Chapter 4

The crowd steals glances at me, pity in their eyes. I just smile faintly and turn to leave.

The bangle was never mine. I won't bond with him, so I don't need his heirlooms. As for these gifts, I'll send them back untouched when I go.

Shawn and his entourage depart, but Quinn calls after me, her smile smug. "That scene back there sting, sister?"

I pause but don't look back.

"That bangle's just the start," she purrs, her voice sweet but laced with venom. "Shawn loves me. Even if we're both his mates, you'll always be beneath me, unloved, alone forever."

My fingers tremble. That was my last life. This time, I've sworn off loving Shawn. I've chosen a different path, and I won't stumble down the old one.

I close my eyes briefly, then walk away without a word.

Quinn's frustration crackles behind me, like a punch landing on air. Then her gaze sharpens, venomous, as if a new scheme's brewing.

That night, as I settle into bed, my door crashes open. A cold hand yanks my wrist, dragging me from the sheets.

"Leah!" Shawn's voice is ice, his eyes blazing with fury. "How could you be so cruel? Sending wolves to throw your sister in the lake?"

Pain shoots through my wrist as I meet his glare. "I didn't do it!"

"Didn't?" He scoffs. "Quinn's too kind to lie about you."

The words cut deep. In his eyes, Quinn's pure, and I'm… what? A monster?

"I'd never hurt her," I say, voice shaking as I fight the pain. "I have no reason to."

"No reason?" His eyes are cold as frost. "You love me. I love her. That's reason enough."

He flings my arm away. "I know everything you've done for me. Nursing me through fever all night, taking a blade for me, even smashing your beloved zither to please me…"

Each word pales my face further.

"But I only owe you gratitude," he says, voice like a blade. "I love your sister. If you'd stayed in line, I'd treat you with respect as my mate. But you crossed me, attacked Quinn. I won't forgive that."

"It wasn't me!" I choke out.

He doesn't listen. Grabbing my arm, he barks, "Guards! Throw her in the lake. She stays there till dawn. No one pulls her out without my say."

The icy water swallows me. I thrash to the surface, but guards shove me back under. My throat burns, vision blurring. Through the haze, I see Shawn on the shore, stone-faced, while Quinn, wrapped in his cloak, clings to him, looking frail.

"Shawn…" Her voice trembles. "She didn't mean it. Forgive her…"

"You're too kind," he murmurs, arm around her. "If I don't punish her now, she'll only hurt you worse later."

He tucks her closer. "Don't worry. I'll give you the den's reins. You'll never suffer."

They turn and leave.

"Shawn!" I scream his name, voice raw.

He doesn't look back.

The cold seeps into my bones, and I shiver, a hollow laugh bubbling up. If he ever learns the truth—that I saved him, that I was the one he should've loved—will his heart break as mine does now?

At dawn, the guards drag me out. My maids wrap me in blankets, tears streaming. "He treats you like this before you're even bound," one sobs. "What happens if you join his den?"

I'm freezing, lips bloodless, but I shake my head weakly. "I'm… not bonding with him."

"Not bonding with me?" Shawn's voice cuts through, cold as the lake. He stands in the doorway, eyes like winter. "Then who else would take you?"