Chapter 4

After Ethan made his name, he had moved my father's grave from the borderlands to the most prestigious Pack burial ground in the territory. He had handled everything himself, so the plot was under his name.

If he chose to, he could remove my father's remains from that ground.

I wanted to slap him. I wanted to ask him how he could do this to the man who had sacrificed his life for him.

In the end, I signed, eyes burning.

Because I had already killed my father with my own recklessness once. I wouldn't be the reason he found no peace even in death.

To make sure I'd stay in line, Ethan moved fast. He transferred the entire legal office into Serena's name. He could have buried me in debt, left me crawling to Serena on my knees if he'd wanted to.

While I was in detention, there was nothing I could do. I left with nothing.

Ethan had inherited every gene from the father he'd never really known — decisive, ruthless, strategic.

He hadn't pushed me all the way to my knees in front of Serena. He left just enough room, figuring the world would beat me down and I'd come crawling back to him.

At that point, whether I came back as a Luna or something lesser would be entirely up to his mood.

Three months later, I was released. Ethan and Serena had already held their Bonding Ceremony.

A custom-made gown. A hilltop venue with a sky full of stars. No detail had been spared. You could see he'd put everything into it.

I watched the gifts I had once received turn into furnishings in someone else's home.

I set it on fire.

Cain came home while I was still staring at nothing.

Warm arms wrapped around me from behind, the way they always had since the day he first took my hand and walked with me to a new country.

"Dr. Lee called me," he said against my ear. "We're having a pup."

His voice was full and satisfied, warm breath near my ear.

I turned and pressed into his arms and gave a soft sound of agreement, closing my eyes, steadying myself.

"I want to throw a celebration tomorrow," he said. "Invite Diana and everyone. Make it loud."

I smiled. I hadn't seen Diana in a long time.

Back then she had been my client — fighting a bond-severance case against her mate, still a mess of anger and tears. Nobody could have guessed she'd become one of Riverton's most recognized She-Wolf executives.

It was my sleepless work gathering evidence that won her case. We became Pack sisters after that.

The second time I was sent to Pack detention, it was Diana who paid for my release and took me away from that place. Then she introduced me to her brother who was building new territory overseas.

Cain moved fast, the way he always did. He sat on the bed with me still tucked against him and started making calls with a smile on his face.

Within minutes, half the Davenport extended Pack knew, including relatives from across the sea.

Three days later, at Crescent Estate, every significant figure in Riverton had come. The great hall was stacked with flowers and gifts.

Diana arrived while everyone was still pushing me to open Cain's present.

I tore open the wrapping — it stood almost as tall as I did — and found a deep-sea crimson coral sculpture inside.

The room went wide-eyed all at once. Diana's laughing voice cut through the noise.

"You little show-off. You had the whole thing lit up and photographed just to impress your mate, didn't you? That's why you wouldn't give it to me no matter how many times I asked."

I turned around, smiling back at her, ready to say her name.

Our eyes met. And then I saw him.

Ethan Calloway was across the room, his arm around Serena, staring at me in shock.

He was holding a gift.

"Nora," he said. "You're the mate Cain's been talking about?"

I stood straight and let the corner of my mouth lift.

"Yes. My mate is Cain Davenport."

Ethan froze. He stood there a long moment, unable to process it.

Cain Davenport. Heir to the Davenport Pack empire, which had controlled military-grade resource supply chains across three continents for two decades. He'd recently been brought back to Riverton by the regional council to invest in a major strategic supply base for the territory. Every media outlet in the area had been running stories about it, crowning him a devoted son of the territory.

The truth was simpler than that. My father was buried here. I wanted to come back and visit him.

Beside Ethan, Serena's eyes had gone wide. She probably hadn't expected the social heights she'd spent years scheming to reach to land, once again, on the She-Wolf she'd discarded.

Cain took in the scene and understood all of it. He walked over and put his arm around my shoulders, extending his hand to Ethan with easy courtesy.

"Counselor Calloway, welcome to our pup's celebration."

Ethan stared at me. His eyes fell to my stomach. He opened his mouth two or three times, and each time the words — you said you couldn't have pups — almost came out, but didn't.