“So, what are your plans for this place, man?” Jayson Truman asked as Devin slid the bowl of rolls across the table toward him.

Selene was eager to learn the answer too. It was the classiest home she’d ever set foot in to date. It had everything any family would need, and even came complete with servants.

“My cabin is being expanded into a home big enough for me, Tamara, and our family. It won’t be quite as big as this one, and of course it’s not located in the main village,” Devin replied.

“Well, you’ll certainly be the first leader that won’t live in the Caedmon house,” Jayson remarked.

Of all the Council members, the raven-haired handsome wolf had to be one of the youngest. Selene had seen his last name in several of the history books in the library.

“There’s a first time for everything, besides I’ve gifted the home to Dawson. Once he finishes up his studies, he’ll probably have more use for it than I will.”

Some of them were having mid-day lunch before the Council was set to meet. Selene was scheduled to assist Tamara at the elementary school, but getting up at six in the morning after being mated to a wolf and a long night of continuous lovemaking would have been injurious. Only after a hot bath could she bear to walk down the stairs by herself.

Even now, Nick was seated right beside her. His hand was laid out on her thigh, and the other held the fork as he gobbled his meal. She valued his new-found protectiveness over her.

Everyone jerked in alarm when the double doors to the dinner hall slammed open. Nick dropped his fork. Devin jumped to his feet.

Tamara barged inside with a look of bewilderment imprinted on her face. She doubled over and panted, a card crumpled between her fingers. Devin was next to her in seconds.

“What happened?” He scooped her up and sat her in a chair.

A closer inspection revealed that Tamara’s tights were soaked in blood. Was she hurt? It didn’t appear—

“Elisa!” She screamed.

“Where is she?”

“They took her!”

“What are you talking about?”

Tamara shoved the wrinkled card at him. “I went to go check on her in the science classroom. Ms. Price was dead on the floor. Her throat was...it was…” She sobbed in her hand, and her fingers shook. “Elisa is gone!”

Selene’s heart literally flipped, and she ran over to comfort the other women. Tamara’s whole body shook as she wrapped her arms around her.

“What does it say, Devin?” Nick asked from behind her.

“Darius has replied. He wants more than just land.”

A servant ran into the hall. “Sir!” He bowed his head after coming to stand in front of Devin. “There was trouble in the market. It seems another pack breached our borders.”

Devin growled violently, and pounded a fist onto a nearby wall. Pictures crashed to the floor and when he brought his hand away from the wall, there was an indentation on it. “Put a call out for the other Council members. Now!”

“Yes, Alpha.” The servant nodded, and then backed away.

“What does he want?” Jayson asked, taking the card with the message.

“He wants to fight me. Again,” Devin said.

“Fuck a fight,” Nick growled. “I’m ready to battle.”

“We will.” Devin paced the floor like a wild animal. “I apologize in advance, Nick, but I will kill him.”

Tamara gasped and buried her head against Selene’s chest.

“At this point, it is necessary,” Nick replied. “That bastard has Elisa. She’s only a child!”

“Your bond with Silvia…has it receded?” Devin asked him.

Selene did a double take, looking from Nick to Devin, and then back at Nick again. Had Devin said bond…bond with Silvia?

“There was never a bond,” Nick said between clenched teeth. “That witch betrayed me.”

“Even better. Prepare for battle.” Devin turned to pick up Tamara, scooping her away from Selene with one arm. “I must tend to my mate. We head out at midnight.”

Everyone scurried out of the room. Everyone except for her and Nick.

He held out his arms. Before he could touch her, she jumped back.

“No!” She screamed. “I trusted you!”

“Selene?”

“How could you?” She felt so stupid. He’d been hiding it from her the whole time.

“What is it, Selene?”

“You’re bonded to another? Is this what you wanted to protect me from?”

This time he caught her off guard, captured her, and pulled her into his embrace. “It’s not what you think. Everyone misunderstood what happened.”

She struck at his chest in an attempt to pull away from him, but he was stronger. “Why would you do this to me?”

“I didn’t bond with her. Back then, I thought I did. I was young and stupid. Oblivious to what true love felt like. We were intimate and in a relationship over seven years ago.”

She jerked against him, and bile rose to her throat.

“Listen, please…” He pressed his forehead to hers. “Silvia is a witch. A real one. She was a member of another pack when I first met her.”

“What do you mean you thought you bonded with her?”

“She used her powers to trick me into thinking we shared a bond. She was the only one of her sisters left in her father’s home and not mated. According to her, she was a disgrace to her father. I pitied her.”

Selene swallowed, but the pain only resurfaced. “I asked you about this and you refused to tell me.”

Nick exhaled against her hair. “I was ashamed, Selene. I still am embarrassed about it all.”

“You loved her?”

“At twenty seven, I didn’t know what love was.”

“She used you.”

He nodded. “I’m not the complete victim. She was a woman. Willing and ready.”

“Why would she do something like that if she knew that you weren’t her mate?”

“Because she could. She thrives off manipulating others. That is why she and Darius are good for each other.”

“Then she’s the one mated to Darius, that scar-faced bastard. She’s the one who can’t have children.”

“Yes. Darius, her true mate, came along and all the pieces fell together,” he said. “Darius knows what happened. He holds a grudge and still believes that I have some connection with Silvia.”

“Do you?”

“No. And if I did before, it’s now faded. The bond is only legit through intimacy, companionship, and a true mating…like ours.”

Selene shook her head. “I didn’t want to find out like this.”

He pulled her closer. “Please forgive me.”

“I can forgive you, Nick, but how can I trust you? We’re supposed to have this special bond and now I feel worthless.”

“You’re not worthless. You are everything to me. Our love is real. I am so sorry that I withheld this.”

A sorry wasn’t enough. How could her heart be mended after this? Still she ached to hold him against her despite his betrayal. What was wrong with her? She needed to get away from this toxic relationship before it was too late. She peeled away from him. “Be careful, Nick. I will still worry about you.”

“Don’t worry about me. I live for you now, and I will return.” He held her gaze for a long while, a wretched expression marking his face. “Will you be here when I do?”

“No.”

His eyes widened for a split second, and then his face softened. “I understand.”

Before she could change her mind, she turned on her heels and ran upstairs to the bedroom.