Chapter 2

Ethan came to pick me up from the clinic.

I handed him the ultrasound and medical charts. He didn't even reach out to take them, merely casting a careless glance before gesturing for me to put them away.

"Where's Chloe? Didn't she come with you?"

"She said she wasn't feeling well and went home."

Ethan's hands froze on the steering wheel, and he pulled a sharp U-turn on the spot.

"Let's go check on her. I had someone bring over a special healing salve from a neighboring pack, so I can drop it off. I told Chloe already, you were just having a routine checkup, she didn't need to tire herself out."

I stared at his profile. The genuine worry written all over his face was impossible to fake—a stark contrast to the cold indifference he showed my medical charts just moments ago.

Cracks in a facade spread like wildfire once exposed.

Just like now, I saw every single detail through completely different eyes.

I refused to believe he felt nothing for me, yet I could no longer tolerate a shred of deception.

"Why did you think to get healing salve? Did you go out of your way to ask someone for it?"

Ethan frowned, sounding displeased. "You really don't care about Chloe at all, do you? You know her shoulder's injured."

"Ah, silly me. I thought you prepared it because I'm pregnant."

Ethan froze, quickly backtracking. "Well, of course it was for you, too. It was just convenient to grab both."

Chloe, naturally, didn't come out to take the salve. She didn't even pick up her phone.

Ethan brought me to her front door and knocked for half an hour, but no one answered.

I stood in the driveway watching him call Chloe, then Chloe's father, and then Chloe's mother.

In the end, it was obvious she simply refused to see us.

Ethan finally let out a heavy sigh and turned to me. "Did she get mad at you? Did you two get into a fight recently?"

I remembered a time when I didn't answer his calls, too.

It was around our first anniversary as mates. He had completely forgotten about it because he was back at our old territory celebrating Chloe's pack promotion.

By the time he remembered the next day, he called me twice. I didn't pick up.

Chloe, on the other hand, blew up my phone. When I finally answered, I overheard Ethan in the background muttering impatiently, *What could possibly happen to her? She's probably just sleeping in the barracks.*

Looking back, the difference between love and indifference had always been painfully obvious.

I had simply been blinded by the excuse of their lifelong pack bond.

I was the one who permitted another relationship to stand above our sacred bond.

It was all on me.

I was an adult, and I had to take responsibility for my own choices.

I, Emily, took full accountability for my blindness.

Still, there was one thing I couldn't wrap my head around.

If they were in love, why didn't they just mate? Why drag an innocent third party into their mess?

What did I do to deserve this?

Looking back on the past few years, perhaps my biggest mistake was letting the joy show on my face the very first time I met Ethan.

From that moment on, Ethan pursued me with complete confidence and ease.

Yes, he was always so composed, because he knew he already had me wrapped around his finger.

My feelings for him were obvious, and Chloe was constantly pushing us together.

To court me, he would take me on walks along the most breathtaking lake in the pack territory under the full moon.

He would silently bring me warm soup after grueling training sessions.

He would be the very first person at the healer's clinic whenever I took a blow.

I genuinely thought that was love.

About six months later, I accepted his claim.

Looking back now, maybe love was there, but who it was truly meant for remained an open question.

Most of our dates, after all, included three people.