Chapter 2

"Is that what they're calling it now? An Alpha helps a she-wolf in need and suddenly she's claiming a connection. His Chosen Mate is standing right there. Have some self-respect."

"She probably wants a share of the Sterling Pack assets."

I stood in the middle of that laughter and did not let myself cry. The tears that had moved Cain when he held me at night — those were for a different version of him. Here, in front of the Sterling Pack and Davenport Pack elite, they'd just be something to laugh at.

I pulled myself together and stepped forward fast. Before he could speak, I pushed up his sleeve and exposed the mark on his inner wrist.

"Interesting. Someone with the exact same face as my mate, and the exact same mark in the exact same spot."

"Since you say you don't know me, come home with me. Maybe you're long-lost brothers."

I held his gaze. I wasn't moving.

"I think this she-wolf has had too much sun. Everyone, let's give her some space." He played the gracious Alpha perfectly. Magnanimous. Unbothered. He didn't look at me again.

Three years. I'd rationed my own food so he could eat better. I'd visited the Moon Goddess Sanctuary every week to pray for him, then copied down the Oracle's words of encouragement, hunting for anything that might keep him hopeful.

And he'd been riding horses with someone else. Giving her the pearls I nearly drowned to find.

As we stood there staring at each other, a figure in a bright red riding jacket swept between us.

"Cain, thank you for helping me win. I love this bracelet."

She was dazzling. He walked forward naturally to take her horse's reins, all easy attention. She pulled out a cloth and dabbed the sweat from his brow, her hair nearly grazing his face.

This kind of open affection — Cain and I had never had that. He never wanted to leave the house. We were always indoors. He'd lie in bed weaving baskets while I cooked. We shared a bed, but most of my time went to earning money.

I realized I didn't know this man at all. He was an Alpha. Sterling Pack. Already arranged to mate with the Davenport Alpha's daughter, Clarissa. The information landed in pieces, and the ground felt unsteady.

"You like it? Clarissa, storm's coming — let me take you back." He was still that same gentle voice. He shifted slightly, putting himself between us, but Clarissa had clearly heard the argument. She stepped toward me with measured grace.

"And who is this?" Her eyes were sharp.

We looked at each other. Something in me deflated. Her face, her bloodline, her status — all far beyond anything I could match. Even if I got the truth out of him, what then? Could I actually be okay with it?

"I know you. You're the pearl diver who works for Cain."

"You're supposed to be the only she-wolf in Stillwater Territory who can get the really deep ones — perfectly round, flawless, bright as the full moon. Perfect for a Mate Claim gift."

She turned her wrist. A gold-set pearl bracelet. Its light stung.

Last month I'd found an exceptional batch in the deep currents. Cain had seen them and immediately said he wanted to keep them.

"Since we've been together, I haven't given you anything real. These pearls are exceptional. I'll have them made into something for you. We can find another way to pay for treatment — the legs won't heal overnight anyway."

He'd been saving them for her.

The thing I nearly died to find, used as her Mate Claim gift. Almost funny.

When I looked up again, my voice was steady: "Those aren't his to give. I'd like them back. Unless Davenport Pack wants to be known for taking things that don't belong to you."

She covered a smile and leaned close: "The bracelet I can return. But he's not coming back to you. You're just a diver. Did you really think you could compete with me? Three years ago, up on the Stillwater wall — I should've finished you then."

I went still. "You — how do you — were you..."

"I was the warrior beside him. Dressed as a male, like I was assigned. Did you actually think that arrow was meant for you? Did you think he jumped in front of it for your sake?"

I remembered the day Stillwater Territory was attacked. The whole Pack rallied. I had no money, so I volunteered to bring food to the warriors on the wall.

Up on the wall, I found Cain giving quiet instructions to a warrior who was smaller than the rest, too clean-faced for someone who'd been fighting.

"I'm here with food for everyone," I said, lifting my canteen.

Warriors crowded forward. I filled a small bowl quietly and held it out to Cain, shy and unsure.

"You should take care of yourself. If you go down, I don't know what — what are the rest of us supposed to do?"

He almost smiled. He reached for the bowl. Then an arrow came out of nowhere.

Something shoved me hard. When I looked back, he was falling — straight off the wall, gone.

My heart stopped. I ran.

A canvas shelter had broken his fall. He survived.

I stayed with him through the night at the Pack infirmary. Near dawn, Stillwater erupted in celebration. He opened his eyes and touched my hair. "You're okay. Good. I was afraid I hadn't gotten there in time."

In the rush of tears, I understood what I felt.

The third time I brought him his medicine, he caught my hand. "Elara. Are you going to take responsibility for me?"

By the time I understood the question, I was already nodding.

"Eager," he said, grinning. A real smile.

The memory shattered into the present moment.