Chapter 3

I said nothing. So Chloe leaned closer, right up against my ear, and whispered like she was sharing a secret.

"Want to know when the first time was?"

"You were miscarrying. Lying in the hospital, weak as a kitten. That's when we did it—on your bed."

"He pressed me down against the edge of the mattress and took me like an animal."

"Serena. If you're smart, you'll dissolve the bond and walk away."

Every muscle in my body locked. Somewhere deep inside me, my wolf was screaming.

That baby had been my first. A pup I'd waited for, guarded like glass. And still lost.

Liam had made excuses the whole time I was in the hospital. Never stayed. I'd lain in that empty room alone, gritting my teeth just to get through it.

So that was where he'd been.

I stared at Chloe. "Why?" I whispered. "Why would you do this? You have a mate. He loves you."

Chloe answered as if it were obvious.

"Top-tier Alphas like Liam are rare. Leave him with you and somebody was going to steal him eventually. And we're best friends—might as well be me. As for Shawn... sure, he's strong. But he's a stray. A thug. Only Liam is worthy of me."

I checked the time on my phone. Shawn was maybe ten minutes out.

I tested her. "Won't Shawn come after you? You've said yourself he has a violent streak. Aren't you afraid?"

At the mention of his name, Chloe's tone flattened into contempt.

"He's a fool. I crook my finger and he does anything I want."

She smiled, drew a slow circle on Liam's chest, and lifted her chin.

"Worst case, I trick him into breaking our bond. He's just like you, Serena—too stupid to see it coming."

Not a shred of feeling for her actual mate.

"And if he catches you cheating?" I asked.

Fear flashed across Chloe's face. She wound her legs tighter around Liam's and turned to him, nodding fiercely.

"He never will. I train him like a dog. You have no idea how much he loves me."

I laughed quietly inside my head and glanced at my phone.

Shawn: *Almost there.*

Suddenly, letting them off this easy felt like a waste. I wanted to see it. I wanted to watch a rabid wolf bite.

So I turned to Liam with pleading eyes. "I'll drive for you. Do what you want in the car, then come home to the main house with me. Please?"

I performed the perfect, groveling Omega.

Liam's eyes widened. "You—you really can't be without me?"

Chloe was quick to jab in with a sneer.

"Serena. How can you be this pathetic? Wagging your tail like a mutt. What are you even hoping for?"

I made my expression into that of a woman who had no life without her Alpha.

"When we were at the academy, if Liam hadn't protected me, I don't know what I would have done. The tuition for those four years came from him. Since then he's supported me with pack resources. Chloe—I can't survive without his shelter."

And to be fair, Liam really was strong. First-rate at seizing resources.

Under his shadow, I—an Omega—never had to think about money or status. I'd sailed through my master's, then my doctorate, and settled quietly into position as the pack's behind-the-scenes strategist.

Chloe went still, jaw tightening. Envy warped her face.

Liam's golden pupils narrowed at her, and he let out a small ripple of warning dominance.

"Don't talk to her like that."

Then, to Chloe, in the calm voice of a man reminding an inferior of her place:

"I told you from the start—you and I are just fun. Don't drag Serena into this. And I'm not leaving her to marry you. Or is there... some other reason you want the bond broken?"

An Alpha's suspicion was fatal.

Chloe's face went white. She dropped the arrogance instantly and pressed herself against him, all softness.

"That's not what I meant. I just don't want the Omega spoiling our night."