On the other end of the howl-call, her voice trembled with tears, dripping with helplessness. "Fenris, my former mate's pack is gathered outside my lodge quarters, blocking the entrance, threatening me not to proceed with the Bond Dissolution. I don't know what to do."
His expression shifted instantly. He slammed his foot down, and the vehicle shot forward through the night.
He kept his voice low and soothing as he drove. "Don't be frightened. I'm coming to you. Stay inside and don't open the door. Wait for me."
I gripped the seat restraint, my knuckles white. "Fenris, slow down. This is reckless."
Only then did he seem to remember I was sitting beside him. He hit the brakes hard, his tone clipped and decisive. "Find your own way to the den. I have to go—now."
Before I could respond, he was already accelerating again.
The vehicle tore down the road, ignoring every signal as if his own safety meant nothing.
I stood alone on the empty path, discarded like an afterthought, a hollow ache spreading through my chest.
I took a deep breath and summoned a transport.
At the Central Den, I buried myself in pack duties.
I handled my responsibilities while quietly, deliberately passing tasks to others.
This bond was over. I couldn't keep relying on him—or on what we used to be.
He didn't return until nearly the end of the day.
The tension from this morning had vanished. His shoulders were relaxed, his expression light, the ghost of a smile playing at the corner of his lips.
When I stepped into his council chamber to deliver my report, I caught it—that familiar, cloying scent clinging to him. Aurora's signature fragrance, sweet and floral, layered over his natural musk.
He flipped through the documents absently, then glanced up. His gaze landed on my bare finger where my bonding mark should have gleamed.
"Why did you conceal your bond mark?"
My voice stayed even. "You didn't want me displaying it. You were worried someone in the pack might notice our connection. So I stopped."
"Is that so?" He nodded, seemingly satisfied with the explanation.
If he'd thought about it for even a second longer, he would have realized how strange it was—that I, who had always insisted on everyone recognizing our bond, had suddenly hidden all traces of it.
But he didn't.
He just smiled faintly, his eyes distant, still savoring whatever had happened with Aurora.
I let out a bitter half-smile and turned to leave.
Outside the chamber, I pulled out my message-crystal. Sure enough, Aurora had just shared a new memory-capture for the pack network.
One image flickered past in the recording.
Fenris's back, framed in a kitchen doorway.
He was wearing an apron, cooking utensil in hand, his expression soft and focused as he prepared a meal for her.
He had never liked being in the cooking quarters.
I was the one who had taught myself to prepare food, hoping to make something he'd enjoy.
Only now did I finally understand.
It wasn't that he didn't want to cook.
He just didn't want to cook for me.
I stood by the moonlit pool behind the Central Den, watching the silver light ripple across the water while something cold and sharp twisted in my chest.
I pulled the bonding token from my pocket and held it in my palm, as if I could still feel the warmth it once carried.
"Goodbye."
The word was barely a whisper.
I drew my arm back and hurled the token into the pool.
It arced through the air, broke the surface, and sank without a trace.
I took a deep breath, straightened my spine, and walked away.
After a pack council session later that day, I noticed Fenris's gaze pause on an unfamiliar face standing nearby. His brow furrowed, almost imperceptibly.
"Who is this?" He turned to me, a note of surprise in his voice.
"Selene Frostveil. She's my trainee from the Mooncourt." I kept my tone neutral. "Going forward, she'll be handling the council records."
He considered this for a moment, then nodded, his voice casual. "That works. No need for you to waste your abilities on minor duties like that."
Minor duties.
I laughed quietly to myself.
