks so scary right now,” She whispered to him. “It’s all my fault. I should apologize properly for—”

I could feel my blood boiling.

“Can you actually be quiet?” My last shred of patience broke and I snapped, cutting her off.

Elowen flinched back.

At the sight, Theodore’s expression immediately hardened, his eyes turning cold.

“I won’t let you bully her, Layla.” He stepped in front of Elowen, his voice ringing out sharply like I was the perpetrator.

“Bullying?” I questioned disbelievingly.

Instead of answering, Theodore pointed a finger at me.

“You can’t just cancel the ceremony because my secretary isn’t feeling well and needs my help. Do you even know how insensitive that is?”

I couldn’t help but scoff at his absurd statement.

“Insensitive you say? Why do you feel I always have to condone your bias toward me when it comes to Elowen? Why does she always come first?” I demanded, my rage spilling over.

“Why ask me to inconvenience myself in the back seat when you could just have one of your guards send her home since it was such an emergency?”

I knew the words hit hard when Theodore’s face instantly lost all color.

For a moment, he seemed at a loss for what to say.

But he regained his composure quickly.

“The wedding isn’t only about you, Layla,” He snapped incredulously. “The invitations are already out. The pack’s hall has already been decorated. Basically the entire pack already knows we’re getting married. You can do whatever you want but you can not just cancel our wedding because you’re angry.” He tilted his head challengingly.

Is that what he thinks?

Unfazed, I didn’t back down. I held his gaze steadier than ever as I uttered, “I absolutely can.”

He froze, clearly not expecting that.

I smirked and an immediate panic crept over his face. “Are you trying to threaten me with—”

“I, Layla Jones, reject Theodore Williams as my mate and hereby sever our bond.” I interjected sharply before he could finish, then dropped his proposal ring on the attendant’s counter.

The entire center fell silent.

Theodore stared at the ring as if he couldn’t believe I’d actually removed it and rejected him.

Then he looked at me, and hurled through gritted teeth, “You’re being such a bitch, Layla.”

Gasps echoed around us but he continued, even more angrily.

“You’ll regret this.” He swore, his face darkening as he picked up the ring.

Behind him, Elowen covered her face with both hands, her shoulders trembling.

I couldn’t tell if she was really crying. At that point, I could not bring myself to care.

I slung my handbag over my shoulder and without sparing either Theodore or his secretary one last look, I walked out of the medical center.