Chapter 1

"I'm sorry,Ava,"Coach Grayson said."The roster is final.The Silver Ridge Pack Athletic Council has stamped it."

I stood in front of the bulletin board and stared at that list for five minutes.

My name was gone.

Under the youth figure-skating scholarship,the place where Ava Stone should have been was now Nora Vale.

At first,I thought it was a mistake.Later,I understood.Kaiden had done it.

My fated mate had given my place to his new girl.

I went to the parking lot to find him.

He was leaning against his car,scrolling through his phone.When he saw me,he only lifted his eyes.

"Nora's Pack is barely holding on,"he said before I could speak."If she doesn't get this scholarship,she's finished."

"You're strong.Even without a wolf,you can still make it into the Regional Qualifier."

"That is a full spot at the North Ridge Olympic Training Center,"I said."You know what that means."

"You'll figure it out."

I looked at him.He looked away.

He sighed,pulled out a black card,and held it out as if he were offering a tip.

"I'll pay.Coaches,ice time,equipment,Pack medical coverage,all of it.I bought the spot."

Rain began to fall,and the cold seeped into my clothes.

I looked at the card,then at him.

He once told me training would get me out of that rotten home,tear off the label of"wolfless trash,"and let me make my skating dream real.

So I trained like my life depended on it,and worked at Silver Ridge Ice Center whenever I had time.

But now,the person putting a price on my dream was him.

I turned and walked away.

His voice came through the rain,colder than the rain itself.

"You grind your hands raw in that dump of a shop,spend your whole life chasing money,and now you're pretending you're above it?"

"There's more money on this card than you've ever seen in your life."

I stopped and looked back at him through the rain.

I had thought promises did not rot,that a mate bond did not break.In that moment,it all rotted from the inside out.

I smiled at him.

"Of course,Kaiden.Think whatever you want."

When I got back to Silver Ridge Ice Center,my phone buzzed.

It was Rina.

"Ava.Tell me I saw it wrong.I saw Nora take your place."

"You didn't see it wrong."

"It was Kaiden.It had to be Kaiden.Did you talk to him?"

"I just came back from him."

I leaned against the back counter and looked at the row of skates waiting to be sharpened.

"He said he'd pay for all my training.Said he bought my spot."

The other end of the call went silent for a long time.

"That bastard,"Rina said."Tell me you threw the card in his face."

"I left."

"Ava,that was your scholarship.Do you know how many nights you stayed up for it?And your dad-"

"It won't help."

"What?"

"Kaiden and the Hawthorne Pack funded the scholarship and built the rink.If they can take me off once,they can do it again."

She went quiet.

"I saw Nora's Instagram.Kaiden booked a restaurant to celebrate for her."

"Good for her."

"Good for her?That's it?"

"I have to go.A customer just came in."

I hung up before she could say anything else.