Chapter 6

Elfrieda POV:

The wind on the open sea was biting, whipping my hair across my face like a lash. I stood on the deck of the Tate Legacy, Jaxon's private yacht. He had insisted on this meeting. A "final negotiation," he called it. A chance to settle the terms of our separation civilly before the lawyers got involved.

I should have known better. Before I stepped onto the gangplank, I had activated the emergency beacon on my family crest necklace. It was a protocol Jamil and I established after the miscarriage-if I was ever cornered by Jaxon, they would know.

Jaxon stood by the railing, looking out at the dark, churning water. He held a glass of scotch, his knuckles white against the crystal. But he wasn't alone.

Janice emerged from the cabin. She was wearing a white cashmere coat that looked ridiculous on a boat. She held onto Jaxon's arm as if the slight sway of the vessel might kill her.

"I thought this was a private meeting," I said, my voice fighting the wind.

"Janice is my partner," Jaxon said without turning around. "She has a right to be here. She is the future of this pack."

"She is a parasite," I spat.

Janice laughed. It was a brittle, ugly sound. She let go of Jaxon and walked toward me. The boat rocked, and she stumbled, but corrected herself with unnatural grace.

"You still don't get it, do you?" Janice whispered, close enough that only my wolf hearing could catch it over the roar of the engines. "I didn't just win his heart, Elfrieda. I rewired his brain."

I frowned. "What are you talking about?"

She smirked, glancing back to make sure Jaxon was out of earshot. "The tea he drinks every morning? The incense in his office? Witch hazel, wolfsbane extract, and a little drop of my own blood. It's a love potion, sweetie. Old magic. He doesn't love me. He is addicted to me."

My blood ran cold. The use of magic to enslave a wolf's will was a capital offense under Council law.

"Jaxon!" I shouted, stepping forward. "She's drugging you! She's using blood magic!"

Jaxon turned, his face a mask of exhaustion and irritation. "Stop it, Elfrieda. Stop with the lies. It's pathetic."

"Tell him, Janice!" I yelled.

Janice's face shifted instantly. The smirk vanished, replaced by a look of sheer terror. She stumbled backward toward the low railing.

"No! Elfrieda, please put the knife down!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

I froze. "I don't have a knife."

"Don't kill me! My baby!" Janice shrieked.

She threw herself backward.

It was a performance worthy of an Oscar. She vaulted over the railing, her body hitting the dark water with a heavy splash.

"Janice!" Jaxon roared.

The sound tore from his throat, raw and terrified. He spun around, his eyes locking on me. There was no logic in his gaze, only the madness of a man whose addiction had just been threatened.

"You monster," he snarled.

"I didn't touch her!" I pleaded, backing away.

"She can't swim!" Jaxon yelled.

He didn't hesitate. He didn't check the security cameras. He didn't ask me what happened. He vaulted over the side, diving into the freezing ocean after her.

The yacht was on autopilot, cutting through the waves. The wake from the turn hit the hull hard. The boat lurched violently to the port side.

I lost my footing. I slid across the wet teak deck. My head slammed into a steel cleat with a sickening crack.

Stars exploded in my vision. Warm blood gushed down my forehead, blinding me. I tumbled over the edge.

The water was like a thousand knives stabbing my skin. The cold paralyzed my lungs instantly. I thrashed, trying to surface, but my heavy boots dragged me down.

I broke the surface, gasping for air, choking on saltwater.

"Help!" I screamed. "Jaxon!"

The yacht was drifting away. In the water, twenty yards from me, I saw them.

Jaxon had Janice in his arms. She was clinging to him, her head on his shoulder. She wasn't struggling. She was looking right at me.

Jaxon was treading water, strong and capable. He looked toward my voice. He saw me. He saw the blood streaming down my face, turning the water around me into a dark cloud that would attract sharks.

Our eyes locked.

For a second, I thought the bond would win. I thought the instinct to save his true mate would override the potion.

"Jaxon..." I gargled, sinking lower.

He turned his back on me.

He began swimming toward the emergency ladder on the yacht's swim platform, carrying Janice. He didn't look back. Not once.

He left me to the ocean.

My limbs grew heavy. The cold seeped into my marrow. My wolf let out one final, desolate whimper-a sound of a bond snapping not from rejection, but from death.

I stopped fighting. As the dark water closed over my head, I made a vow to the Moon Goddess.

If I survive this, I will burn his world to ash.

Then, everything went black.