Whenever I was on the verge of blurting out the truth about us, Caspian would gently stroke my hair and cut me off. "I see Rowan as a sister, Griffin. Maybe she just prefers my company to yours. You aren't jealous, are you?"

Slowly, I came to understand what he wanted. He never intended for our mate bond to be public. I was destined to be his secret, a partner hidden from the light.

I finished organizing the charts and shook my head. "I'm just an Omega researcher. What good would I be out there? I'd only get in the way."

If this had been my past life, I would have rushed out without a second thought, my own safety be damned.

Griffin let out a breath of relief. "That's the right attitude. You've been running yourself ragged with your research. You deserve to be protected."

He told me to stay put while he went to help. I waited, the sounds of the fight eventually dying down before I finally rose and stepped outside.

Beyond the door, Caspian was carefully shielding a she-wolf in his arms. It was his childhood sweetheart, Dahlia. She sagged against him, her eyes red-rimmed and wide with fear.

He held her tightly, an unconscious tenderness softening his gaze.

Griffin appeared at my side, his eyes glinting with speculation. "Looks like we were right, Rowan. I bet we'll be attending their bonding ceremony soon!"

His voice was just loud enough for Caspian to overhear.

Caspian’s head snapped up. When he saw me standing beside Griffin, a flicker of guilt crossed his face. He explained hurriedly, "Bonding ceremony? No, you've got it all wrong. I was just helping Dahlia—"

I offered a faint smile, shaking my head as I cut him off. "I understand, Alpha Valerius. Miss Monroe doesn't look well. You should see her home."

Caspian froze. "Alpha Valerius?" he repeated, stunned. "You called me 'Alpha Valerius'? And you're telling me to take her home?"

Since confirming our mate bond, I had almost never used such a formal title. Hearing it now clearly unnerved him.

I used to be fiercely possessive of him, never allowing him to be alone with other she-wolves. Yet here I was, telling him to escort Dahlia home.

He opened his mouth to question me, but Dahlia cried out, clutching her stomach as she crumpled against him. "Caspian, my stomach!"

His expression darkened instantly. Sweeping her into his arms, his Alpha instincts on full alert, he swept out of the bar. Just before he left, he shot a look at Griffin. "Get her home early. Don't let her wander."

I watched him go, a familiar ache piercing my heart. In my previous life, I had become Caspian's Luna, just as I’d always wished, but I never found the happiness I craved.

If he didn't love me, I wouldn't want him. It was that simple.

From that day forward, I changed. I no longer sought out Caspian, and I ignored every attempt he made to reach me through our mind-link.

Instead, I threw myself into preparing my application for the North Crest Research Institute.

I had given up that same opportunity once before to be his Luna. I’d stayed home like a good little mate, organizing his papers and sacrificing everything for a love that left me to die alone in a cold, empty room.

This time, I would not let that chance slip away.

I figured if I simply stopped seeking him out, our paths would rarely cross in a pack this large.

That held true until the pack's annual charity gala. I was with Griffin when we ran right into them—Caspian and Dahlia, dancing intimately in the center of the ballroom.

When Caspian saw us, he instinctively faltered.

After the song ended, his gaze followed me, a sliver of expectation in his eyes. I ignored him, calmly approaching another young Alpha and politely accepting his invitation to dance.

"Caspian only ever smiles like that when he's with me," Dahlia's voice purred from beside me, dripping with pride and provocation. My heart stuttered, but I kept my expression impassive.

When Caspian tried to pull me aside to explain, I simply smiled. "There are so many eligible Alphas in the pack. Perhaps it's time I got to know a few."

The moment the words left my mouth, Caspian's face darkened. His golden wolf eyes locked onto me like a hawk's, as if he could crush me with his presence alone. His Alpha aura spiraled out of control, and the crystal glass in his hand shattered. Then he stalked from the hall without another word.

The day before I was scheduled to leave, Dahlia contacted me. She threatened to expose my history with Caspian to Griffin if I didn't meet her at the Mist Swamp on the edge of the territory.

I had no desire to go, but she must have anticipated my refusal. "I can tell there's something between you and Caspian," she said bluntly. "If you don't want your brother to find out, you'd better show up."

A suffocating tightness gripped my chest. The last thing I wanted was for Griffin to learn about my messy past with Caspian right before I left.

That day, Dahlia wore a vibrant, flowing dress that made her look radiant. The first thing she said was a blunt accusation. "I knew it, Rowan! I knew you were still clinging to Caspian!"