Chapter 2

This was unheard of. His drawer was always securely locked—until today.

A strange pull guided my hand as I slid it open, my heartbeat pounding in my ears. It shouldn’t have budged, but it did.

Inside, stacks of architectural blueprints lay meticulously arranged, each one marked with a name that sent a shiver down my spine—Blake. Blake Mall. Blake Residences. Blake Jewelry. Every structure, every expansion Alpha Tobias had planned was tied to one name.

Elowen Blake, the she-wolf who stole my mate, Alpha Desmond Calder.

The realization hit me like a silver blade to the chest. I had been part of the Architecture Department for years, yet Alpha Tobias had always assured me he had his own team handling high-profile projects. I never questioned it. Now, it was clear—every brick, every foundation, every luxury boutique was a shrine to the she-wolf.

My fingers trembled as I reached for the small jewelry box nestled between the documents. My breath hitched when I flipped it open. Empty.

Suddenly, I remembered.

Yesterday, Elowen posted a photo on the pack’s social platform, and she was wearing that very necklace.

I clenched my fists, a bitter laugh escaping my lips.

My phone buzzed, yanking me from the dark spiral of my thoughts.

[Miss Wentworth, are you certain you've made your choice?]

A deep breath steadied me. There was nothing left to hesitate over.

[Yes. I’ve made up my mind.]

It was time to leave.

The next morning, I barely glanced at my packed bags.

"I'm leaving for Crowley Pack tonight."

A pause. Alpha Tobias’s voice, always calm, held a trace of something unfamiliar. " What are you going there for? "

I swallowed hard, keeping my tone light. " A she-wolf' trip with some socialites. Just a few days."

He pressed a kiss to my cheek, his lips warm against my skin, but I felt nothing.

“Good. Enjoy yourself, shop to your heart’s content.”

I miss my parents a little. I want to go see them.

I had never understood why Alpha Tobias had buried my parents in another pack, but now I did. He was afraid I was getting too close to the truth.

It struck me then—how effortlessly he feigned affection. How deeply I had drowned in his illusions.

I was done.

But before I disappeared, I had one last thing to do.

He has a pack gathering to attend tonight, and I’m going to check it out.

The Blake Mall grand opening was tonight. The final piece of his empire.

When I arrived, the air was thick with celebration. Chandeliers cast golden light over the elite of the Pack, their laughter blending with the music. And in the center of it all stood Alpha Tobias—every bit the powerful Alpha, commanding and unreadable.

Then there was Elowen.

She moved like she owned the night, the necklace resting against her throat, a silent declaration of her place in his world. Her lips curled as she raised her glass toward him.

“Mr. Blake , congratulations.”

Alpha Tobias turned, his gaze meeting mine for the briefest second. A flicker of something—shock?—passed through his eyes before he masked it with his usual effortless charm.

He clinked his glass with another man’s. "Mr. Blake, your design for the Blake Mall is truly remarkable. It’s drawing in the Pack’s finest."

Mr. Blake?

Steeling myself, I stepped forward. I refused to let him pretend I wasn’t here.

Alpha Tobias’s eyes darkened as he turned to me, his expression unreadable. “What are you doing here?”

A sharp smile played on my lips. “What? Am I not welcome?”

Tension crackled between us like an oncoming storm.

He set his glass down, his jaw tightening. “Of course not. But you don’t usually attend Pack events like these. You tend to get… overwhelmed.”

Elowen’s laughter chimed beside us, sweet and venomous all at once.

Just then, Eulalia approached. “Alpha, your speech is about to begin.”

Alpha Tobias hesitated for a fraction of a second before nodding. He turned back to me. “Stay for a while. Rest. We’ll talk after.”

And then he was gone, swept away by duty and power.

I moved toward the dessert table, grabbing a slice of cheesecake, hoping the sweetness could mask the bitterness rising in my chest.

Elowen was beside me before I could take a bite, her voice a silk-wrapped dagger.

“Long time no see, Ophelia. My dearest friend.”

I met her gaze, the glint in her eyes telling me one thing:

She knew exactly why I was here.