Chapter 1

I had been the secret mate of a Pack Academy professor for eight years when her student stood up at the Pack Annual Gathering and announced she was carrying his pup.

Evelyn Whitmore's face went pale. She froze on the stage.

The energy in the hall dropped to ice. And I led the applause.

"Congratulations, Professor Whitmore."

Anyone could see I meant it.

"I'll go home and prepare a healing stew. When the gathering's over, let me take care of you."

Every face in the room showed shock.

Because for eight years, I had practically lived at the Pack Academy, bringing Evelyn three meals a day.

What they didn't know was that I was her secret mate.

Evelyn's face went gray. She came after me — rare for her.

"Was that normal behavior back there?"

"Shouldn't you be furious? Demanding I reject the pup?"

That was a strange request.

I pressed my lips together and said flatly, "That's not my place."

The Hidden Bond Agreement had three days left. Staying composed was the reasonable thing to do.

Evelyn grabbed my shoulder hard, like she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"You're my mate. Of course it's your place."

The word mate hit me square in the chest.

Probably because I hadn't heard it in years. It felt strange.

I shook free of her grip and said with a faint smile, "Does the pup stay or go — is that my call to make?"

Evelyn went still.

The air between us hardened.

After a long silence, she adjusted her glasses and studied me like she was trying to figure something out.

"You've changed."

"People do."

Something in my steady calm seemed to snap a wire inside her. Her voice went sharp.

"Rhys, you've been doing this all night. Don't act like it's not because I've refused to go public."

"Can't you give it more time?"

More time. How long?

A week, a month, a year?

No. Eight years.

"Cade needs extra help before his exams, he's not bright, I have to tutor him."

"Cade signed up for an overseas training camp, I need to see him off."

"Cade's thesis defense was a disaster — if I don't guide him he'll fail again."

Because of that one student she kept calling slow, I had kept waiting.

Then this morning, before we left, I found a limited-edition diamond ring in her coat pocket.

I had woken up early to press her dress. I stood in front of the mirror and practiced smiling.

And then she had given me exactly the surprise she'd been planning.

A long silence. Evelyn, embarrassed and furious, dragged me into her car.

The way she snapped the seatbelt across me made it dig into my chest.

Three seconds after she drove off, her phone rang.

Cade Pemberton's voice came through — scheming, needy, practiced.

"Professor Whitmore, I have to revise my thesis all by myself again tonight. Without you here I'm scared I'll do it all wrong..."

Evelyn hit the brakes.

My head slammed forward. I was bleeding.

She turned to look at me — and didn't notice the blood at all. The need to leave was written all over her face.

The old me would have grabbed her arm and begged. I got out of the car calmly.

A flash of surprise crossed Evelyn's face. Then she drove away.

The wind cut through me. I'm not going to pretend it didn't hurt.

Back home, I laid the Hidden Bond Agreement on the table and packed my things to leave.

I was certain Evelyn wouldn't come home that night.

I hadn't expected to be shaken awake in the middle of the night.

Evelyn looked frantic. "Rhys, Cade suddenly wants a venison stew. Can you make it?"

I blinked. Then I pushed back the covers and got out of bed.

I followed her to the kitchen and found that the meat and herbs were already scattered across the floor.

She had sworn before our bond that she would never set foot in the kitchen. Seeing her here was something I'd never expected.

I cut the meat and started the pot. Evelyn watched in silence, not saying a word.

When I reached for the salt she put her hand over mine. "Not much. He doesn't like it salty."

I stopped.

Over the last few weeks, Evelyn's taste had suddenly gone mild. The meals she'd taken with her each day had all been plain and light.

It hit me all at once.

The meals I'd cooked so carefully for her — every single one had gone into another male's stomach.

I packed the food and handed it to her. My voice was even. "If you don't come back tonight, I'm locking the door."

The hand holding the container went tight. Then she exploded.

"You're trying to push me out? Rhys, can you tell me what's going on with you? The pup was an accident. You should know my feelings haven't changed — but you have."

I kept my expression blank. "I'm just making sure it's safe to live alone. That's all."

"You're doing just fine, Rhys. Just fine."

She grabbed her bags and packed furiously. She pulled the ring from her pocket and dropped it into the drain.

"You want to live alone? Go ahead. I don't believe you're actually this hard."

The door slammed. The sound landed right in the center of my chest.