Chapter 3

The last night before leaving, I arranged to have dinner with my parents and a few friends.

I didn't tell them I was going on a classified mission. I just said I was going on a long trip and might not be back for a long time.

Mom cried.

"Sienna, have you thought this through?" She held my hand, her eyes red. "I know Declan isn't a good man, but... you, alone out there, I'm worried..."

"I'll be fine, Mom," I said. "I have to go. If I stay any longer, I'll drive myself crazy."

Dad remained silent. He was a man of few words, but I knew he supported me in his own way.

As I prepared to get up to go to the restroom, he suddenly spoke.

"Sienna."

"Yeah?"

"You're doing the right thing." His voice was low and firm. "Sometimes, leaving isn't running away. It's starting over."

My eyes grew hot.

"Thanks, Dad."

I walked quickly toward the restroom, not wanting them to see me cry.

But before I took more than a few steps, I heard a familiar voice.

"―What the hell is that idiot Sienna up to now?"

I stopped in my tracks.

That was Declan's voice, coming from a private booth on the other side of the restaurant. Werewolf hearing far exceeds humans; even through a wall, I could hear it crystal clear.

"She says she wants to leave me? Ha!" Declan's tone was dripping with mockery. "Who does she think she is? Without me, she doesn't even have the skills to survive."

"Exactly," another male voice chimed in, one of his Beta friends. "She's just playing hard to get. Give it a few days, she'll definitely come crying back to you."

"Definitely," Declan said. "Honestly, I've wanted to dump her for ages. It's so annoying. Every day she wants this or that, like a child who hasn't been weaned. If I wasn't worried that canceling the mate bond would affect my reputation as Alpha, I would have already..."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Let her cool off for a few days," Declan sounded calculating. "When she can't take it anymore and comes back begging, I'll set conditions―make her completely cut out those messy thoughts, stay home obediently, and stop causing me trouble."

The booth erupted in laughter.

"Alpha, what about Kylie?" another person asked. "What's the deal with you two now?"

Silence for a second.

Then, Declan said something that turned my heart completely cold.

"Kylie... is the kind of woman I want. She has ambition, ability, and doesn't spend all day just thinking about relying on me. Once I handle Sienna's situation, I'll officially get together with Kylie."

"Whoa! Does that mean we'll be calling Kylie 'Luna'?"

"Soon." Declan's voice held a smile. "Very soon."

I stood frozen, my entire body ice cold.

My wolf let out a mournful cry inside me.

"Mate..." Her voice trembled. "He never loved us, did he?"

I didn't answer.

Because the answer was obvious.

I took a deep breath. Just as I was about to turn and leave, the door to the booth pushed open.

Declan walked out and bumped right into me.

His face went pale the moment he saw me.

"Sienna? You―what are you doing here?"

I looked at him, saying nothing.

"How much did you hear?" His voice was tight.

"Enough."

"Sienna, let me explain―"

"No need." I interrupted him, my voice so calm it surprised even me. "You don't need to explain anything. We're done, remember?"

"You―" His face flushed red, anger and panic intertwining. "You were eavesdropping on me?"

"I was just walking by," I said. "As for you, talking about your mate like that behind her back... as an Alpha, don't you feel ashamed?"

His expression twisted.

"You f*cking―"

"Declan."

A low, commanding voice came from the restaurant entrance.

We both turned.

A tall man was walking toward us. He wore a perfectly tailored black suit, his silver-gray eyes flashing with a cold light under the dim lamps.

Ryker Steele.

Supreme Commander of the Council's Classified Operations Division.

And my mentor from five years ago.

"Commander Ryker?!" Declan's face changed instantly, from anger to terror, then from terror to sycophancy. "What are you doing here, sir?"

Ryker didn't look at him.

His gaze was fixed on me from start to finish.

"Sienna," he said. "Your schedule has been moved up. I'm here to pick you up."

"Now?" I paused.

"Now." His tone allowed no argument. "There is an urgent mission. I need you."

It was as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice water on Declan.

"Wait―wait a minute!" he stammered. "Commander Ryker, Sienna is―she is my mate, she can't―"

"Your mate?" Ryker finally turned to look at him, a hint of irony in his eyes. "Fifty-six incomplete marking ceremonies. If memory serves, you haven't even formed the most basic mate bond."

Declan's face turned the color of raw liver.

"That's because―"

"Because you always had something more important to do," Ryker interrupted. "I know. The entire Council knows. Alpha Thorne, the way you treat your fated mate has become a laughingstock among the Council high command."

Declan looked like he'd been slapped hard across the face.

"You―!"

"Sienna." Ryker ignored him and held out his hand to me. "Let's go."

I looked at that hand.

Long, powerful, steady.

Unlike Declan's hand―the hand that once promised to protect me forever, only to push me away time and time again.

I took a deep breath and placed my hand in his palm.

"Okay," I said.

Ryker's fingers tightened, wrapping around my hand. Warm and dry, bringing an inexplicable sense of security.

We turned and walked out.

Behind us, Declan's voice rose hysterically:

"Sienna! You get the f*ck back here! I won't let you go! You are my mate, do you hear me? You are my―"