​Leo’s POV

​"The expansion in Australia," I lied, the name of the country rolling off my tongue because it was the last place I’d expect Scar to be, making it the perfect cover. "Kong reached out while I was in the air. There’s a major legal dispute regarding the coastal territory we’re acquiring for the new shipping port. If I’m not there to sign the documents in person by Tuesday, the deal falls through, and we lose a three-billion-dollar investment."

​"Can’t one of our Betas handle it?" Liam asked, his eyes narrowing as he scrutinized my face for any hint of a lie.

​"No," I snapped, turning away to head toward the stairs. "It requires one of our signatures for the land deed. I’ll be gone for a week, maybe two. I need to clear my head anyway. Nigeria was... stressful."

​"Stressful? Is that what we’re calling the woman who did that to your neck?" Leon called out after me, his voice laced with a bitter scowl.

​I ignored them and hurried up the stairs to my room. Upon reaching my room, I shut the door and locked it, leaning my back against the heavy wood.

​My heart was thudding against my ribs. Australia. I’d actually said it. But my real destination was back to Nigeria, back to Scar, back to the woman who has now become my obsession.

​I walked over to the mirror and pulled my collar down further. The marks were dark and everywhere. They were the only proof I had that I hadn’t hallucinated the whole thing.

​"I’m coming for you, Scar," I whispered to the empty room. "And this time, I don’t care who helped you hide. I’m taking you back."

​Suddenly, the door to my room clicked and swung open without a single knock. Without even looking, I knew it was Bianca. The air in the room instantly felt stifled, tainted by her presence.

​"You don’t fucking enter my chamber unless I give you permission," I snarled, my back still turned to her. My voice was a low rumble of warning that would have made any other wolf in the pack tremble.

​"Leo, I’m your wife..." she started, her voice sounding practiced and sweet, but then she choked on her words. I heard her sharp intake of breath as her eyes landed on the reflection in the mirror. "What... what are those marks?"

​"None of your business," I spat, turning around to face her with a look of pure hate.

​I didn’t bother to pull my collar up. Let her see. Let her know that she meant nothing. "Get out. Have you forgotten I told you not to show your face to me? And besides, you are under punishment. Do not test my patience, Bianca."

​She flinched at the anger in my tone, but for once, she didn’t retreat. She stood her ground, folding her arms across her chest.

​"No, Leo. I’m not going," she said, her voice trembling but determined. "In fact, I’m here for something very important."

​"I don’t want to hear it, Bianca. Get out!" I roared. The sound was so loud it made the windows shake.

​"No!" she screamed back. Her face was red with both pain and anger. "I’m not leaving until you listen. I’ve been patient, Leo. I’ve played the part of the perfect, ignored wife while you cried over a girl who has been dead for years. I want us to be a real family. I want to have your baby. I want to be a mother."

​A cold, dry laugh came from my throat. I looked at her like she was dirt on the bottom of my shoe.

​"Over my dead body, Bianca," I said, my voice filled with spite. "You will never have my child. I would never mix my blood with yours. You were a mistake I was forced into for politics. Every day I look at you, I remember how much I hate that fact."

​Bianca’s face changed. Her sadness turned into something ugly and sharp. She narrowed her eyes and stepped closer, her voice sounding poisonous.

​"Be careful, Leo," she warned, pointing a shaking finger at me. "You forget that I’m keeping your secret. Everyone in this pack, including your fathers, thinks the mating mark on my neck is real. Imagine if I tell them it’s a lie. Imagine if I tell them that the Great Alpha Leo has been lying for a whole year, pretending to be mated to a woman he won’t even touch."

​I didn’t even blink. Instead, I let out a dark laugh that seemed to take the breath right out of her.

​"Do it," I challenged. I took a step toward her until I was towering over her small frame. "Wait—did you really just try to threaten me with that? How delusional are you?"

​She blinked, her confidence fading as I leaned into her space. My scent of wood and rain was much stronger than her cheap perfume.

​"Who do you think I’m afraid of, Bianca? My fathers? I don’t care. I don’t care what they think about my marriage. The pack? I am their Alpha. I am a real warrior. I’m no longer that young boy they forced to marry you. I’ve bled for this pack and led them through dark times you couldn’t handle. They follow my strength, not my marriage."

​I grabbed her wrist tightly. "Your parents? Your pack? Go ahead. Tell them. Tell the whole world that our bond is a fake. I am ready to go to war with them. In fact, I’d be happy for a reason to finally get rid of your family for good."

​I shoved her back toward the door, my eyes glowing with the anger of my wolf.

​"So, Bianca, you cannot threaten me. You have no power over me. You have nothing but a fake title and a room in a house where you aren’t wanted. Now, for the last time... get out."

​She stared at me, her face pale and her lips shaking. She realized right then that the man standing in front of her wasn’t a broken Alpha she could control. He was something much more dangerous.

​She didn’t say another word. She turned and ran, her footsteps loud as she hurried down the hallway.

​You have to end this marriage, my wolf growled in my head. His voice was sharp, pacing restlessly behind my ribs.

​"I know," I whispered back, my hands trembling slightly as I reached for my clothes. "Once I am back from my trip, I will end it. I’ll strip her of the name and send her back to her father in shame. But first, I have to spend some time with Scar."

​The thought of Scarlett was the only thing keeping me upright. I moved to the closet and pulled out my memorial clothes. It was a white suit—the color of mourning in our pack, the color our mother loved most. I dressed slowly, my fingers fumbling with the buttons. Every time I caught a glimpse of my neck in the mirror, a surge of heat went through me.

​I pulled the high collar of my white shirt up, making sure it hid every single mark Scarlett had left on me. These were my secrets. My treasures. I wouldn’t let the guests or my family catch even a hint of the life I had found in Nigeria.

​I sucked in a deep breath, trying to push down the anger Bianca had stirred up. I needed to be the Alpha today. I needed to stand beside my brothers and honor our mother, even if my heart was already thousands of miles away.

​With her.