Chapter 1

The Anniversary 

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty," Ember, my wolf, purred in my head.

I woke up smiling. "Good morning, lover girl. Is that beautiful smile for our Prince Charming?" she teased.

"He's not ours, he's mine alone," I said, sitting up.

"He's ours. Why are you being selfish?"

"I'm not sharing him with anybody, so do me a favor and stop calling him 'ours'."

I climbed down from the bed and walked to the giant dressing mirror. My fingers brushed my collarbone, caressing the cool silver choker Jaxon bought me on my first birthday with him. It was beautiful, a thin line of silver with a cloudy moonstone resting right over my throat.

"It's still beautiful even after years," Ember said.

"Yeah, but I wish he'd gotten me a blood diamond instead. Something everyone can see. So they know I'm claimed."

"You didn't ask for it."

"Of course I shouldn't have to ask for it."

"Easy, my Luna. You'll be crowned Luna soon and you'll get all the blood diamonds, obsidian, gold bands, everything at the snap of your fingers." I blushed at her words.

"Right? I can't wait." I admired myself in the mirror. Being the Alpha's mate was a dream for any girl, and as a Beta, being chosen by Jaxon felt like winning a lottery. "I'm such a lucky girl."

"Of course! The world works in your favor. By the way, shouldn't your Prince Charming be here by now? Where is he?"

"He might be in the throne room with the pack elders," I said with a shrug.

"Oh please, the meeting can wait."

The door creaked. Jaxon walked in.

"Good morning, my lord. Happy anniversary," I said softly.

"Hey, love," he said flatly, heading straight to the dresser.

"I couldn't find you when I woke up. Were you having a meeting?"

"No. I went out."

"I see. Did you get me flowers?"

"Why?"

"It's our anniversary."

"Oh that? No. I went for a walk."

"Oh." My face fell.

"You sad?" He pulled me into a warm embrace. "Hey, I don't need to get you flowers to show how much I love you. You know I'm not good with these things. Remember, I chose you to be my mate," he whispered in my ear, making my heart melt.

He was right. He wouldn't have chosen me if he didn't love me. He has a whole pack to lead, he can't show weakness. But a part of me still hoped for a bouquet, or a blood diamond, or even a small oval ring — anything to show the pack that I was his.

"Don't you think it's time for us to get married?" I asked.

He pulled away from the hug. "What? No, I mean... we're fine like this."

"I'm not. We need to make it official. We've been together for years."

"Marriage is just a ceremony, it's not necessary. I have important things to deal with."

"And our relationship isn't important?"

"What are you saying? You live with me, you eat my food, we sleep on the same bed, what else do you need?"

"A wedding ceremony," I held his hands. "That has been my longtime dream, Jaxon. We're supposed to have a wedding."

"Raven, you're being dramatic this morning." He placed a light kiss on my forehead, pulled his hands from mine, and walked out of the room.

I swallowed hard.

To prove I cared, I freshened up and went to the mall. I carefully selected veggies, peas, bell peppers and sweet corn like they were gold, and red roses for him.

After an hour of shopping, I headed home with my arms full of wine, flowers, and a full heart. Jaxon wasn't home, he had gone to work.

I set to work by 5 p.m. I prepared his favorite meal and left it warm on the table next to the matte black plates. Then I moved to the bedroom.

I scattered petals on the floor and over the bed. I arranged seven roses in a circle in front of the bed, then lined candles on the floor to create a flickering path from the door to the bed. Finally, I placed the wine on the table with two burgundy glasses. "With this, I'm sure Jaxon will propose on both knees," Ember applauded.

By 7:00 p.m., I was done. Jaxon would arrive in less than an hour. I dashed to shower and dress as fast as I could.

He arrived the moment I finished. I quickly dished the food and covered it with silver domes. I lit the candles, smoothed my black silk dress, and stood barefoot on the petals, waiting.

His footsteps grew louder. My heart raced. It felt like years before the door finally opened.

Jaxon walked in and stopped abruptly. A wide smile was plastered on my face as I waited for his surprise, for a hint of a grin. But his face was expressionless.

My heart dropped, but I held the smile. "Welcome home, my lord."

He stared at me from head to toe. "You didn't have to do all this," he said, walking past me like there was nothing special about it. Like he hadn't even noticed the work I'd done. I bit my lip.

Suddenly, I remembered — the wine opener!

"Shit!" I hissed and pinched myself. I excused myself and rushed to the kitchen. I grabbed the opener and fled, taking the stairs two at a time.

"How could I forget something as simple as this," I muttered, hitting my head.

Clutching the doorknob, I pushed it open and my entire body froze.

Risa, my own cousin, stood in the center of my seven roses. Jaxon's hands were wrapped tightly around her waist, his face buried in the hollow of her neck, one of my candles knocked over and forgotten.

Risa saw me but didn't pull away. Instead, she looked me straight in the eye and smiled against his skin. Jaxon was so lost in her that he didn't even notice I was standing there.

My heart thumped. My breath came in short gasps. Ember raged inside me. "Smack her! Tear her away from him!" she screamed, but the ache in my chest was paralyzing. I felt too weak to move, let alone fight.

Without a single word, I turned and fled toward the balcony.