The Fenris who had always kept his distance with me, always maintained that careful restraint, always treating our mating bond like nothing more than a territorial arrangement—that same Alpha showered Aurora with unconditional devotion and fierce protection.
I had realized it far too late.
I had to shatter completely before I could admit it was time to sever the bond.
"Lyra." She lifted her head suddenly, her pale eyes carrying a cautious, probing gleam. "Do you think it's... strange? The way I feel about Fenris?"
I watched her in silence.
Her scheming lacked any real subtlety. Her possessiveness over Fenris was almost embarrassingly obvious, her scent spiking with it whenever she spoke his name.
She had even said these things directly to me—his bonded mate, at least by oath.
But I found myself smiling.
Playing along, I kept my voice gentle. "It's not strange. I think Fenris cares about you very much too."
"Then, Lyra..." Her voice dropped to barely a whisper, her scent turning sweet with anticipation. "Would you give him up for me?"
I looked into those eyes brimming with expectation. My tone stayed flat. "Maybe."
I did not mention that I was already preparing for Bond Rejection.
I was not about to hand her any certainties ahead of time.
But she seemed thoroughly satisfied with my vague answer. A smile spread across her face—almost triumphant—as if Fenris were already within her grasp, as if she could already feel his claiming bite on her throat.
On the journey back to the estate, Aurora slept soundly in the back of the carriage, her breathing soft and even.
Fenris glanced at me through the reflection in the window glass, his voice low and apologetic. "Sweetheart, next time I'll definitely announce our bond to the pack."
I just smiled softly. "It's fine. We have an arranged bond. I understand."
Something flickered in his golden eyes when he saw how calm I was. A thread of unease he could not quite name, his wolf stirring beneath his skin.
"A week at most," he added quickly. "I'll have everything sorted out with the Pack Council."
"We're here." I cut him off, turning to look out the window. The carriage had already stopped before the gates of the Alpha's Keep.
One day became one week. One week became one moon cycle. One moon cycle became one full turning of seasons.
His promises meant nothing to me anymore.
Five years of this bond—just a dream woven from moonlight and false hope.
And now that I had woken, it was time to gather my belongings and leave this den behind.
Outside the window, the territory's boundary torches flickered on and off in the night wind.
Just like my hopes over these five years. Kindled again and again. Extinguished again and again.
But now, I had finally learned.
I would stop waiting for a light that was never meant to shine on me.
The night deepened, the twin moons rising high above the mountain peaks.
Fenris wrapped his arms around me from behind, his warm breath brushing past my ear, carrying his familiar pine and smoke scent. His voice was low and tender.
"Sweetheart, how about I take you to the Ashvale Bloodline Keep soon? To see your parents?"
I stiffened slightly and turned to look at him. "Why the sudden visit?"
"You've seemed down lately." His fingers traced slow circles on my shoulder, his touch gentle in a way that felt almost foreign. "I thought returning to your birth pack might lift your spirits."
I thought of the Ashvale territory back home.
Every tree, every stream, every hunting trail there held memories of our childhood together—back when we had run through the forests as pups, before bonds and duty and heartbreak.
I was still lost in thought when he added casually, "Oh, and I received word that your father hasn't been well. Good timing to check on him."
"Father is ill?" I sat up abruptly, my wolf surging forward in alarm. "Why didn't I know about this?"
He soothed me immediately, pulling me back against his chest. "Don't worry. I only found out because the Den Keeper let it slip during her report. She said it's nothing serious—just the strain of his years catching up with him."
He tucked me closer into his arms. "So let's go see him."
I exhaled in relief and nodded, my wolf settling reluctantly.
I could not explain what I was hoping for, but strangely, that night he was unusually restrained. He simply held me—no wandering hands seeking more, no attempt to deepen our scent-bond through intimacy.
The change nagged at me, and an old pack saying surfaced unbidden in my mind.
When an Alpha suddenly loses interest in his mate's warmth, it's usually because his hunger has already been satisfied elsewhere.
I gripped the edge of the fur blanket, forcing myself not to follow that thought any further, even as my wolf whimpered softly in the depths of my chest.
