A young she-wolf had once set her sights on Roderic. When I caught the scent of it on him, I wouldn't let it go. I kept asking, kept pushing, and he gave me a full week of silence for it.
After that, the smallest thing could set my nerves on edge, my wolf pacing under my skin at every shift in his scent.
This time, he'd assumed at first that "bond rejection" was just another bid for attention.
Now he was confused. Why wasn't I clashing with Seraphine? Why wasn't I even baring my teeth?
What he didn't understand was that jealousy had lost all meaning.
The harder I fought, the further his heart tilted toward Seraphine and her soft, wounded act.
More than that, I simply didn't care anymore.
Just as Roderic was about to reach for me, Seraphine let out a sharp cry:
"Roderic, my stomach hurts so bad!"
His expression changed instantly. He pulled his hand back, scooped her up, and rushed for the door.
"I'm taking Seraphine to the Healing Hall. We'll talk when I get back!"
He looked frantic, cradling her like she was something precious.
I slammed the blood-oath papers down on the low table, turned, and went upstairs to pack.
Late that night, Roderic climbed into bed and wrapped his arms around me from behind. Beneath the cedar of his scent, that sour, cloying rot lingered, and my wolf curled away from it.
"Aurora, I know I've been neglecting you lately. I know you're upset."
"But Seraphine and I really are just friends. Her mate's away across the far territories, and she's carrying a pup with no one to look after her. That's the only reason I let her into the den, just to keep her safe for now."
I lay silent in the dark.
Did he actually believe that after what I'd seen with my own eyes, I'd still swallow his lies?
"Once this whole thing with the obsessed she-wolf blows over, she'll go. I promise. Everything will go back to normal."
His voice dropped lower, softer: "Aurora, I love you."
He sounded exactly the way he used to, same warmth, same voice, as if nothing had changed.
All I felt was disgust.
Maybe the tenderness was real. But so was the pup he'd made with someone else.
I wrenched myself free of his arms. I couldn't stand another second of his touch.
I could feel his gaze lingering on my back for a long time.
The next morning, I woke to the smell of cooking drifting up through the den.
I walked into the main room and found Roderic, who had never once set foot near the hearth, wearing an apron, carrying a bowl of stewed fish to Seraphine.
"The healer said more fish stew makes the pup stronger."
Seraphine spotted me and waved with a bright smile:
"Aurora, come join us! Roderic was up before first light making this. You're so lucky, a hearth-cooked meal like this every morning."
Roderic's hands went still.
I gave a faint smile: "He's never once cooked for me."
I glanced at the stew. My stomach turned, the smell sitting wrong in the back of my throat, and I headed for the washroom.
"I can't stand the smell of fish. Never could."
Seraphine followed me in. Under her sugared scent, that thread of tin sharpened, and a growl I didn't let surface stirred low in my chest.
Her face was all sincerity: "Aurora, I've never wanted to come between you two. Please don't overthink this."
The moment the door closed behind her, the mask dropped: "If you're going to leave, leave already. He stopped caring about you a long time ago."
Pity and triumph flickered together in her eyes.
"Did you know? He's already sworn his inheritance. Every holding goes to me and our pup. As for you and your whelp, you can spend the rest of your lives rotting in this run-down corner of the territory."
"Bond-betrayal really is your one true calling, isn't it."
I met her gaze. My voice was calm, but it cut.
The color drained from Seraphine's face.
I lowered my voice further:
"Roderic may not know what you really are. I know exactly what you are."
"I can walk away. But don't push me again."
A beat later, Seraphine's lips slowly curved into a smile, quiet, unreadable, and promising nothing good.
