Chapter 1

When I, Amelia Smith, was eighteen, a rogue had me trapped in an alley.

Adam Jones came to my rescue.

After that, we started dating.

We'd been together for nine years, and I was over the moon, waiting for the day we'd become mates.

But then, by accident, I overheard him talking to his friends. "Amelia is thoughtful, capable, and deeply loves me. She'd make a perfect mate.

"But every time I think about how she almost got violated, I can't get past it.

"She feels defiled to me."

*****

If I hadn't heard it myself, I never would've believed he'd say something like that. It turned out that he thought I was defiled.

I stood there, stunned, while the guys inside kept talking.

"Yeah, that rogue was almost fifty. He is old and ugly. No guy wants his girlfriend to have been violated by someone like that," said Easton Miller, Adam's Beta.

Another friend chimed in, "Amelia is nice. She always comes to pick you up when you're drunk. My mate is a total nightmare. I have to sneak around to grab a drink."

"I only go out drinking so I don't have to go home early," Adam said. "I'm tired of seeing her face every day."

Everyone inside burst out laughing.

Someone else joked, "You're such a jerk. If you're not going to make her your mate, why keep her hanging on?"

Adam was silent for a while before finally saying, "Maybe I will take her as my mate. She is good at looking after others, and my parents really like her.

"It's not easy to find someone else they'd be happy with.

"She's been with me for nine years. I doubt anyone else would want to mate with her. I pity her."

Adam let out a deep sigh. "But if I really took her as my mate, I'd feel like I'm getting the short end of the stick."

So, he wasn't willing to mate with me, a she-wolf he considered defiled.

Under the warm glow of the lights, I suddenly went stone cold inside.

It was like a boulder was crushing my heart, pressing down so hard I could barely breathe.

Easton's voice cut through the air again. "You're way too soft-hearted. Amelia's long past being good enough for you.

"Check out this photo. It's my mate's cousin. She is twenty, still in an undergraduate academy. I told you I'd introduce you to her before. She fell for you at first sight at my mating ceremony."

Adam blew out a smoke ring and said softly, "She looks sweet. Send me her WhatsApp contact number."

That night, I didn't go into the private room. Instead, I wandered down the street in Betrico.

The winter wind in Betrico was biting, making my mind feel razor-sharp.

I recalled the first time I met Adam.

The day after my graduation exams at Werewolf Academy, I went out for dinner with my classmates, had a few drinks, and got home late.

As I passed an alley outside the Werewolf Academy, a filthy rogue cornered me.

When I was terrified, helpless, and desperate, Adam appeared.

He chased the rogue off, took off his jacket, and wrapped it around my shoulders as I trembled. To comfort me, he whispered, "You're alright now. It's over."

He took me to the pack house to see the pack healer, walked me back home, and wiped away my tears.

When gossip started swirling, he comforted me gently. "You're the victim. You did nothing wrong. Don't listen to their nonsense. Their values are twisted. You're innocent."

He was my only anchor when I was adrift in despair, and I clung to him with everything I had.

That was probably when I fell for him.

I went to the same undergraduate academy as him and stayed by his side as a friend until he confessed his feelings to me.

He said he was Adam, and I was Amelia. We were meant to be.

My hero felt the same way about me. That was probably the happiest time of my life.

We were together for nine years, and I loved him with everything I had, thinking I'd be happy with him forever.

But earlier, he said I was defiled.

Adam hit me up with a voice call, demanding to know why I still hadn't shown up.

He seemed to be drunk as his words were rushed and his tone was impatient.

After I hung up, I checked the location pin he sent me on WhatsApp and started making my way back.

My sense of direction was terrible. I always had to rely on my navigation app to get anywhere.

After he graduated and worked for half a year, he took over the Jones Pack. He was constantly busy with pack gatherings and often needed me to pick him up.

At first, he'd try to explain where he was, but later on, he started dropping me a pin with messages like: [Luna, come to pick me up] or [Thanks for your hard work, dear mate.]

Then, he'd only send a location pin, with no words, and I'd go pick him up.

I used to think it was a sign of our special bond, but I realized it was proof that he didn't love me anymore.

By the time I got to the private room, their gathering had ended. Only Easton was still there, holding up a wobbly Adam.

"Amelia, you're finally here," Easton said cordially when he saw me.

He was so cordial that I almost had to double-check if he was really the same guy who'd said I wasn't good enough for Adam.

*****

Adam crashed the moment he got back to the Jones Pack house.

Back in the old days, I would've wiped him down and handed him some hangover drink to stop him from waking up with a splitting headache the next morning.

But tonight, all I did was take his phone.

I never checked his phone, so he didn't bother setting a password.