"If there's nothing else, I'll be going."
I stood, grabbed my bag, and headed for the door.
"Wait!"
Ronan stopped me mid-step.
I turned back to face him, my expression flat. "Was there something else?"
My indifference caught him off guard. Something tightened in his jaw, and after a long, stilted pause, the words finally dragged out of him. "These three years… have you been seeing anyone?"
I blinked, then shook my head. "No."
After all, that man wasn't a boyfriend. He was my mate.
Ronan's eyes lit up. "Then you should come to my mating ceremony with Talira this Saturday. You can if you want. Once the ceremony's over, she and I are done for good, and then it'll be our turn."
I stared at him for a beat, then laughed.
How had I never noticed how revolting this man was?
I didn't spare either of them another glance. I turned and walked out.
Once I was outside, I drew a deep breath. The tight knot in my chest loosened, just barely.
I'd assumed that seeing him again wouldn't stir a single thing in me, body or soul.
I'd overestimated myself.
Ronan and I got together when we were sixteen.
When I was eighteen, I was kidnapped. He took on three armed rogues alone.
Three slash wounds. He nearly bled out.
He shielded me with his own body, and right before he lost consciousness, he grinned at me like an idiot. "Seraphina, if I die, mourn me for three moons. Then go find someone who loves you even more than I do."
I sobbed and told him no one ever could.
After that, I was more certain than ever that I would bond with Ronan Ashvane.
I even defied my father, betting him that Ronan would ask for the mating rite.
If he didn't, I'd go home and agree to a strategic match with whatever Alpha my pack chose.
Back then, I was so sure of myself.
And reality slapped me across the face.
Ronan claimed another she-wolf. And after those three days I gave him, he weaponized the fact that he'd once saved my life and proposed what he called a "three-year arrangement."
But none of that mattered anymore. He and I had nothing to do with each other now.
My communicator buzzed, cutting through my thoughts.
I glanced at the caller and picked up.
A low, steady voice came through the other end. "Seraphina. When are you coming home?"
The faintest trace of old-growth cedar bled through the connection, as if even his voice carried it. My lips curved. "Seven more days to wrap things up, then I'm heading back to Blackmere territory."
The man said a quiet "okay."
I smiled. "All right, I need to get back to work. Say hi to the little one for me."
The second I hung up, a message came through on the spirit network.
Ms. Thornfield, could I come by and take a look at the gown?
After Ronan left, I'd picked up my old craft again and opened a moonweave atelier, crafting ceremonial mating gowns for she-wolves across the territories.
The reason I was in Aston was a commission that came in two days ago. Sky-high budget, requesting a one-of-a-kind moonweave mating gown.
I typed out a reply.
Sure, come straight to my studio.
I sent her the address of my temporary workspace and headed over.
I'd barely been there two minutes when a knock came at the door, followed by a voice I recognized instantly.
"Ms. Thornfield."
I looked up. The moment I saw who it was, everything clicked into place. So that was why she'd sought out a no-name designer like me. A scent drifted in with her, magnolia and clover honey, too sweet, layered over something I couldn't quite name. Something my wolf didn't like.
Talira smiled and stepped forward. "How's my gown coming along? May I see it?"
Not a flicker of surprise on her face.
I knew then that she'd known it was me all along. Every bit of this had been deliberate.
I gathered the sketches off the table. "Sorry. I'm not taking this commission anymore."
I'd barely reached the door when Ronan came striding up the hall. He spotted me and froze. "Seraphina?"
Before I could say a word, Talira rushed forward and latched onto his arm.
"Ronan, I had no idea the designer making my gown was Ms. Thornfield. If I'd known, I never would have gone to her. Ronan, I swear it wasn't on purpose. I wasn't trying to show off or provoke her. But our mating ceremony is only a week away. If Ms. Thornfield won't do it, I really don't know what I'm going to do."
