He rejected me in front of everyone. Five years later, he wants me back.
I was nobody. A low-ranking wolf who catalogued dusty books in the basement while the important wolves lived their lives above ground. Invisible. Forgettable. Safe.
Then Caden Ashford-future Alpha, golden boy, completely out of my league-started leaving me notes. Stealing kisses in dark corners. Making me believe I mattered.
It was all a lie. A dare. Five hundred dollars to seduce the invisible girl.
When the mate bond snapped into place, I thought fate had given me a second chance. I thought maybe, just maybe, I could be chosen. I could be loved.
I was wrong.
He rejected me. Publicly. Brutally. In front of three hundred pack members who watched me break.
Then he chose her instead. Seraphina Vale. Beautiful. Connected. Everything I'd never be.
Six months later, her brother threw me off a cliff.
I was pregnant. Drowning. Dying.
But I survived.
For five years, I stayed hidden. Raised our daughter alone. Built a life from nothing while he lived his perfect existence, never knowing what he'd lost.
Now my father is dying. The treatment costs more than I'll ever have. And the man who destroyed me is offering a deal:
One year in his home. Playing his lover. Letting the pack think we're trying again.
In exchange, my father lives.
I should say no. Should tell him to go straight to hell. Should protect my daughter from the man who rejected her mother.
But I'm out of options. Out of money. Out of time.
So I agree.
One year. That's all. Then I walk away with enough money to disappear forever.
Simple.
Except nothing about Caden Ashford has ever been simple.
The mate bond isn't as dead as I thought.
My daughter has his eyes.
And the woman he chose? She's been lying about everything.
Now I'm caught between protecting my secrets and claiming what should have been mine all along.
He rejected me once.
He won't get the chance to do it again.
