Chapter 1

As the sole heiress of the prestigious Frostpeak Pack, Willa Olson had once been a force to be reckoned with. But for Cedric Kane, she stripped away every ounce of her pride, spending three years as his silent shadow.

During her third winter at the brutal border outpost, she held down their coldest defense line. Her knuckles split from the freezing wind, and her wolf went dormant, all for the hope of hearing him say, "Come back."

She braved the frozen wastes to get back to Blackstone. But outside the council hall, she stopped cold. Cedric was quietly telling Beta Noah Barnett, "Extend Willa's border rotation for another three years.

"Claire only has me. I can't bring Willa back and risk upsetting Claire."

Moonlight washed over Willa's face, turning ice-cold against her skin.

It hit her then: the mating bond she thought they shared was entirely one-sided. She was the only one burning for it.

Fine. She'd let him see exactly what, and who, he had thrown away in the snow.

*****

The council hall door stood slightly ajar, a warm, golden light spilling through the crack.

Willa stood right outside, the soles of her boots still caked with border ice.

She had planned to push the door open and surprise Cedric.

Three years had passed. His birthday was coming up, and she had begged the pack's top healer to craft armor that could withstand silver wounds, staying up for nights to help finish it.

She couldn't wait to hand it to Cedric. But now, her hand hovered over the door, frozen.

"Alpha, her three-month deployment has already turned into three years," Noah murmured, keeping his voice down. "Are we seriously extending it again?"

A long, heavy silence fell over the room.

Then Cedric's voice broke the quiet, cold and emotionless.

"Claire has no one else in Blackstone," he said. "She only has me.

"Willa is too spoiled. If she comes back, she's bound to give Claire a hard time.

"Another three years. Once she learns to behave, I'll bring her back myself."

Willa stumbled backward, her spine hitting the cold stone wall.

It wasn't because of the distance. It wasn't because the border was dangerous.

It was him. He was the one who'd kept her trapped on that endless, moonless snowfield.

She looked down at her hands.

Her palms were covered in rough calluses, her knuckles cracked from the cold, and dark red scars from wolfsbane burns lined her fingers.

While Willa had been shedding blood to guard Cedric's borders, claws bared, Claire had been living in luxury, doted on as the pack's future Luna.

"Who would have thought the great Frostpeak heiress would end up as nothing but a lonely border guard?" Claire Reed's voice drifted down the hallway, crisp as the winter air.

She stood there, her cloak draped elegantly over her arm. The Blackstone pack crest gleamed in her hair, and her smile dripped with smug satisfaction.

"I haven't had to suffer a single day of what you went through out there," Claire said. "Cedric told me he wants his Luna to be cherished and protected. He'd never dream of making me rough it."

Willa stared at her. The warmth she had kept alive in her chest for so long died instantly, leaving only ice.

She had always assumed Cedric was distant because it was his nature.

But it turned out he did know how to cherish someone.

He was only cold to her.

"You can dress up trash all you want, but it's still trash," Willa said, cold and sharp.

"Who are you calling trash?" Claire's face twisted, and she swung her hand to slap her.

But her hand stopped in midair.

Cedric had stepped out of the room. His eyes swept over them, pausing briefly when they landed on Willa, before his brows knitted together.

"Willa, who gave you permission to come back and bully Claire?" he said.

Willa clenched her fists.

"Me? Bully her? Open your eyes. She was the one trying to slap me," Willa shot back.

"Claire is gentle. She wouldn't raise a hand against anyone," Cedric said, his tone entirely flat. "You must have provoked her."

Those words were a silver-tipped blade, piercing the last soft spot of Willa's heart.

She felt the last thread of her affection snapping.

She didn't bother explaining.

Fighting for a man who had never cared for her was the most foolish thing in the world.

Willa turned on her heel and walked away. She pulled out her phone and dialed her father's number back at Frostpeak.

"Dad, let's call off that engagement," she said. "I'm not marrying Cedric Kane anymore."

Since he had never wanted her, she was done wanting him.