Chapter 1

Everyone in Northfeld thought I was Damian Reynolds's contract wife, bought for 200 thousand dollars. I was some decor he could toss aside whenever he wanted and a stand-in who could never hold a candle to his true love.

So no one was surprised when my mom was dying, and Damian chose to go pick up Selena Wolfe instead.

That night, I printed out the divorce papers.

Damian signed them without looking up. "Playing hard to get?"

Seven days later came the pack gathering. I walked into the ballroom wearing my tail-biting-wolf earrings, and every elder stood up.

For the first time, fear crossed Damian's face as he stared at me.

I gave a faint smile. "Now it's time to settle the score for what you did to my mom."

*****

After telling my best friend Joanna Lane about my decision to divorce, I went back to Damian's penthouse to pack my things.

As I was about to unlock the door, it swung open from the inside.

A woman stood in the doorway, wearing Damian's white shirt, her long hair cascading down. She was still glistening with moisture from a recent shower.

She was Selena Wolfe, Damian's true love. "Oh, it's you." She leaned against the doorframe and stepped aside. "I thought it was the delivery guy."

I kept silent and slipped past her into the room.

On the coffee table in the living room were two wine glasses, and a man's tie was tossed on the sofa.

My wedding photo had been taken down from the wall and replaced with a black-and-white abstract painting.

I walked into the bedroom. The closet was open, and all my clothes had been shoved into the far left corner.

Selena's dresses hung neatly in the middle, still with their tags on.

"I moved your old clothes out of the way." Selena followed me into the room and leaned against the doorframe. "Not enough space. Damian said I can use this closet however I want."

I crouched down and pulled out my suitcase. "Where is the necklace I put in the nightstand's drawer?"

"Necklace?" Selena looked down, fiddling with a silver chain around her neck. "You mean this one?"

My breath caught. It was my mom's silver wolf fang necklace, the one she'd worn for thirty years.

"Damian put it on me last night." Selena smiled. "He said it suits me."

"That's my mom's heirloom."

"Heirloom?" Selena tilted her head. "Damian told me it's his old family heirloom."

"Give it back to me."

"Ask Damian for it."

I heard the click of leather shoes at the doorway.

Damian walked in, dressed in a black suit, bringing the chill of the Northfeld night with him.

He scanned the bedroom, his gaze settling on me. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to get my belongings. And my mom's necklace is around her neck," I said.

Damian shot Selena a quick look. "That necklace has always been here, so it's part of the apartment's assets."

"That's my mom's personal item, Damian."

"The contract spells it out. Anything left behind during the marriage goes to whoever's name it's under. You never put your name on that necklace."

Selena slipped over and wrapped her arm around Damian's. "Come on, it's not that serious."

She whipped out her phone and took a mirror selfie, making sure to show off the necklace. "The photo wall looks so good from this angle."

The blood bond mark on the back of my neck seared for a moment, but I gritted my teeth and stayed silent.

I picked up my half-packed suitcase. "Did you get the divorce papers?"

Damian unbuttoned his cuffs. "Yeah. I'll handle it within seven days."

"Okay." I dragged my suitcase to the entryway.