I had only intended to gather his garments for weekly washing. Gideon never remembered to empty his pockets; there were usually forgotten gold tokens or stray notes tucked inside. But today, instead of money, my hand closed around something soft, silky, and distinctly intimate—a red lace thong that unmistakably did not belong to me. The scent clinging to it was not mine either; wolves know these things instinctively.
The moment I inhaled, my mind jumped straight to Brielle—his beloved assistant—whose perfume lingered in every corridor of the packhouse offices. I didn’t need the Moon Goddess to confirm what my instincts screamed. That scrap of fabric was hers.
“Five years…” I whispered, my voice breaking as tears finally slipped down my cheeks and landed on the jacket in my hands.
Five years ago, I had chosen Gideon as my fated future, running away from my birth pack when my parents forbade me from bonding with him. With the influence and alliances I concealed from my family, I helped Gideon rise from an ambitious Gamma-born wolf to a powerful Alpha who ruled over a prosperous trade pack.
And for a while, I thought I had made the right decision.