Chapter 3

He'd just come back from the borderlands. Only twenty-five, but already decorated with Pack war honors.

His reputation, though, wasn't great in the capital. Reckless. A little too free with She-Wolves.

I understood right away — this was the best match my parents could find for me.

Sending a daughter far from her Pack was always a gamble. The road back would be long, and I might not see them for years. They didn't want that, so they'd worked hard to keep me in the Northern Territory.

I knew how much thought they'd put into it, and I was moved.

At the end of the day, the only ones who truly looked out for me were my parents.

"Father, Mother, I agree to the match."

They were worried something might change, so the arrangements went fast. Luckily, I'd already ordered my Marking Ceremony gown months ago.

The next day, the owner of the Pemberton Atelier sent word that my gown was ready to try on.

Before I even reached the door, I heard a familiar voice.

"Caius, isn't this too expensive?"

"It's fine. If you like it, I don't care what it costs."

Caius and Rhea.

The atelier owner saw me and read my face. She was about to take me to the back room when Caius cut in, his voice irritated. "Selene Ashford, you're following me again."

He thought I was there to chase him. Typical. Caius was the kind of Alpha who always needed someone beside him, and in the past I had always gone looking for him, scolded him when I found him, then pretended it was a coincidence.

But today, if I'd known he'd be here, I'd have come another time.

I answered coolly. "I'm just here to pick up my things."

He looked at me, unsure, and then one of the atelier girls came out carrying a Marking Ceremony gown. It finally hit him.

"But I already withdrew the claim. What do you need a ceremony gown for?"

Caius asked it like he honestly didn't understand. I didn't answer. I ran my hand over the gown instead.

Rhea spoke up then. "Caius, a piece like that takes months to commission. Ashford probably ordered it three months ago."

Caius paused. Three months ago was the exact day we made the Mate Promise. No wonder I was here now to pick it up.

Rhea looked at my gown with naked envy. "It's so beautiful. If I could wear something like that just once, I could die happy."

"That's easy enough." Caius reached out and snatched the gown from my hands. "You won't use it anyway. Give it to Rhea."

"Give it back!"

I was furious. The embroidery on that gown — the twin moonlilies — had been done by my mother's own hand. She always said a mother had to stitch the twin moonlilies onto her daughter's ceremony gown, so the love of the older generation would carry into the next.

She'd worked on it until her eyes were red.

Now he was taking it. I glared at him.

Caius lifted his arm and dodged my reach.

His voice went soft, for once. "Selene, if you keep that gown five more years, it'll be dated. You won't be Marked by anyone else anyway. Give it to Rhea. When I finally Mark you, I'll buy you a new one."

The words came out before I could stop them. "In seven days, I'm being Marked. I'm wearing that gown."

Caius laughed. "Have you lost your mind over being Marked? Who else in the capital would take you? Find a better lie."

I wasn't in the mood. I didn't bother explaining. I just said, coldly, "That gown has gold threadwork and the jewels on it are top quality. If you want it, ask the owner how much it's worth."

"Eight seamstresses worked on this gown for three months. It's worth three thousand silver crowns."

"You must be out of your mind!"

Caius blurted it. "A Marking gown costs that much?"

Langford Pack had always been plain-living, and Caius didn't know how to run a household. The Langfords had old holdings, but anything priced in the thousands was already beyond him.

He hung the gown back up at once and glared at me. "Selene Ashford, you're really determined to embarrass me, aren't you?"

I didn't answer. I reached for the gown — and then I heard a long rip.

Rhea's little girl Mina had come out of nowhere with a silver dagger in her hand. One slash, and my gown had a long tear down the front.

"You —"

The atelier owner and I both lost color. The pup pulled a face at me and then threw herself into Caius's arms.

Caius pulled her behind him.

"Mina didn't mean to. Selene, don't take it out on a pup."

I stared at him. "She ruined my gown. She pays for it."

"Your Pack doesn't need the silver. It's just a gown. Why come down on a five-year-old pup?"

"She has a mother and a father figure. If she can't pay, Rhea pays. If Rhea can't pay, then you pay."

"Or I take this to the Alpha Council."