Chapter 4

I stared at the royal crest, stunned.

The shock was so overwhelming that the throbbing headache faded into the background.

I re-read the pages, word by word.

*A daughter, Lily Anderson, born into the pack.*

*Irreconcilable differences. We cannot live together anymore.*

I frowned and kept turning pages.

The diary was nearly full, leaving only a few blank pages at the end.

The ink on most entries was smeared and distorted by water stains.

A single journal, carrying all the tears of my adult life.

I read about the joy of James confessing his feelings after my rogue attack.

The thrill of being marked.

Olivia serving as my maid of honor, weeping uncontrollably at our mating ceremony.

And then, the predictable patterns of betrayal.

James staying out all night.

The scent of foreign perfume on his jackets, the pictures of him and Olivia all over Instagram.

Right when I first considered rejecting the bond, I discovered I was pregnant.

During those brutal nights of morning sickness, I sat alone holding my father’s pen, waiting for James until dawn.

Then Lily was born.

I read entries where I begged James not to leave while holding our sleeping daughter, pleading with him to remember our childhood.

Reading those tear-stained, ink-blotted words, I only felt disgust.

With my memories stuck at eighteen, I couldn't fathom how the fearless Emma Miller had groveled so low for a man.

And on the day I mysteriously tumbled down the stairs, I had already finalized my plan to reject him at the Moon Gathering.

The fall had simply hit pause on everything.

The scent of dinner drifted in from the crack under the door.

I snapped the diary shut, looked up at the dim lightbulb overhead, and pressed a hand over my chest.

"Thank goodness. I'm eighteen again—fearless Emma Miller."

I stayed in the house.

Partly because I needed time to adapt to this reality after my amnesia.

Partly because I needed a strategy—James was the Alpha of the Ridge Pack. Everyone bowed to him. How could I break free without him crushing me?

I traced the golden lettering on the royal card.

I still had a way out.

Over the next few days, I lived like a phantom in the mansion. Only Mrs. Brown, the cook, spoke to me.

Even then, she carefully avoided mentioning James and Olivia.

Our first major clash happened on the day I was scheduled to have my arm cast removed.

It happened to be the annual Wolf Pup Training Showcase for Lily.

The girl who normally glared at me showed up at my bedroom door the night before, twisting the hem of her shirt.

"Take me tomorrow."

Her tone was rigid and demanding, completely devoid of the sweet, spoiled voice she used with James and Olivia.

"No," I replied calmly, not even looking up from my herbology textbook.

"Don't you want Olivia as your mom?"

"Let her take you."

Lily suddenly burst into hysterical wailing. "I don't want her to!"

"Everyone at the academy says Olivia is a homewrecker!"

"They say I'm a homewrecker's bastard!"

"None of the other pups will play with me anymore!"

"It's all your fault!"

She lunged into my room and slammed directly into my fractured arm. "If you hadn't stolen Olivia’s spot, they wouldn't hate me!"

Pain shot through my bone, stealing my breath.

The next second, my uninjured hand swung out and slapped her across the face.

"Get out."