Chapter 1

"Your mother was the Alpha’s mistress. So, what does that make you?"

My fated mate, River, asked me this out of nowhere, right before our mating ceremony.

I stared at him, completely stunned. "River, what is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you’re destined to be a mistress too, sweetheart."

He looked at me with a straight face, completely serious. "I want you to be my secret lover. The Elder Beta’s daughter is a much better fit to be my Luna."

"How dare you?" My eyes widened in disbelief.

A fake, apologetic smile crept onto his face. "Come on, you’re just a human anyway. Since your mother could subject herself to being a mistress, why can't you?"

It took me forever to find my voice. "My mother was her, and I am me. I will never be anyone’s mistress."

"Oh, really?"

He let out a mocking laugh. "Be my secret lover, or we break up."

"Fine. Let's break up."

I had sworn to myself that I would never end up like my mother—living as a shadow in someone else’s life, only to meet a tragic end.

But River didn’t know that.

He reached out and gently patted my head, as if comforting a pet. "Silly girl, stop throwing a tantrum. You don’t even have a wolf. If you leave me, how are you going to survive in the pack?"

"Your mother is dead, and Alpha Richard sees you as his ultimate shame. Only by staying with me will no one dare to look down on you."

I let out a soft, bitter laugh. Who said I needed him to survive?

I had Aunt Lily. She was a human, but she had built a massive business empire abroad.

Just last week, she reached out and asked if I wanted to leave this place and live with her.

I had hesitated because I couldn't bear to leave River.

But now...

I pulled out my phone and sent her a text.

[Aunt Lily, I’ve made up my mind. I’ll go with you.]

She replied almost instantly: [That’s wonderful! I’ll send my private jet to pick you up in three days.]

I should have been thrilled, but tears started pouring down my face anyway.

My chest ached, a sharp, stabbing pain, as if something had ripped a piece of my heart away.

I had planned to tell River about Aunt Lily as a surprise.

Now, there was no point.

Seeing my tears, River assumed I couldn’t bear to lose him. He reached over and wiped a tear from my cheek. "Look at you. You cry the second we talk about breaking up. If I actually left you, you’d probably die of a broken heart, wouldn't you?"

"Stop fighting with me. It won't end well for you. Just be good and listen to me, and you'll never have to worry about being helpless again."

I sniffled and stayed quiet.

Thinking he had successfully convinced me, River started the engine. But halfway down the road, he suddenly pulled over.

"Oh, by the way, starting today, you need to sit in the back seat. Jade said my passenger seat belongs only to her from now on. I promised her, and I can't break my word."

He turned to look at me. "You know me. I’m a man of my word. I promised to take care of you for life, and even if I marry someone else, I’ll still look after you."

He smiled warmly at the thought. "You probably don't know yet, but our mating ceremony is in three days. It took me so much effort to get her to agree, so I can't afford to make her angry. She’s not as easygoing as you. She always says she's a red rose—if I want her beauty, I have to accept her thorns."

River was completely lost in his sweet fantasy, but I felt as though those thorns had just pierced my flesh. A sharp pain shot through my hand.

I looked down. While unbuckling my seatbelt, I had accidentally grazed a sharp earring left in the console.

My palm was bleeding.

River noticed it too, his eyes widening. "How could you be so careless?"

For a split second, I thought he was worried about me. I was about to tell him I was fine, that this physical pain was nothing compared to my broken heart.

But his next words dragged me straight into the abyss.

"That's Jade's earring! She's a total neat freak. If she finds out her favorite earring was stained by a human's blood, she’ll be furious!"

So, to him, my blood was nothing but dirt.

My head spun from the pain. I stared at him blankly for so long that a hint of guilt finally flickered in his eyes.

He looked down. "Forget it this once. I'll clean it up for you. Just stay away from her things from now on."

He pulled out a disinfectant wipe and began meticulously cleaning the earring.

My palm was still bleeding. I could feel the warm blood dripping onto my jeans, but I sat there, numb as a statue. I didn't speak. I didn't move.

I just watched him.

After wiping it clean, he wrapped it carefully in a tissue and placed it in the glove compartment. Only then did he turn back to me.

"What are you still sitting there for? Didn't you hear me? Get in the back seat."

My consciousness finally drifted back.

"No need. I’ll catch a cab."

"Suit yourself," River said casually. "There's a pack banquet tonight, and I need to take Jade to pick out her gown anyway. Go on home."

With that, he unlocked the doors, let me out, and slammed his foot on the gas. He sped away, leaving me behind.

He didn't care that it was pouring rain outside.

He didn't even bother to leave me an umbrella.