chapter 10

Meanwhile, Ryan had barely gotten out of his car when Lina grabbed him and kissed him hard.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, but he turned his head slightly on instinct.

It wasn't rejection—just that tiny sliver of guilt about Bella still nagging at him.

But then, Lina's hand slipped under his shirt, and his breathing turned ragged. That pathetic excuse for guilt vanished in a wave of pure want.

They kissed from the doorway all the way to the bed, and lost track of how many times they went at it.

When Lina's nails raked down his back, he heard himself groaning her name. For a second, he thought about how careful he'd always been with Bella.

He used to worry constantly that Bella's human body couldn't handle it. He'd ask if she was okay every time he held her a little too tight. But with Lina? He'd thrown all that restraint out the window.

After all, Lina was an Omega who could actually give him pups.

Finally, Lina pressed her kiss-marked arms against his chest to push him back.

"We can't keep going. What about the baby?"

His voice came out rough against her ear. "You telling me you don't want it? The pup's gonna be fine, okay?"

Lina's eyes started to glisten with tears. She wrapped her long legs around Ryan's waist and leaned in to bite his ear.

"I told you before. I can give you everything except the title of Mate.

"Including our pup. I'll make sure he gets a place in Shadow Pack. Even after I complete the bond with Bella, I'll still take care of you. But you need to understand. Bella's the only one I love."

He'd never wanted Lina. He wanted the pup in her belly, someone who could continue Shadow Pack's bloodline.

Ryan let out a low laugh and thrust his hips hard, making Lina cry out.

The sounds of his rough breathing mixed with her moans filled the room.

Ryan didn't leave Lina's bed until an hour before the Mate ceremony.

He frowned when he saw all the marks covering her body and tossed her a thick cloak. "Don't let anyone see those." Then he slipped out quietly.

On his way to the ceremony after getting himself together, Ryan finally turned his communicator back on. He'd had it off this whole time.

He figured he'd find a ton of messages and missed calls from Bella, and he'd already prepared his excuse—urgent pack business.

But there was nothing. His inbox was completely empty.

His chest tightened. He immediately tried calling Bella.

He called once. No one picked up. He tried again. Still nothing.

Panic started creeping in, but he shoved it down hard. Bella had just recovered from being sick, and they'd stayed up half the night watching the sunrise together. She was probably exhausted and sleeping.

He told himself that everything was fine, but he didn't realize what was really bothering him. He cared more about the fact that she hadn't asked questions than about why she hadn't picked up the phone in the first place.

For him, Bella's obedience mattered more than her safety.

When his car passed the base of the mountain, Ryan noticed a commotion. Werewolf police and pack doctors crowded around something.

His eyelid twitched, and he instinctively looked away.

Ryan had set up the ceremony site himself.

The ground was covered in Bella's favorite roses. A video montage of their happiest moments together played on a screen in the back.

In the footage, Bella and Ryan only had eyes for each other. They looked so warm, so happy.

Ryan couldn't help but smile at the memory.

Today was the day. He was finally going to make Bella completely his.

Once he marked her, she'd be bound to him forever. She'd never be able to leave. Everything was going exactly according to plan.

Everyone in Shadow Pack would be there to witness their happiness.

Everything was perfect. Except for one thing—the mating ceremony was about to start, and Bella still hadn't shown up.

The elder officiating the ceremony kept stalling, dragging out his opening remarks over and over.

Tradition said the Alpha and his Luna couldn't see each other the night before the ceremony. They were only supposed to meet when the ritual began.

All he could do was wait. He couldn't mess up the perfect ceremony he'd planned for him and Bella.

But even so, he started noticing something was off. People around him were whispering.

"Where is she?"

"Do you think something happened?"

Finally, just before Ryan couldn't take it anymore and called Bella himself, his Beta came running over.

The Beta's voice shook. "Alpha, I'm so sorry... Ms. Frost, she..."

"What about her?" Ryan grabbed the Beta by the collar, and his Alpha presence burst out.

The Beta's head dropped even lower. "You should go to the wolf hospital yourself and see..."

Ryan abandoned the entire room full of guests and tore out of there like a madman, heading straight for the wolf hospital.

In the hospital room, a body lay on the bed under a white sheet. He stopped at the doorway, and this awful feeling crashed through him.

Then his eyes landed on the body's hand. The wolf fang ring he'd put on her finger himself sat there, quiet and still.

"No... that's not possible!" His voice cracked. All the strength drained out of him, and his face went pale as he dropped to his knees.

He crawled forward and ripped the sheet back.

That familiar face stared up at him, completely drained of color. Even her lips had turned this grayish-blue. It was his Bella.

Tears started falling before he could stop them. Ryan's hand trembled as he reached for her cheek, but he froze halfway there.

The Beta's voice came from behind him, heavy with grief.

"Alpha, Ms. Frost jumped off a cliff this morning and committed suicide. They just pulled her body out of the water... I need you to sign the death certificate."