Layla’s POV

Four hours.

That was all I had left.

If I remained unmarked when the countdown ended, I’d be prey to every wolf.

Pack law was clear. A she-wolf had four years to find a male to bond with after being kicked out of her pack. Otherwise, she would become a rogue. No pack could take her in, and anyone outside pack borders could kill her without punishment.

Tonight was the final deadline.

Ethan would come tonight. He would give me his mark. I wanted to make it a romantic proposal, not simply ask him to mark me.

“Unless you’re about to tell me Ethan’s dick is as big as the Werewolf King’s, I really don’t think all this effort is worth it,” Amy shrieked through the earpiece.

The candle in my hand nearly slipped.

“Amy!”

Amy had always been bold enough to say whatever crossed her mind. I was nothing like her.

I preferred following rules.

I’d grown up as an Omega at the bottom of the pack. The one lesson that stayed with me was simple: obey the rules, and you might get beaten less. Four years after my Alpha father threw me out, that fear was still with me.

I believed sex should wait until marriage. Even with a fever so high I could barely stand, I’d never been late for work. And I certainly couldn’t imagine decorating another man’s bedroom while discussing the Werewolf King’s dick.

Just thinking about it felt like betraying Ethan.

“I don’t care about King Damian’s dick,” I interrupted. My face went hot even though Amy couldn’t see me. “Not one bit.”

I put the candle down before her teasing made me drop it, then scattered another handful of rose petals across the carpet.

“Of course,” Amy said. “You don’t care at all.”

“I mean it. Half the unmarried she-wolves on the continent are drooling over him. He’s probably used to women collapsing at his feet.” I bent down and fixed two candles that weren’t lined up. “A man with that much power has to be an arrogant chauvinist.”

King Damian ruled the werewolf and Lycan territories of North America. His face appeared in news reports, official announcements, and an absurd number of magazines. He was powerful, cold, and unfairly handsome.

Exactly the kind of man I wanted nothing to do with.

“Ethan’s nothing like him,” I added. “He’s gentle and considerate. He respects women.”

“Right.” I could almost picture Amy rolling her eyes. “I’m sure he respects women.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you’re hopeless.”

“I’m not hopeless. I’m in love.”

“That’s the same thing.”

I ignored the eye roll I could practically picture and stepped back to examine the room. Dozens of candles formed a glowing heart around the bed. Red rose petals covered the white sheets, and a bottle of champagne stood on the nightstand beside two glasses. The silver ring box in my pocket suddenly seemed heavier.

“What if he doesn’t like it?” I asked. “Are there too many petals?”

“You’re about to propose to your fated mate in a candlelit bedroom while wearing a wedding dress. Trust me, the petals are the least dramatic part.”

“I’m not wearing the dress yet.”

“Oh, good. Then everything is completely normal.”

“Amy.”

“Okay, okay.” Her teasing softened. “It’s beautiful, babe. If Ethan turns you down, he’s an idiot.”

My heart thudded hard with nerves.

“He won’t.”

“He’d better not. If Ethan turns you down, I swear I’ll have Dad hunt him down, rip his heart out, and toss it to the pack dogs.”

“Your father is a Council Elder, Amy. He can’t kill Ethan just for dumping me.”

“Then he can arrest Ethan first. That’ll make the murder look official.”

I couldn’t help laughing.

“You’re insane.”

“And you love me. Now go put on the dress and lock your man down.”

“I will.”

I ended the call and hurried into my wedding dress, then looked around the candlelit room. Amy’s threat had been ridiculous. Unless the universe exploded, Ethan would never betray me.

He was my fated mate.

Four years ago, he recognized me as his mate at the pack border. He immediately found me a place in an apartment leased under his name, and Grandma was moved into a care home.

Over those four years, our relationship had grown sturdier, like a city wall. When Ethan was injured and needed a kidney, I gave him one of mine without hesitation. I went back to work the very next day, without even taking time to recover. We needed money, and I had to work harder to repay him. Ethan was preparing for the royal warrior exam, and I was paying Grandma’s care fees along with his training and Alpha management courses. He’d promised that once he passed and became an Alpha candidate, we’d marry.

For four years, I never dared think too far ahead. All I thought about each day was how to pay the bills, keep my job, and hold on until Ethan marked me.

But now, I finally dared to imagine a future. Maybe I could work fewer hours. Maybe I could sleep in now and then instead of dragging myself to work with a fever, terrified of being late. Once Ethan became Alpha, I could bring Grandma to live with us in a bright, spacious apartment instead of leaving her alone in the care home.

And tonight, if Ethan left his mark on me, none of that would be fantasy anymore. A pounding at the door shook the entire apartment.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

I jumped and nearly kicked over a candle. I looked at the clock at once. Ethan shouldn’t be off work for another half hour.

Maybe he’d come early.

Excitement replaced my nerves. I checked my hair in my phone’s camera, wiped my damp palms on my skirt, and hurried to the door.

Smiling, I pulled it open.

A stranger in a building management uniform stood outside. A folder was tucked beneath his arm, and his expression was hard as stone.

“Layla Reed?”

My smile vanished. “Yes.”

“I’m the building manager.” He handed me a document. “You need to vacate this apartment tonight.”

I stared at the paper. “What? Why? I paid the rent three days ago.”

“The lease is in Ethan Cole’s name. He’s informed us that he’s engaged and no longer needs the apartment. You no longer have the right to live here.”

My fingers clenched around the paper.

“Engaged?”

The word barely made it out of my throat.

“You’ve got the wrong Ethan.”

“There’s no mistake. Ella, the Alpha’s daughter, has already announced the engagement on Instagram. The ceremony is tonight at Silverblade Estate.”

Ella.

The daughter of the Silverblade Pack Alpha. King Damian’s niece. She had everything I didn’t: a strong bloodline, a respected family, and a place in the pack no one could ever take from her.

“That’s impossible.” I forced out a thin laugh. “Ethan is my mate. He wouldn’t get engaged to someone else without even telling me.”

I tried to shut the door, but the manager stopped it with one hand. A wolfish gleam flashed in his eyes.

“You have five minutes to pack.”

My heart slammed against my ribs. I stumbled back.

There had to be another explanation. Maybe the Alpha had forced Ethan into a political marriage. Maybe he was carrying out some kind of secret mission. He couldn’t possibly stand by and let other wolves hunt me.

I threw open the wardrobe and stuffed everything I owned into the battered suitcase I’d arrived with four years earlier. I didn’t even have time to take off my wedding dress before I called a cab. Twenty minutes later, I reached Silverblade Estate wearing a secondhand wedding dress and dragging a suitcase with a broken wheel.

The estate gates stood open. White flowers covered the road. High-ranking wolves from all over the continent filled the grounds.

And then I saw Ethan.

He wore a white suit. His blond hair had been carefully styled. Ella stood beside him in a pale pink gown, one hand hooked around his arm. He was looking at her the way he used to look at me.

Pain stabbed into my ribs like a drill. The muscles around my surgical scar cramped so badly I nearly doubled over. A piece of my body was still living inside that bastard.

Anger burned through my chest and ran up my spine like fire. I snatched a glass of champagne off a passing servant’s tray and strode toward them.

Ethan saw me. The smile dropped off his face at once.

“Layla?”

I threw the champagne straight into his face. Ella screamed, and the conversation around us stopped at once.

“Fuck!” Ethan wiped at his eyes. “Are you insane?”

I let the glass fall. It hit the ground between us and shattered.

“What is this?”

His gaze swept over my wedding dress. There wasn’t a shred of guilt on his face.

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m getting engaged.”

“You promised you’d mark me tonight.”

“Things changed.” He adjusted his suit and spoke as coldly as if I were a stranger. “You’re only an Omega. Being with Ella will make me an Alpha. Don’t be selfish. Don’t make this harder for me.”

Worse.

I’d given him a kidney so he could keep living that life.

“I paid for your warrior training. Your Alpha management courses. All of it came out of my paychecks.” My chest heaved. “I wouldn’t even let myself pay for a damn Netflix subscription! And I gave you a kidney!”

“Here you go again.” Ethan frowned, impatient. “Training, classes, the kidney. Is that all you’ve got? Are you going to hold it over my head forever?”

That hit harder than a punch.

“Yes! Because tonight we were supposed to be talking about our future—in a bedroom full of roses!”

“Oh my God.” He looked me up and down in my wedding dress, disgust on his face. “You actually went through with that stupid plan. Good thing I had the building manager end the lease early.”

“You know what happens if you throw me out, don’t you?” My voice started to tremble. “At midnight, if I don’t have a mark, I die.”

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic.” Ella stepped closer and wrapped herself around his arm. “We can find you some drifter. All you need is a mark. Does it really matter who marks you?”

I ignored her. I only looked at Ethan.

Some part of me still felt like this had to be a nightmare. Like I’d wake up in the next breath and find him waiting for me in that candlelit room full of roses.

“What did these four years mean to you?”

“You were useful.” Ethan blinked at me, then actually smiled. “If you hadn’t been so convenient, I never would’ve kept you around. You earned money, cooked, and came running whenever I called, like a servant. All I had to do was give you a little attention and you’d be so grateful you’d practically tear your heart out for me.”

A few low laughs came from the crowd. Ethan saw how white my face had gone, and he smiled wider.

“Look at you now. Finally get it? I’m loving this.”

Ella laughed too, sharp and shrill, her eyes sliding from my wedding dress down to my broken suitcase.

“An Omega without a pack, in a cheap wedding dress. You didn’t really think you were worthy of a future Alpha, did you?”

My eyes burned. I stared at them and refused to cry.

“Are you done?”

Ethan stepped closer and lowered his voice.

“Not yet. King Damian is at the banquet tonight. Want Grandma to stay safe? Want to keep your head? Then smile and congratulate Ella and me.”

He actually demonstrated it for me, lifting the corners of his mouth into a polished, fake smile. Something in my head snapped clean in two.

I slapped him.

His head snapped to one side. The slap rang out across the estate, and everyone fell silent. A few guests covered their mouths in shock. Others raised their phones to film Ethan’s face turning red.

“My blessings to you both,” I said. “A fly has finally found the pile of shit it belongs on. The whole universe should celebrate.”

Ella’s mouth fell open. Ethan glared at me, the muscles in his face twitching with rage. I gave them my sweetest smile, then planted both hands against the towering engagement cake beside us and shoved.

“No!” Ella screamed.

Too late.

The cake tower collapsed. Cream and white jam splattered over both of them. Frosting crushed Ethan’s carefully styled hair; a strawberry slid down his reddening face and caught on his collar. Thick cream stuck Ella’s false eyelashes together, cutting off her scream, and her pink gown became a sticky mess.

The hall went silent for a moment. Then someone let out a laugh. More stifled laughter followed. Guests turned away and pretended to cough, while others held up their phones to record. One servant ducked his head, but couldn’t hide his grin.

“Enjoy your dessert, you bastards!”

Ethan wiped cream from his eyes and lunged at me.

“Layla!”

I gathered up my skirts and ran. I pushed through the crowd before he could catch me, raced down the estate steps, and headed straight for the gate without looking back.

Outside the gates, the cold air burned in my lungs. My knees wouldn’t stop shaking. Every step made the muscles around my scar twitch hard.

My phone rang.

Amy.

I answered.

“Well?” she asked, excited. “Did you finally see Ethan’s dick tonight?”

I gave a bitter laugh.

“Oh, I saw it. Shining like treasure. Looks like he’s trading it for an Alpha title.”

Silence.

Then Amy exploded.

“That bastard!”

She sucked in a breath. “Layla, listen to me. You need a contract.”

“Who with?”

“The Continental Alliance banquet is tonight. Every Alpha, heir, and royal wolf from all seven territories is in town right now.”

“I’m standing here in a cheap wedding dress with a broken suitcase.”

“Perfect. That saves time.”

“Amy.”

“Forget another love story, Layla. Right now, you need a wolf powerful enough to sign a contract before midnight.”

I turned and looked back at Silverblade Estate.

“Who would dare stand against Ella’s family?”

Amy paused.

“Someone above them.”

I gripped the phone more tightly.

“King Damian?”