Three years ago, I had a fight with my father and stormed out of the pack stronghold in a fit of rage, chasing after my dream of a quiet life far from the howling and the hierarchy.
I suppressed my Alpha scent with rare herbal compounds, concealed the Ashvale bloodline markings that glowed faintly under moonlight, and shook off his shadow sentinels along the way. I settled at the foot of this mountain in the borderlands, where no wolf of standing would think to look.
That was when I met Seraphina Blackthorn. She was running in human form along the ridgeline, dark hair streaming behind her, a smile playing at the corner of her lips. Her scent hit me before I even saw her face. One look, and I fell hopelessly in love.
I hid my identity from her, and she told me only that she was a rogue she-wolf wandering the territories. With the Moon Goddess as our witness, we became mates.
We had no Blood Circlet or moonlit ceremony, but tending the herb garden and running the tree line side by side, we were happy.
Now the den was destroyed, and I was locked away in that isolation den.
The only glimpse of the outside world I could steal was through a crack in the corner of the wall.
A few women passed by on the road, whispering about the mating ceremony at the Stormfang estate.
"Did you hear? The Elder Councilor's trueborn daughter petitioned the Supreme Alpha himself to get a Blood Circlet for the young Alpha heir. Traded three generations of warrior bloodline honors for it!"
"Well, he is the heir to the Stormfang Pack. He deserves that kind of ceremony."
"They're a perfect match in bloodline standing. What a striking pair they'll make."
The Blood Circlet they spoke of had been my favorite in the stronghold. I simply hadn't reached the age to take a mate, so my father never bestowed it upon me.
On my own mating night with Seraphina, all I had worn was a wreath of moonflowers she'd woven by hand.
She had said, "My Fenris deserves the finest things in the world. Even an Alpha Heir's Blood Circlet wouldn't be too good for you."
And now she had traded her family's honors to give that very circlet to Caspian Stormfang.
That evening, Seraphina brought a whole box of the pastries I loved.
She sat across from me, her expression calm. "Eat something. You haven't had a bite all day."
I picked up a piece and ate it slowly, in small bites.
But watching her act as though nothing had happened filled my chest with a bitterness I couldn't swallow.
"When did it happen?"
Seraphina froze for a moment. She poured me a cup of tea, her movements stiff with embarrassment, then answered in a flat voice, "On your Moon Blessing Day."
The blood drained from my body. A moon cycle ago, on my Moon Blessing Day, Seraphina had vanished without a word. I searched for her the entire night, combing every slope and valley in wolf form, up the mountain and down, nose to the ground, tracking her scent until it dissolved into nothing at the river crossing.
She didn't return until the next day, windswept and dusty, claiming she'd gotten lost while looking for a gift for me.
Then, beaming like a child presenting a treasure, she produced a snow lotus from behind her back.
I hadn't slept all night, but seeing how much thought she'd put into it, I couldn't bring myself to scold her. I took the flower and tended it carefully.
Now she was telling me that on my Moon Blessing Day, she had been with Caspian Stormfang in secret. Nausea churned through me.
Even so, thinking of everything we'd shared, I couldn't stop myself from wanting to give her one more chance.
"Seraphina, can you not mate with him?"
She turned the teacup between her fingers, brow furrowed tight.
"Not mate with him? Mate with you instead?"
"Do you really have to force me to say something cruel?"
"He's the Alpha heir of the Stormfang Pack. And you? An unmarked wolf who knows nothing but watering crops and tilling soil. How could you possibly be worthy of an Elder Councilor's trueborn daughter?"
My face went white. I pressed on, unwilling to let go. "Do three years of what we had really have to be measured by bloodline standing?"
A sharp, twisting pain tore through my lower abdomen. I clutched my stomach, but I still waited for her answer.
"In pureblood families, bloodline and rank are everything. The line between trueborn and unmarked is absolute."
She paused, and guilt crept across her face as she looked at me.
"The pup I'm carrying might be his."
My mind went blank. I stared at her, unable to comprehend.
"Fenris, my pup has to be recognized as the Stormfang Pack's firstborn legitimate heir. That's the only way you'll be safe."
The pain in my gut twisted like a knife. Cold sweat beaded across my forehead. Something deep inside me, the faintest ember of my inner wolf, stirred with a low whine I barely recognized as my own. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of the box of pastries.
"Seraphina, you poisoned me for him? How could you bring yourself to do that?"
Seraphina's eyes reddened, and she apologized over and over.
"I'm sorry, Fenris. He found out you exist. Based on the timing, the pup could be yours. He won't allow anyone to threaten his position."
