I froze. Dropped the charges? What in the Moon’s name were they talking about?
I ran to the Council Hall as fast as my legs could carry me. But by the time I burst inside, the parchment containing my mother’s case had already been shredded into tiny pieces and tossed into the fire pit.
Everything blurred. I fell to my knees, clutching the Council scribe’s sleeve, my voice cracking.
“You promised. You said you’d help me get justice for my mother.”
The scribe looked uneasy. He let out a long, defeated sigh.
“The person who withdrew the complaint was your mate. Evan Marks. No one here can go against a future Alpha. I am truly sorry.”
With a curt nod, he signaled the guards, and they escorted me out into the dirt path beyond the Hall.
But I wasn’t giving up.
There had to be someone in this cursed territory who still had a spine.
Hands trembling, I rode from pack to pack, seeking any elder or lawkeeper who might help me. One after another turned their backs. The answer never changed.
“Forgive us, Miss Holly. Alpha Heir Marks made himself clear. Anyone who touches this case will lose their post before sunrise. We cannot assist you.”
I sank to the ground outside the Stoneclaw border. My palm landed on a shard of rock, slicing skin, blood seeping out. I barely felt it.
When I was sixteen, my father cast my mother and me out of his den. The same day, Sarah and her mother moved in.
I still remembered Sarah, only thirteen, standing on the steps of the pack house with a smug little smirk. That was the day I learned my father had been unfaithful for years.
Mom and I wandered for days, packless and cold. One freezing night, we stumbled into a clearing where rogues were forcing a young wolf into a cage. Evan Marks, heir of the Stoneclaw Pack, was bound and beaten.
Mom didn’t hesitate. She lunged into the fight, claws bared. She saved him… and nearly died doing it. She took blade after blade meant for him.
Afterward, Evan dragged us back to Stoneclaw against his parents’ wishes. Mom refused his offer of full support. Instead, she worked as a housekeeper at the manor. I transferred to the Stoneclaw training grounds, attending lessons alongside the young heir.
Day by day, I watched the boy I’d rescued grow into someone I couldn’t help but love. He loved me back. On my twentieth year, he held my hand before my mother and vowed he would protect me for life.
But things changed a year ago.
He returned from a night of feasting with nearby packs speaking about Sarah in ways he never had before.
“She’s not who I thought she was,” he told me. “She’s working three odd jobs to pay her way through training. Can you believe that?”
“And some rich wolf tried to claim her as his mate. She slapped him across the face. Feisty girl.”
Then he added, “You and she never got along. But maybe that’s because you never gave her a chance. If you spent time with her, you might see how lovable she is.”
My gut twisted, but I forced myself to ignore it.
Later, a friend told me Evan had purchased a rare moonstone bracelet once worn by an ancient Winter Queen. I assumed it was for my birthday.
But on the day of my birth celebration, Sarah posted on the pack board. That exact bracelet gleamed on her wrist. And in the reflection of a nearby window, I recognized a familiar male figure standing beside her, fingers interlaced with hers.
That night, I waited beside a dying candle. Evan never returned.
It was the first time he forgot my birthday.
After that, he forgot more. Anniversaries. Promises. Moments that used to matter.
Meanwhile, Sarah’s posts grew bolder. His silhouette behind her in feasting halls. His bare shoulders through a steamy bathhouse door. His hands adjusting her cloak.
Six moons ago, we signed our bonding contract. Evan told me he wanted to give me the perfect ceremony.
Now I knew the truth. There would never be a ceremony.
My hands steadying, I picked up the communication stone and spoke.
“You still want my shares in Stoneclaw Holdings,” I said coldly. “Fine. I will sign them over. All of them.”
He had gifted me those shares the day he finally won my heart. I told him it was too much. He insisted.
His voice echoed in my memory, painfully gentle.
“If you want the stars or the moon, I will give them to you. A few shares are nothing compared to that.”
I understand now. What we had was real. Once. But hearts change. Wolves grow cold. And love is never immortal.
The boy who once held me as if I were his entire world was gone. Devoured by time and choices.
As I ended the call, the stone vibrated with Evan’s message.
Calmed down yet?
I arranged the burial grounds and paid for the rites. Shouldn’t you be satisfied? Stop testing my patience.
Another message appeared seconds later.
Did you not hear me? Come to my study now. Sign the forgiveness decree for Sarah.
Something inside me finally broke. I called him. My voice shook with fury.
“Why should I sign anything for her? And if I refuse, what then? You going to press my hand onto the parchment yourself?”
