Chapter 1

(Harper’s POV)

I stood still in front of the boutique’s full-length mirror, watching as the saleswoman fussed with my hair. Her fingers moved quickly, curling a few loose strands of my auburn hair while another assistant made the final touches to my ceremonial gown.

“You look absolutely stunning, Miss Hale,” the woman gushed, stepping back to admire her work.

The gown really was beautiful—white silk with tiny diamonds hand-sewn along the neckline and sleeves, catching the light every time I moved. It hugged my figure perfectly, as it should, considering the obscene amount of money the Hale Pack had dropped on it.

But all I could feel was the fabric closing in around me like a set of chains.

“Is it too tight?” the assistant asked, picking up on my discomfort.

“It’s fine,” I replied automatically, the lie slipping out as easily as breathing after years of practice.

My emerald-green eyes stared back at me from the mirror, giving nothing away. This bonding ceremony was supposed to mark my union with Joshua Swift—future Alpha of the Northern Territories. A strategic alliance, sealed through a mating bond, between his pack and mine.

Politics dressed up in silk and diamonds.

But my mind wandered to someone else—a tall man with piercing blue eyes that always saw right through me. Ryker Okaley, my foster brother. The one I grew up with. The one who had held me when I was freezing, who stood by me when everyone else walked away.

The man I could never have. The thought cut deep as I wondered where he was now, what he was doing.

My phone buzzed in my purse, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“I need to take this,” I said to the saleswoman, stepping away from her hands.

Kaia’s name lit up the screen. She almost never called during her shifts at the treatment center, so I answered instantly.

“Kaia? What’s going on?”

Her voice was rushed, breathless. “Harper, you’re not going to believe this. I just saw Joshua and Eden at the clinic.”

I froze. “Eden’s back from Europe?”

“Yes, but that’s not the real shocker. They were at the OB/GYN, and Eden looked…” Kaia hesitated before blurting it out. “Harper, she’s pregnant. I heard them talking about it. It’s Joshua’s.”

The boutique around me seemed to fade into the background—its luxurious fabrics, glimmering accessories, all disappearing under the weight of her words. Kaia’s voice felt like a dagger going straight through my chest.

“Are you sure?” I asked, my voice sounding foreign even to myself.

“Absolutely. I’m so sorry, Harper. I just thought you should know before—”

“Thanks for telling me.” I cut her off. I didn’t want to hear any more.

I hung up and stood there, perfectly still, for three full seconds. Then, without a word, I reached for the clasps on the ceremonial gown.

“Miss Hale? We still need to finalize—”

I ripped the gown off, not giving a damn about the delicate stitching or the diamonds. The sound of tearing silk was oddly satisfying. I let the dress fall to the floor like it meant nothing.

The saleswoman gasped. “Miss Hale! That gown is worth—”

“Charge it to Joshua Swift,” I said coldly, already pulling on my regular clothes. “He can afford it.”

My phone rang again. Joshua’s name flashed across the screen.

I answered without even pretending to be polite. “What?”

His voice came through sharp and commanding, like always. “My office. Now.”

“Is that an order, Joshua?” I asked sweetly, lacing my tone with venom.

“Don’t start with me, Harper. Just get here.” He hung up.

I stared at the phone, a bitter smirk tugging at my lips. Inside me, my wolf, Eira, growled low and furious.

“He dares to summon us?” she snarled. “After what he’s done?”

“Not for much longer,” I promised her.

I grabbed my things and left the boutique without a second glance. The shredded gown lay crumpled on the floor like a fallen star—an elegant wreck that perfectly mirrored our engagement.

As I drove toward Joshua’s office, Eira paced furiously in my mind.

“We were never true mates,” she reminded me, her anger simmering. “Just a political match. We agreed to this for the good of the Hale Pack.”

“And now he’s betrayed us with Eden,” I muttered, my grip tightening on the steering wheel. “My adopted sister. That conniving bitch.”

Eden Hale—my real parents’ adopted daughter. My adopted sister. The girl who grew up living the life that should have been mine, as the Hale Pack’s cherished daughter. Three years ago, they shipped her off to Europe, but everyone knew the truth: she was the one Joshua had always wanted.

"Today, we end this farce," I said aloud, my voice cold and steady.

Half an hour later, I was storming through the Swift Pack’s main building, my heels clicking sharply against polished marble. People stepped aside without a word, sensing the storm brewing under my skin.

Joshua’s assistant jumped up when she saw me coming. “Miss Hale, he’s expecting you, but—”

I brushed past her and shoved the office door open without knocking.

Joshua was leaned back in his oversized oak desk chair, looking every bit the smug Alpha heir he was. His black hair was perfectly styled, his designer suit flawless. The entire office reeked of his signature cologne—and something else—cigarette smoke.

“Harper, you’re late,” he said, his voice thick with condescension.

I didn’t answer. I just shut the door behind me.

He grabbed a cigarette and lit it, knowing damn well how much I hated the smell. A petty, deliberate insult.

“Eden’s back,” he said, blowing smoke in my direction. “She’s sick. Silver poisoning. She needs me.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “Silver poisoning? What a shame.”

“It’s serious,” he snapped. “She needs round-the-clock care.”

He pushed a document across the desk toward me. “I think we should postpone the bonding ceremony. Just temporarily. Until she’s well. Obviously.”

I walked forward slowly, eyeing the papers. With a calm I didn’t feel, I picked them up and skimmed them.

“Postponement?” My voice was ice-cold.

I tore the papers in half. Then into quarters. Let the pieces fall like snow onto his polished desk.

Joshua’s eyes flared. “What the hell are you doing?”

“There’s no need to postpone,” I said, stepping closer, both hands planted firmly on his desk. “Let’s just call off the engagement altogether.”

Joshua shot to his feet, his chair sliding back. “Are you out of your mind? This alliance has been in the works for years. Our packs—”

“Our packs will be fine,” I cut in sharply. “And for once, I’m thinking clearly.”

His expression darkened. “This is about Eden, isn’t it? You’ve always been jealous of her.”

I let out a laugh—sharp, humorless. “Jealous? Of your knocked-up side piece? Please.”

The blood drained from his face. “Who told you—”

“Does it matter?” I interrupted. “You lied. You cheated. And you thought I wouldn’t find out?”

He recovered quickly, jaw clenched tight in that stubborn way I’d grown to loathe. “Get out. Go cool off. Think about what you’re throwing away.”

“There’s nothing to think about,” I said flatly. “We’re done.”

I turned and headed for the door, a weight lifting off my chest with every step. Behind me, Joshua barked, “This isn’t over, Harper! You can’t just walk away from this arrangement!”

My hand paused on the doorknob. I glanced back over my shoulder.

“Watch me.”

The door slammed behind me, the sound echoing through the hallway like a gunshot.

Outside, several secretaries were suddenly engrossed in their work—poorly pretending they hadn’t been listening. But their whispers followed me down the corridor, carried easily to my ears.

“She was never enough for him.”

“Eden’s always been his real choice for Luna.”

“No wonder he cheated—Harper’s temper is legendary.”

“The Hale Pack always intended for their true-born daughter to marry Joshua. But everyone knows his heart was never hers—it’s always belonged to Eden.”

I stopped walking.

The whispering died instantly. They knew I’d heard.

Slowly, I turned to face them.

Eyes dropped. I felt their judgment like a wave. One woman—Samantha, I remembered—couldn’t hide the smug twist of her lips.

I walked straight to her. She tried to step back, but I was faster. I grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at me.

My voice was low and dangerous. “You can talk shit about me all you want in here. Just don’t forget—your Alphas aren’t the only ones with teeth.”

I slapped her face—not hard, but enough to make my point—and let my fingers brush the side of her neck, where her pulse thudded beneath the skin. A promise. A warning.

Samantha trembled. The smugness vanished.

I let her go, straightened up, and walked away with my head held high. Every wolf I passed bowed their head instinctively. The click of my heels on marble was the only sound in the now-silent hallway.

I had no fear.

I had nothing left to lose.

All that was left was to head to my office, pack up my things, and start the next chapter of my life.

As for Joshua?

Tell that dumbass he can go f**k himself.

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