Chapter 5

Dante POV

Five Years Ago – Flashback

“Did you sleep well?” I asked, running my fingers through Amaya’s silky hair as her head rested on my lap.

“No,” she pouted, turning her face up to look at me.

I smirked, brushing a loose strand behind her ear. “And why is that, princess?”

She huffed dramatically. “Because you weren’t there.”

It had only been a short mission—three days at the border—but she acted as if I had been gone for months.

I chuckled, trailing my fingers down her jaw. “I told you I’d come back.”

“You’re always leaving,” she muttered, crossing her arms. “And one day, you won’t.”

My smirk faltered. Amaya was the Alpha’s only daughter, raised in the safety of the packhouse, protected like an egg. She had never known real war, real danger. And yet, she feared losing me more than anything.

I gently tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet my gaze. “I will always come back to you.”

She blinked, her emerald eyes searching mine for a moment before she whispered, “Promise?”

I leaned down, brushing my lips against her forehead. “I swear it.”

A small smile tugged at her lips, but I could still see the hesitation in her eyes. She didn’t like my life as a soldier, didn’t like the bloodshed or the risks. But she loved me enough to endure it.

“Come with me next time,” she said, catching me off guard.

I raised a brow. “What?”

“On your next mission,” she said, propping herself up on her elbows. “I want to see what it’s like.”

I laughed, shaking my head. “Absolutely not.”

She scowled. “Why not?”

“Because you’re the Alpha’s daughter,” I reminded her. “And your father would have my head if I let you anywhere near danger.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m not a child, Dante.”

“No, but you’re my princess,” I murmured, pressing a kiss to her palm. “And I won’t let anything happen to you.”

She sighed in frustration but didn’t argue further. Instead, she curled up against me, resting her head on my chest.

“Then don’t take so long next time,” she whispered, and I wrapped my arms around her, inhaling the familiar scent of lavender and honey.

End of Flashback

Ding!

Ding!

My phone vibrated, startling me out of my sleep. My neck was sore as I had dozed off at my desk. Glancing at my phone, I saw a message from Amaya.

I frowned.

“I’m sorry.”

I scoffed.

Sorry? She was apologizing? She should have done that sooner and made things easier for both of us, but she just had to be so stubborn.

I picked up my pen to continue signing some documents. But then 10 minutes passed and I found myself just flipping the pages.

“She never apologizes,” Mako, my wolf, said, and my hand froze.

It was true. Amaya had never been one to admit when she was wrong, even in the past. She had always been proud, but more than that, she had always been distant, keeping her emotions hidden.

Something wasn’t right.

I immediately grabbed my phone to call her, but the line went straight to voicemail.

Damn it.

I got up from my desk and sped past the hallway. There was no way she would have run away. She wouldn’t. She wouldn’t… she couldn’t.

When I got to her room, I saw two guards standing outside.

“Has she left her room?” was the first thing I asked.

“No, Alpha. In fact, she has been asleep for a while now. Told us not to disturb her,” one of them replied, and I sighed in relief.

Well, that was good. At least she was actually apologizing, but why did I still feel uneasy?

She hadn’t left. She was still here. But why wasn’t she answering me?

I opened the door, and the moment I stepped inside, I saw her lying in her bed. I breathed another sigh of relief.

“Something feels off,” Mako said.

I walked closer to her and bent down beside her bed. When I touched her, her skin was cold, causing me to catch my breath.

“Amaya,” I whispered, shaking her, but there was no response.

“Amaya!” I shouted, shaking her harder, but still, no response. She wasn’t fucking waking up.

“No,” I whispered, backing away as my gaze shifted around the room, trying to pinpoint why—until it landed on her nightstand.

My blood ran cold when I saw them.

Scattered pills.

Not one. Not two. Dozens. And they were all empty.

My body froze as everything came crashing down.

No…

I stumbled back and rushed to her, shaking her violently this time. “Amaya! Wake up, damn it!”

My hands were shaking as I checked the pulse in her wrist. I felt a pulse… but it was weak. Too weak.

I turned to the guards at the door.

“Get the healer! Get the doctor, NOW!”

I watched the hours tick by as the healer worked on Amaya’s unconscious form. I stood by her bedside, clenching my fists while my wolf paced recklessly in my mind.

“She’s stable,” the healer finally said, wiping sweat from his brow. “But her body is weak. It will take time before she wakes up, so she must be monitored closely.”

I barely heard the last part before he bowed and left, leaving just the two of us alone.

Right now, she looked so pale… like a ghost. I can’t believe I hadn’t noticed it before.

I grabbed her wrist, feeling her faint pulse.

“Look what you’ve done,” I muttered.

How dare you try to leave me?

“Isn’t this what you wanted?” Mako taunted. “Our mate almost died. Aren’t you supposed to be happy? You wanted this, didn’t you?”

No.

I shook my head. My breathing was becoming heavier, so I had to step back, but I almost stumbled.

“I didn’t want her dead. I just… I just wanted her to suffer by my side.”

She can’t leave me. Never.

I won’t let that happen.