Chapter 1

My fiancé Ronan ran away from our wedding two years ago.

For those two years, he'd been accompanying his adopted sister Tia on hunting trips in Africa.

When I went to pick someone up at the airport, I ran into him by chance.

I was wearing sunglasses, but he spotted me in the crowd immediately.

"Layla, I came back to marry you."

I hesitated. "You are..."

He smiled helplessly.

"Come on, don't be mad at me. I didn't mean to run away for so long. After Tia finished hunting one group of animals, she wanted to hunt another group. She's my only sister—I had to indulge her."

"But look, as soon as filming wrapped, I rushed straight back to fulfill our engagement!"

Only then did I recognize the man before me—my ex-fiancé Ronan!

But didn't anyone tell him that on the day he ran away, I married his brother Leo, the Alpha heir?

The airport was packed with people. Ronan held a Chanel bag in one hand and pushed a suitcase with the other.

Tia, whose skin had also darkened several shades, sat on top of the suitcase while Ronan pushed her along.

After two years of hunting in Africa, they both looked like they'd been baking in the wilderness for years.

Dark as night.

Ronan used to be fair and handsome with a great physique. Back then, so many friends said I had good taste for finding such an outstanding fiancé.

But now...

Good thing he's not my husband.

I took off my sunglasses and forced a polite smile.

"Sorry, it's been so long and you've both changed so much, I didn't recognize you at first."

Tia sneered as usual.

"Stop pretending you didn't recognize us. You came here to pick up Ronan, didn't you?"

"If Ronan and I hadn't thrown away our SIM cards and cut off contact with home after going to Africa, you probably would've chased after us!"

Tia huffed and turned her head away angrily.

Ronan ruffled her hair and tapped her nose helplessly.

"Once I marry Layla, she'll be family too. You can't talk to family like that."

"Otherwise, next year I won't go to the next hunting zone with you."

After comforting Tia, he turned to explain to me:

"She's just childish, you know. Her father died protecting me when the Rogues attacked, and she lost her father because of it."

"After we get married, we'll be one flesh. I hope you can help me take care of her and treat her like your own sister."

Did he even hear what nonsense was coming out of his mouth?

I elegantly rolled my eyes and showed him the wedding ring on my hand.

"Ronan, thank you for not marrying me back then. It let me marry a man a thousand times, ten thousand times better than you."

"Please don't flatter yourself. I'm here today to pick up my husband."

Ronan froze. Then he squinted at me for a long moment before smirking.

"Layla, do you think I'm an idiot?"

"The alliance between Dubois pack and Ravencrest pack—our wedding two years ago was witnessed by all the werewolf packs. So many Alphas came to the ceremony. Who doesn't know you're my fiancée?"

"I know running away made you lose face, and that's my fault. But with your reputation ruined, if you don't marry into our Dubois pack, who else would take you?"

So that's why he dared to run away—he was convinced that as an "abandoned bride," no one else would want me!

He really overestimated himself and underestimated me.

His father, Alpha Orion, had to clean up his mess at great cost—losing both a son and resources.

To appease my father, the Alpha of Ravencrest pack, Alpha Orion voluntarily offered to transfer the pack resources meant for Ronan to Ravencrest pack.

Apparently, Ronan knew nothing about this.

Well, of course not.

He'd been out of contact with Dubois pack for two years for Tia's sake, hadn't even made a single phone call home. Naturally he wouldn't know.

I just hoped he could still laugh about it tonight when he got back to the pack.