“What are you trying to do?” His voice was low, “You want to throw away our photo? Leah, who gave you the guts?”

“Our photo?” I repeated softly. “Am I even in it?”

Ansel’s pupils shrank sharply.

He glared at me, and for a few seconds the tension in the air was like a string on the verge of snapping.

Suddenly, the anger on his face ebbed away like a tide. He looked at me, then glanced at the calendar on the wall. His expression shifted to one of frustration mixed with indulgence.

“Look at me, losing my head.” He reached out a hand, voice softening. “Silly girl, did you forget what day it is? I rushed back just to celebrate your birthday. Come down—it’s dangerous up there.”

I didn’t take his hand. I jumped off the chair on my own.

“What brought you back?” I asked flatly, my tone devoid of emotion.

Ansel pulled me into his arms, holding me so tight it felt like he wanted to press me into his bones. His voice was filled with deliberate tenderness. “Of course I came back to be with my birthday girl. Don’t pout. I didn’t forget.”

He cupped my face, trying to kiss my eyes.

I turned my head away, and his movement froze.

“Still sulking? Is it because you think I didn’t prepare a gift?” He grabbed my hand and dragged me toward the door with force. “Come on. Let’s see your birthday present.”

Outside, a brand-new white Maserati waited, an oversized red bow tied around it—gaudy and tacky.

Ansel pulled the keys from his pocket and shoved them into my palm.

“Your birthday gift. The third-anniversary edition.” He leaned down to whisper in my ear. “Do you like it?”

Birthday? Or anniversary? He didn’t even know.

“Yes,” I said. I actually laughed. The irony was too much.

My compliance pleased him. He kissed my ear, his hand wandering restlessly under the thin fabric of my clothes. The scent of cedar mingled with another cloying sweetness.

Disgusting.

His breath grew heavier as he bent down to lift me up, carrying me back toward the house.

My muscles went taut, my mind racing for excuses to push him away. Should I say I’m tired? Or not feeling well?

Just then, his phone rang again.

For once, I felt grateful to the caller, even if it was Nancy.

Annoyance flickered across his face as he set me down, issuing a command.

“Go change. I’ll take you somewhere.”

I bolted upstairs. Behind me, his voice lowered on the phone, deliberately gentle.

“Hello, Nancy…”

In my room, I chose a black backless evening gown I had bought myself, one he’d never seen me wear.

I let my hair fall loosely, covering most of my bare back. The dress gleamed with a silky sheen.

When I came down, Ansel had hung up. His eyes swept over me, brows tightening slightly.

“Forget it. Tomorrow, I’ll buy you something better.”

He drove himself. The car glided smoothly out of the villa district, merging into city traffic.

The navigation destination: a private estate in the suburbs.

I knew this place. Last year on his birthday, we came here—just the two of us, shut away inside the villa for two full days.

Ansel stepped out first, circling to open my door. I had just straightened when—

Bang! Bang!

Golden confetti and rose petals rained down from above, shimmering like a gilded storm.

“Wow!”

“Hahaha!”

A crowd of people in formal attire burst out from the villa, champagne glasses in hand, smiling as they surrounded us.

“Luna! Happy birthday!”

“Happy birthday!”

“I told you, our Alpha would never forget Luna’s birthday!”

“Oh my god, she’s even prettier than the rumors said! Alpha’s taste is impeccable!”

My mind went blank. I could only stare at these unfamiliar faces. They were Ansel’s clan, his friends who I hadn’t seen once in three years.

Hadn’t Ansel said an Alpha’s mate must be kept secret, to avoid unnecessary trouble?

Hadn’t he said the timing wasn’t right?

Music swelled. A server wheeled out a massive birthday cake.

“Cut the cake! Cut the cake!”

A cold knife was pushed into my hand.

Ansel stood behind me, arms circling mine, his voice brimming with possession and proclamation.

“Leah, let’s cut it together.”

The sight of the cake, piled high with cream and fruit, made my stomach churn violently.

And then, the heavy double doors of the hall swung open.

Noise and music cut off as if someone had pressed pause.

A tall, imposing man stood at the entrance. Dressed in a perfectly tailored black coat, with the night sky as his backdrop, he carried a chilling aura unique to the Northern Territory, like ice and snow, so out of place amid the warmth and luxury of the hall.

His deep gray eyes cut through the crowd, locking directly onto me.

“Leah Redwood,” he said. “I’ve come for you. I believe you missed your flight to the North.”

The ballroom air froze.

Ansel shielded me behind him, his Alpha pheromones surging like a storm toward the man at the door. But the man stood like a mountain on a frozen plain—unshaken.

“An arranged bond?” Ansel’s voice shook with suppressed rage, tinged with disbelief. “How is it I know nothing of this? Leah is mine.”

“That’s your concern.” Andrew’s tone was calm, factual. “I’ve already reached an agreement with Marcus Redwood, Leah’s father.”

His meaning was clear: he negotiated with the one who had authority. And that wasn’t Ansel.

“Bullshit!” Ansel roared. “Leah will never leave with you!”

My wolf, Lilith, howled in excitement inside my head.

“Whoa! This one’s strong, Leah—I like him! Look at Ansel’s constipated face, ha! Let’s go with him, now!”

I looked at Andrew, my supposed fiancé.

Tall, broad-shouldered, his strong frame exuded reliability. Long legs, model-like build, sharp features, and those deep gray eyes that carried an air of mystery.

His gaze rested steadily on me—calm, unfathomable. His composure unsettled me.

Just then, a delicate voice broke the standoff.

“Ansel?”

Nancy.

She walked in wearing a white dress, hair flowing over her shoulders. Rushing forward with just the right amount of worry and urgency, her eyes bypassed everyone else to land solely on Ansel.

“I called, but you didn’t answer. I was so worried… What’s going on here?” She hurried to his side, naturally clinging to his arm. Only then did she pretend to notice me, covering her mouth in feigned surprise. “Leah? You’re here too? Today’s your birthday, isn’t it? I’m sorry, I didn’t know Ansel was throwing you a party, otherwise I…”

Her words trailed off deliberately, each syllable a needle pricking my heart.

Ansel’s face softened with Nancy’s arrival.

Her gaze shifted to Andrew, sizing him up politely before offering a harmless smile. “Hello, I’m Nancy, Ansel’s friend. And you are?”

Andrew’s eyes flicked over her face for less than a second before moving away.

The public dismissal flushed her face crimson. Her lips trembled, tears welling quickly as she looked pitifully at Ansel.

“Ansel…” Her voice quivered as though she’d suffered unbearable humiliation.

His protective instincts ignited instantly. He snapped his head toward Andrew, eyes blazing. “You’d better show some respect! Apologize to Nancy!”

Andrew’s reply was glacial.

“I don’t speak to irrelevant people.”

That hurt worse than any insult. Nancy was beneath even the effort of words—like a stray mutt.

“Ah!” Nancy broke down, covering her face, sobbing for all to see.

The crowd murmured, their expressions gleaming with gossip-fueled excitement.

“Enough!” Ansel wrapped his arms around Nancy, soothing her softly. “Don’t cry, Nancy. It’s not your fault.”

He held her like she was a priceless treasure. Then he turned on me, his gaze filled with hate.

“Leah, is this what you wanted? To humiliate me in front of everyone?”

My birthday party—a stage for his declaration of ownership.

I looked at Nancy in his arms. Through her fingers, I caught the glint of smug triumph. She was taunting me.

“Ansel,” she sobbed, “let’s go home. I don’t want to stay here…”

“Alright, let’s go home.” He agreed instantly, not sparing me a glance, holding Nancy as he turned to leave.

I drew in a breath, stepped forward, and shoved the couple’s ring from our first anniversary into his pocket.

“Go,” I said. “Take her home.”

He stared at me in disbelief.

But in the end, he left with Nancy in his arms.

The ballroom atmosphere twisted into awkwardness and unease. Beneath the loud music, whispers flew about what had just unfolded.

Lilith snorted in my mind. “Serves him right! Scum with a green tea bitch—perfect match! Leah, let’s go with the tall one!”

Footsteps sounded behind me.

Andrew walked firmly to stand before me.

He carried a unique scent, unlike Ansel’s invasive cedar. His was colder, cleaner… like the first breath of wind across the ice fields after a blizzard, laced with the salt of the sea.

“It’s the sea!” Lilith exclaimed. “Leah, it’s fresh sea air! Not cedar mixed with rotten strawberries!”

“Miss Leah,” Andrew extended his hand in a formal gesture. “Would you dance with me?”

I stared at his hand—broad, with defined joints, warmth etched in its lines. After a moment’s hesitation, I placed mine in his.

His grip was steady, dry, and strong. He guided me smoothly into the dance. My steps were stiff at first, but his lead was sure, and I soon found the rhythm. We were close—so close I could feel the vibration of his chest against me.

The murmurs around us quieted. All eyes were on us.

When the music ended, he didn’t release me. He looked down, gray eyes unreadable.

“The air here is poor,” he said. “Let me take you somewhere else.”

I nodded.

He pulled me through the crowd, straight out of the ballroom.

His car was parked at the gate of the estate—a black Land Rover, still dusted with traces of a long journey. He opened the passenger door for me, waited until I sat, then walked around to the driver’s side.

The vehicle slid into city traffic.

“Where do you want to go?” he asked.

“I don’t know.” Today had been chaos—I couldn’t think.

“That’s fine. I’ll take you somewhere you’ll like.”

He drove to the city center, stopping before an upscale luxury mall.

“Come on. We’re here.”

I followed him into the mall, straight into a high-end jewelry boutique.

The staff greeted him with immediate respect.

He didn’t browse the glittering displays. Instead, he pointed to the necklace at my throat. “Take it off.”

I froze, instinctively touching the diamond necklace Ansel had fastened around my neck earlier.

“I don’t like my fiancée,” Andrew’s tone was calm but commanding, “wearing another man’s gift.”

Heat crept up my face. Silently, I unclasped the necklace.

He took it from my hand and casually passed it to a clerk—like tossing away trash.

“Dispose of it.”

Then, pointing to a sapphire necklace that shimmered like a river of stars, he said, “That one.”

The clerk carefully brought it out. Andrew took it and fastened it around my neck himself. The gems were cool against my skin, yet unlike Ansel’s diamonds, they didn’t sting.

“This suits you better,” he said.

After that, he led me through nearly the entire mall—clothes, shoes, bags. If he liked it, he had it wrapped without glancing at the price. Most of the purchases were sent to a new address.

He explained the villa at that address was something he had bought in haste for me. Maybe not perfect, but well-equipped, in a good location—a temporary home.

“That’s enough for today,” he said, glancing at my stiletto heels.

When we stepped out, the evening breeze cleared my muddled head.

My hands were empty. He carried all the shopping bags in one hand, the other in his coat pocket. Under the neon lights, his profile looked particularly sharp.

“Why?” I finally asked. “Why are you doing all this?”

He stopped, turning to meet my gaze. For the first time, his gray eyes revealed an emotion I could read—the look of a man in love.

“Whatever Ansel gives you, I can give you something better.” He paused, voice low and steady. “And whatever he can’t give you—I can.”