Page 1 of Wilder Obsessions

Prologue

Wilder

Three Years Ago

Never did I think I would be on this side of a gravestone, gazing down at the somber scene before me.This isn’t how I envisioned my life unfolding.From the very first day of our union, I knew she wasn’t my fated mate, but that didn’t make me love her any less.I’m not even sure there is such a thing, as I’ve only heard stories passed down from the Elders.Never in my thirty-four years have I seen that kind of connection.The concept of a fated mate seems almost mythical, something passed down through generations like folklore.It is akin to the fairy tales humans grow up hearing.

My marriage to Emily was arranged to serve the interests of our father’s business merger, and like the dutiful eldest son, I gave it my all.Everything was great until it wasn’t.Now, here I stand in the freezing rain, watching as everyone in attendance opens their black umbrellas.Water ricochets in all directions, drenching my clothes, but I can’t seem to care.The casket lowers to the ground and the gnawing pain in my chest intensifies until I’m doubled over, barely able to stand.

How did I get here?

****

Emily is sitting bythe window, looking out at nothing in particular as her hand rests over her small belly.The sun dips behind the horizon, leaving a soft yet eerie glow that bathes the room in muted shadows.She didn’t hear me approach, giving me a moment to see the toll this has taken on her.Soft tears slip down her cheeks, shattering my heart more than it already was.

“Em,” I begin, but she doesn’t turn.I take large strides across the room, needing to be closer to her.My heart hammers in my chest, each beat a reminder of the suffering festering between us.I see the dark circles underneath her lifeless eyes.There was a time when those amber orbs sparkled like molten gold under the sun, full of dreams and laughter.Now, they are hauntingly pale, dulled by despair.

I call her name again.“Em, you need to eat something.”My voice is stern but soft.She still doesn’t budge, forcing me to pull her chin up to see my face.Her once vibrant eyes remain vacant, as though she has locked herself away from the world.Something in her gaze ignites a deep-seated fear inside me, a primal instinct awakening within the depths of my being.Emily’s skin is clammy and her warmth is no longer there.

“Emily,” I demand, hating that I need to invoke my alpha’s growl to reach her.But she doesn’t even flinch, her body so tense it feels as though she exists in another realm.Panic rises, hot and fierce, clawing its way into my throat.I drop to my knees, pulling her limp body against mine.She leans into my arms, surrendering.In her weakened grasp is a small glass vial, hidden like a dagger.It slips from her hand and hits the floor, splintering into tiny shards, each piece reflected in my widening horror.A faint, mild scent wafts through the air, sweet yet sinister—the unmistakable aroma of nightshade, a toxic poison that twists my gut into knots.My heart hammers faster, adrenaline surging through my veins as I rise, clutching Emily’s small frame against my chest and laying her gently on our bed.

“Emily.”I shake her lightly, desperation coating my voice.“Wake up!Please.”But there’s no response.Nothing.My breathing turns erratic as I look down at her.The chilling truth hits me like a freight train.This isn’t her fault.The pregnancy had been brutal, both physically and emotionally, and we have both been drowning in our own grief.I was too consumed by my own devastation to notice the silent anguish ripping Emily apart.How could I be so blind?Why didn’t I see the signs?

“Emily,” I plead, stroking the brown hair from her face.“Dammit!Why did you do this to me?To us?”I shout, my voice breaking as anger courses through me.I pull out my phone, my fingers trembling as I navigate the screen.

“I need you here now!Emily—” I croak out, choking on the words.“She drank nightshade.Bring every antidote you have, James!”I throw my phone onto the bed, the dread pooling in my stomach matching the growing knot in my throat.Emily lies lifelessly as my hand shakes over hers.Logically, I know there’s no way to reverse what she’s done, but I’ll be damned if I sit by idly as her life fades away.I pull her body to mine, cradling her against my chest and praying to the gods.Please, let her live.

Time stretches endlessly, every second feeling like an eternity before I hear heavy footsteps storming up the stairs.I hold my breath, willing it not to be too late.James bursts through the door, a wildfire of urgency igniting in his dark eyes.

“Wilder!”He takes in the scene with one sweeping glance, and I know he sees the desperation etched across my face.He runs his hands through his hair, letting out a heavy sigh as he digs through his bag, retrieving a syringe filled with a glowing blue antidote.

“This won’t—” he begins but I cut him off.

“Don’t!Just do it!”I lay Emily back down on the bed.My heart sinks further into despair as I watch his face fall the moment his gaze lands on my wife.Her lips are blue and her skin is even paler than before.My brain understands that it’s too late but my heart is what’s demanding James to bring her back.To bring my wife back to me.

James injects the antidote into Emily’s arm, the seconds dripping away like thick molasses.But when no sign of life comes, his shoulders sag, and hopelessness sweeps over him.

“It’s too late,” he murmurs.

A roar erupts from my puma, echoing like thunder through the confines of my soul, shattering the calm of my heart and the fragile peace within me.I can’t hold him back, this devastation ignites something fierce and primal.I have to escape.

In a wild flurry, my clothes tear as my powerful beast emerges, breaking free from the shackles of grief.I run, my form a blur of black fur against the white backdrop of snow, racing through the forest, each step a desperate attempt to flee from the haunting reality.

Emily is dead.

My wife.My mate.Gone.

The agony is ripping me apart and I can’t fucking breathe.

Snowflakes thickly blanket the ground, each one whispering her name.I howl at the moon, the pain ripping through me like frayed barbs of reality.My vision blurs as my puma breaks through the boundary of our home into the endless wilderness, and I’m swallowed by the woods.

Hours blend into one another, time morphs into a relentless beast of its own making.When my muscles finally give out, I collapse into the crisp, frozen earth, lying on my side like a withering flower, suffocating under the weight of despair.

This is what heartbreak must feel like—a slow, bitter demise of hope, unforgiving and cruel.

I howl again, raw and untamed, my voice echoing through the haunting silence of the ever-stirring forest.The sound is a wild, tortured cry, a primal confession of loss and pain, yet it feels futile.Each note of anguish only deepens the scars.I know it will never leave me.Eventually, the forest quiets, and with resolve, I shift back to human form, the bitter cold biting at my bare flesh.I drag myself back, stepping into the darkness that awaits, knowing my life will never be the same.A part of me died tonight, right along with Emily, and I can feel that void gaping inside me.

My feet carry me along the icy trails, hoping not to encounter any wandering animals.Even if I were to come across a wolf or a coyote, it could be an interesting challenge to take my mind off what the fuck is waiting for me when I walk through the doors to my house.

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