Chapter 1

Every time after Julian Bennett and I spent some intimate time together, I'd catch a strange scent lingering on the blanket, one that didn't belong to either of us.

This time, I couldn't keep quiet. I pressed him for an answer.

Julian twirled a strand of my hair around his finger, giving me a soft smile.

"Oh, that's on Bree. She breaks out in a nervous sweat every time she thinks about us together. She always sneaks in before us to leave her scent and mark the spot.

"Honestly, I never knew nerves could smell so strong until I met her," he said.

I froze, staring at him like he was out of his mind. "What did you say?"

He crushed his cigar into the ashtray, a half-smile on his face.

"Nadia, your dad tore your mom to shreds during the rejection, not me. You freeze up like a corpse whenever I hold you, but that baggage is on you, not me. Got it?

"You ought to thank Bree. She's the reason this relationship hasn't completely fallen apart."

Just then, the door was flung open.

Bree Lane burst inside, her eyes bloodshot. She marched over and slapped Julian hard across the face. "You bastard. Apologize to Nadia!"

I watched them, a bitter taste lingering in my throat.

So all these years, Julian had seen me as nothing more than a buzzkill, a pathetic burden.

This den was supposed to be our home, but I was never going to crawl back here again.

I pulled my clothes on, stood up, and headed toward the exit of the den.

Julian called after me, "Where are you going?"

I stayed silent, bending down to lace my boots up tight.

Bree shot him a glare bordering on a threat, finally forcing Julian to speak up, however grudgingly.

"Look, maybe I crossed a line back there," he said.

I didn't slow down. I walked straight to the door.

Julian blew a fuse. "Are you serious right now? Where are you gonna go in the middle of the night? Is the whole pack supposed to cater to you forever because of what happened to your mom?"

Bree darted forward and grabbed my wrist, digging her fingers in hard enough to hurt. "Nadia, I can explain everything. Please don't do something rash."

I glanced down at her grip, let out a hollow laugh, and yanked my hand back.

"Bree, the single dumbest move I ever made was letting you set foot in this territory." My voice was dead calm, cold as a frozen creek. "Growing up, I gave you everything you wanted.

"You wanted the same rank badge as me, so I pulled three all-nighters to help you get it. You wanted us to pass The First Hunt together, so I risked getting written up by the elders to cover half your score.

"Now you want my mate and my land? Fine. Take them."

Tears welled up in Bree's eyes. Her mouth opened, but no words came out.

I stared back at her without a trace of emotion. "Happy now? Then leave me alone. I don't have a single thing left to give you."

I turned and shoved the door open. A chilly night wind rushed down the hall, sending a shudder through me, but my legs kept moving.

Moonlight filtered through the trees onto the path. I kept my eyes on my scuffed leather boots.

Tears blurred my vision, and the memories I had buried deep inside spilled over.

Back when we first started dating, Julian was incredible to me. He knew I couldn't stand being alone in the dark after watching my mother die in that brutal rejection, so he set Bree up in a place right on the edge of our land.

"Bree's right nearby," he told me then. "She can stay with you while I'm out on hunts."

Then Bree kept bringing up how worried she was about me. What started as her crashing at our place once in a while turned into every few nights, until she moved into our den.

Julian shrugged it off. "It works out if you two get along. Saves me the trip back and forth."

I didn't suspect a thing. Then our matching leather canteen set quietly became a set of three, and a second silver grooming brush appeared on the vanity.

Our close pack mates used to joke around with us. "Nadia, look at you. You bagged a mate and got a sister as a package deal."

I was too dense to read between the lines, convinced I had scored both love and friendship. Now I got it. Everyone else saw the truth while I was totally blind.

I pulled out my communicator, scrolled to a contact, and hit call. "Odette, I changed my mind. I want to move to your pack lands."

Odette's voice came through the speaker, packed with cautious relief. "Nadia? Are you sure about this?

"Your mother worried about you until her last breath. I was always terrified you'd get trapped in that nightmare forever."

She paused to catch her breath. "I'll ping the border guards right now to clear your entry pass. Can you make it tomorrow?"

I blinked away the sting in my eyes. "Tomorrow works. I need to head back and pack my stuff first."

The moment the line went dead, I stared into the darkness outside. Every drop of energy drained out of me.

A faint glow flickered from my den in the distance.

I gave it one last look, then turned away and stepped inside an inn.

I spent the night there. The bedsheets were fresh, completely free of any haunting scents.