My marking ceremony was supposed to be a celebration of love and unity. Instead, it became the day I learned Zane Thorne—the man I loved and the father of my unborn child—had vanished in a deadly snowstorm. His body was never found. Just like that, I was left to grieve alone, clinging to a future I no longer recognized.
They told me to stay strong. “For the pup,” they said. But how do you breathe when the person you were supposed to build a life with disappears without a goodbye?
Weeks later, Dorian Thorne—Zane’s twin—returned from the border with his own mate. Looking at him was t*****e. He had Zane’s face, Zane’s voice… but none of Zane’s warmth. Or so I thought.
Until I heard the conversation that shattered everything.
“Zane, your brother died for you. Let Lyra believe you’re Dorian. Let her deliver the pup in peace.”
“But she’s carrying my child,” he said softly.
Zane. Alive. Pretending to be his dead brother, while I mourned him like a widow and carried his child alone. The betrayal cut deeper than death ever could.
So I picked up the phone and called my brother.
“Ryker, I’m coming home. The man I loved died the day he chose to lie.”
