Chapter 1

The freezer door finally swung open after eight brutal hours, and two pack warriors immediately pulled Celine Anderson from the icy darkness. Her body was shaking violently, her lips were blue, and patches of frost had covered her long brown hair and pale skin.

“Move her away from the freezer!” one of the warriors shouted as he wrapped a thick blanket around her. “Her body is freezing, and she has severe frostbite!”

Celine could barely keep her eyes open. The celebration of her engagement to Alpha Cedrick Grayson had ended hours ago, yet the laughter from the nearby pack members made her stomach twist.

“She really stayed in there for eight hours?” one of Cedrick's friends asked with a snort. “I thought she would start screaming after ten minutes.”

Another man laughed loudly. “She's supposed to be our future Luna, but she can't even handle a simple joke. Maybe being Alpha Cedrick's mate has made her too spoiled.”

Celine's fingers trembled beneath the blanket. She wanted to scream at them, but her throat burned with every breath, while Liana, her inner wolf, stirred weakly inside her.

They left us there, Liana growled, her voice filled with fury. They knew we were inside.

Celine swallowed painfully as footsteps approached. Alpha Cedrick Grayson finally appeared, looking completely untouched by the chaos. His expensive suit was still neat, his hair perfectly arranged, and the man she had expected to protect her looked more annoyed than frightened.

“Celine, you're fine now,” Cedrick said as he approached her. “Stop frightening everyone with this dramatic behavior.”

Celine slowly raised her eyes toward him. “Fine?”

Cedrick sighed and crouched beside her, reaching for the blanket around her shoulders. “It was only a prank. Veronica didn't mean for you to stay inside that long.”

The mention of Veronica made Celine's chest tighten.

Veronica Cruz stepped forward with tears shimmering in her eyes, looking every bit like the innocent woman Cedrick always believed she was.

“Celine, I'm really sorry,” Veronica said softly as she clasped her hands together. “I only suggested the prank because everyone was celebrating, and I thought you would laugh about it afterward.”

Celine stared at her through the haze of pain. “You thought I would laugh?”

Veronica lowered her gaze and pretended to cry. “I didn't know it would become this serious. I swear I never wanted you to get hurt.”

Cedrick immediately looked at Celine with irritation. “You heard her. Veronica apologized, so stop making this into something bigger than it is.”

Celine almost laughed, but the sound became a painful cough.

“Something bigger than it is?” Celine whispered, staring at Cedrick. “I was locked inside a freezer for eight hours.”

One of Cedrick's friends chuckled from behind him. “Come on, Celine. You're alive, aren't you? You should be grateful someone finally opened the door.”

Celine turned toward the man, her eyes filled with disbelief. “Grateful?”

“That's enough,” Cedrick snapped at his friend, though there was no real anger in his voice. He immediately turned back to Celine and said, “You know how these things happen. It was supposed to be funny.”

Celine's heart cracked.

These things happen.

That was all he could say after she had spent eight hours screaming his name.

She remembered pounding against the freezer door until her hands became numb. She remembered begging anyone outside to hear her. Most of all, she remembered calling for Cedrick because she believed her mate would never allow anything to happen to her.

But he had allowed it.

Worse, he was standing in front of her now and calling it a joke.

“Cedrick,” Celine said, forcing herself to sit straighter despite the pain running through her body. “Who locked the freezer?”

Cedrick's expression immediately changed.

“Celine, don't start this.”

“No.” Celine shook her head, her frozen hair falling over her shoulders. “I want you to answer me.”

Veronica quickly stepped closer to Cedrick and whispered, “Celine, please don't blame him. I was the one who suggested the joke.”

Celine looked at Veronica. “And who helped you?”

Veronica's eyes flickered.

Cedrick's voice became harder. “That's enough, Celine. Veronica already admitted she suggested it.”

“But she didn't lock the door,” Celine replied, staring directly at him. “Did she?”

Silence fell across the hallway.

Cedrick's jaw tightened, but he refused to answer.

Celine felt something inside her die.

For years, she had defended Cedrick. She had defended him when pack members whispered that he didn't treat her like his future Luna. She had defended him whenever he disappeared with Veronica. She had convinced herself that his neglect was simply the burden of being an Alpha.

Now she finally saw the truth.

She had always been the one expected to sacrifice.

Her happiness.

Her dignity.

Her feelings.

And tonight, almost her life.

“Cedrick,” Celine said quietly, tears gathering in her eyes, “you locked the freezer from the outside.”

Cedrick's face went pale.

“Celine, listen to me,” he said quickly, lowering his voice. “I didn't think anything would happen to you.”

“You didn't think?” Celine's voice cracked as she stared at him. “You heard me screaming, didn't you?”

Cedrick looked away.

That single movement gave her the answer she needed.

Liana snarled inside her.

He heard us.

Celine closed her eyes for a moment, fighting the tears burning behind them.

When she opened them again, the woman who had spent years trying to please Cedrick was gone.

Veronica suddenly touched Cedrick's arm and whispered, “Cedrick, let's leave. She's clearly upset and isn't thinking rationally.”

Celine looked at Veronica's hand resting on her fiancé.

For years, she had watched that same hand touch Cedrick while he told her she was imagining things.

“Take your hand off him,” Celine said coldly.

Veronica immediately pulled away and looked at Cedrick with wounded eyes. “I was only trying to help.”

Cedrick's expression softened toward Veronica before he looked back at Celine.

“You're being unreasonable,” he told her. “Veronica is worried about you.”

Celine stared at him in silence.

Then she gave a small, broken smile.

“Of course she is.”

Cedrick frowned. “What does that mean?”

“It means I've finally understood everything,” Celine answered, tightening the blanket around herself. “I was never your priority, Cedrick. I was simply the person you expected to keep sacrificing herself for you.”

Cedrick reached for her hand, but Celine pulled away before he could touch her.

“Celine, you're my mate,” he said, his voice becoming impatient. “You can't throw away everything we've built because of one stupid prank.”

Celine looked down at the engagement ring on her trembling finger.

“One prank nearly killed me,” she whispered. “And the man who was supposed to protect me was the one who made sure I couldn't escape.”

Cedrick's expression hardened.