ROMAN
I stood at the altar like a fool. The minutes ticked by with excruciating slowness. Each passing moment drove the stake deeper into my chest.
She wasn't coming.
The whispers began as subtle rustling, growing into an unmistakable hum of gossip. I caught fragments—"rejected," "humiliated," "never seen anything like it."
My Beta, Marcus, approached cautiously. "Alpha, perhaps we should—"
"Wait," I growled, my voice barely human.
The hollow in my chest where our bond had been throbbed with each heartbeat. I hadn't felt pain like this since watching my father die. This was different though—sharper, more personal. A betrayal so deep it felt like my very soul was bleeding out.
I'd given her three days. Three days to come to her senses and return to where she belonged. By my side, as my Luna, regardless of her past.
And she'd thrown it back in my face.
The decorated pavilion mocked me with its white flowers and silver ribbons. Hundreds of guests—pack leaders, council members, allies—shifted uncomfortably in their seats.
Alpha Leo from the Eastridge Pack had the audacity to check his watch. I memorized his face, adding it to my mental list of slights to be repaid.
"Roman," Seraphina whispered from beside me, her hand light on my arm. "You need to say something."
Her touch felt wrong. Everyone's eyes felt wrong. Everything felt wrong because Ruby wasn't here.
I straightened my spine. My father had taught me that an Alpha's greatest weapon was his pride. I would not crumble in front of these people.
"The ceremony is canceled," I announced, my voice carrying across the gathering. "As is the reception. My apologies for the inconvenience."
The collective gasp was almost satisfying.
"What happened to the girl?" someone called out. "Your mate?"
I turned my cold gaze toward the voice. "She is no longer welcome in Silverclaw territory."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd. I caught snippets—"can an Alpha be rejected?" and "never in werewolf history."
With each passing second, humiliation hardened into rage. Not just at Ruby, but at myself. I'd been weak. I'd let her rogue status cloud my judgment initially, then I'd softened too late. If I'd claimed her properly from the beginning, marked her as mine...
"Find her," I ordered Marcus as I strode past. "Search every inch of this city. I want to know where she is."
"And when we find her?" he asked quietly.
I paused. What then? Force her to return? My wolf snarled at the thought, still raw from the severed bond.
"Just find her," I repeated, my voice hollow. "That's an order."
The guests parted before me like water, their faces a blur of pity and schadenfreude. I locked eyes with no one. An Alpha reduced to this—abandoned at his own wedding. The story would spread through every pack by nightfall.
I reached the sanctuary of my office and slammed the door behind me, finally alone with my fury and wounded pride. I loosened my tie, the silver cufflinks catching the light as I poured myself three fingers of whiskey.
The phone rang as I downed the first burning swallow.
"What?" I barked.
"Alpha," came the breathless voice of Theo, one of my sentries. "We found her."
My grip tightened on the glass. "Where?"
"Downtown, near the old quarter. But sir—there's been an accident. A bad one."
My blood ran cold. "What kind of accident?"
"A hit-and-run. She was fighting off some men when another car struck her. By the time we got there, she was already gone."
"Gone? You mean—"
"No, not dead. Taken. There was blood on the pavement, but she was gone. And Alpha—the men who took her weren't ours."
The glass shattered in my hand, whiskey and blood mixing on my palm. "Who?"
"We're not sure. But just before we arrived, witnesses saw another car pull up. Someone important-looking grabbed her and sped off."
"Find out who," I growled, low and dangerous. "Find her. Now."
I hung up, staring at the blood dripping from my palm. Despite everything—the rejection, the humiliation—my wolf howled in distress at the thought of Ruby hurt and in danger.
The mate bond might be severed, but something primal remained. Something that wouldn't let me rest until I knew she was safe.
Even if she never returned to me.
RUBY
I ran.
The wedding dress trailed behind me like a billowing cloud of regret, catching on everything. I stopped long enough to rip away the outer layer of tulle, leaving the slimmer satin beneath. Still ridiculous for running, but better.
My chest ached with each breath. Three days hadn't been enough to heal from severing the bond. The pain lingered—a phantom limb I couldn't stop reaching for.
I told myself it would fade. That I'd made the right choice.
Better alone than forever less-than.
The streets grew unfamiliar as I put distance between myself and the Silverclaw compound. I had nowhere to go, no plan beyond escape. Just a small bag of essentials and the clothes on my back.
And the medallion.
My fingers found it instinctively, tucked safely in a hidden pocket I'd sewn into the dress. The silver disk was warm against my fingertips, its etched symbols as mysterious as the day I'd woken up wearing it. It was the only thing I had from before—before the amnesia, before being found by the rogue she-wolves who'd taken me in, before Roman.
Before becoming Ruby.
A name they'd given me because of my red hair. Not even my own name.
"Think," I whispered to myself, ducking into an alley to catch my breath. "What now?"
I could return to the rogues who had sheltered me, but they'd scattered after Roman's pack had rounded them up during one of his "cleansing" missions. The irony wasn't lost on me—I'd fallen in love with the man who had hunted my only family.
A family that wasn't even mine.
That was the cruelest part of amnesia. Not just forgetting, but knowing you've forgotten. Feeling the gap where memories should be.
The medallion was my only clue, and it told me nothing. Just circles and strange marks that no one recognized.
I leaned against the brick wall, letting my head fall back. Luna, my wolf, whimpered inside me. She hadn't stopped since I'd severed the bond. The rejection had wounded her deeply, possibly permanently.
"I'm sorry," I whispered to her. "But I couldn't live like that."
A sleek black car crawled past the alleyway, moving suspiciously slow. I shrank deeper into the shadows, watching as it passed, then returned.
My heart rate spiked. Had Roman sent someone after me already?
I ducked behind a dumpster, peeling off the satin heels that had been killing my feet. Barefoot would be better for running.
The car stopped. Two men stepped out, scanning the area. They weren't Silverclaw wolves—their scents were unfamiliar.
"We know you're here," one called out. "Just come quietly, and no one needs to get hurt."
Yeah, right. As if that line had ever convinced anyone.
I weighed my options. The alley had two exits—the way I'd come in, now blocked by the men, and the far end, which led God knows where.
Luna snarled weakly, her protective instincts flaring despite her pain.
I counted to three, then bolted toward the far end of the alley.
"There!" one shouted. Heavy footsteps pounded behind me.
I pushed harder, drawing on my wolf's strength. The dress tangled around my legs. I grabbed fistfuls of fabric, hiking it up as I ran.
The alley opened onto a busier street. Safety in numbers—if I could just reach the crowd...
A hand grabbed my arm, yanking me backward. I spun, instincts taking over. My elbow connected with a nose. Cartilage crunched. The man howled.
The second attacker lunged. I ducked, but he caught the train of my dress, using it to pull me off balance.
I fell hard, skidding on the pavement. My palms shredded on the rough concrete. Blood—hot and sharp-smelling—welled in the scrapes.
"Stop fighting," the first man growled, blood streaming from his broken nose. "You're just making this harder."
I kicked out, catching him in the knee. He stumbled, cursing.
I scrambled to my feet, prepared to run again, when bright headlights flooded the alley. A second car, approaching fast—too fast.
I froze, caught between my attackers and the oncoming vehicle.
The car swerved toward us. The men scattered. I tried to jump clear, but the bumper caught me, sending me flying.
Pain exploded everywhere at once. I hit the ground hard, my head cracking against the pavement. The world spun in dizzying circles.
Through the haze, I heard car doors slamming. New voices. Different scents.
"Get her in the car! Quickly!"
Strong arms lifted me. I tried to fight, but my limbs wouldn't cooperate. Blood trickled into my eyes from a gash on my forehead.
A face swam above me—handsome, concerned, vaguely familiar. Dark eyes widened in recognition.
"It's her," he said to someone I couldn't see. "It's really her."
"After all this time," another voice responded, thick with emotion.
I felt myself being placed carefully in a vehicle. The medallion pressed against my skin, suddenly heavy with unspoken meaning.
"Can you hear me?" The man's voice was gentle but urgent. "Stay with us."
I tried to speak, but only managed a groan.
"Vanessa," he said, squeezing my hand. "Vanessa, stay with us."
Vanessa?
The name struck something deep inside me—a chord of recognition too faint to grasp.
"Who—" I struggled to form words through the pain. "Who's Vanessa?"
The last thing I saw before darkness claimed me was shock spreading across the man's face. Behind him, another face appeared—older, distinguished, with eyes that mirrored my own.
"She doesn't remember," the older man whispered. "Leo, she doesn't know who she is."
Then the world went black, and Ruby—or Vanessa—slipped away into the void.