So in his mind, I was simply here at the Healer's Lodge to rest and let my body mend.
I watched him in silence, studying the sharp angles of his jaw, the way his wolf's presence barely stirred beneath his skin when he looked at me.
Every time I'd felt unwell before, I would let my scent turn soft and pleading, nuzzling against him, begging him through our bond to stay close.
But this time, I hadn't sent a single howl-call.
And he hadn't remembered I existed until a full week later.
Seventeen missed calls or none at all—in the end, the result was exactly the same.
Why torture myself?
"I figured you were too occupied with pack matters," I said softly, keeping my scent carefully neutral. "I didn't want to burden you."
Something flickered across his face, a brief shadow passing through those amber eyes. He stepped forward to embrace me, his arms wrapping around my smaller frame. "I'm your mate. You could never burden me."
I didn't pull away, but I didn't lean into his warmth either.
The moment my head rested against his shoulder, breathing in the familiar pine and storm scent of him, the question slipped out before I could stop it: "The same way you feel about Aurora?"
I regretted it instantly.
It made me sound like a jealous Omega fighting for scraps of her Alpha's attention.
His body went rigid for a split second, his wolf stirring with something I couldn't read, before he recovered. He chuckled, stroking my hair with practiced ease. "Of course it's the same."
Just then, Kael's howl-call came through the message-sigil on my wrist.
I kept it brief in front of Fenris—a few short responses through the magical link before closing the connection.
His brow furrowed deeper, dark eyes narrowing. "Come to think of it, I ran into Raven's mate a few days ago at the border patrol gathering. Couldn't tell they were heading for a Bond Severance."
"It's Raven's decision alone," I said, keeping my voice even. "Her mate doesn't know yet."
"Isn't dissolving a mating bond supposed to be a two-wolf decision?" Confusion clouded his handsome features.
I looked him straight in the eye, holding his gaze without flinching. "Because Raven discovered her mate was secretly meeting up with his first intended—the one he'd courted before her—behind her back. She caught traces of the other female's scent on him. She couldn't accept it, so she decided to file the petition quietly with the Mooncourt. If she confronted him directly, he'd probably refuse to agree right away and invoke his Alpha rights."
Righteous indignation flashed across his features, his wolf bristling visibly beneath his skin. "Then she absolutely should sever the bond. A wolf like that is unworthy of his rank."
I lowered my gaze and said nothing.
Fenris knew Raven's mate personally—they'd hunted together, shared territory patrols.
Given how he always prided himself on knowing everything about his inner circle, there was no way he didn't know whether Rowan had a first intended or not.
Yet he hadn't hesitated for even a second before agreeing with me.
Which meant his mind was already somewhere else entirely.
"How much longer on Aurora's Bond Dissolution cooling period?" I asked suddenly.
"Fifteen more days." The answer came without a moment's thought—he'd clearly been counting down each moonrise.
I gazed at the pale sunlight streaming through the lodge window, watching dust motes dance in the golden beams. "That should line up nicely, then."
"What?" He blinked, confusion rippling through his scent.
"Nothing."
I smiled and let it drop.
His message-sigil pulsed with an incoming call.
This wolf who hadn't spared a single thought for my seventeen missed howl-calls now answered on reflex, like a trained response burned into his very bones.
"Hello, Aurora?"
His voice turned gentle instantly, all the hard edges of the Alpha melting away.
Through the sigil's connection came Aurora's tearful whimper: "Fenris, I'm alone in the den and I'm so scared. There are strange scents near the boundary."
"Don't be scared. I'm on my way." His tone was soothing, tender in a way I hadn't heard directed at me in years. He glanced at me almost unconsciously, something like guilt flickering through his expression.
I watched the scene unfold with perfect calm. There was nothing left in my chest to ache—the place where our bond should have thrummed felt hollow and still.
So that was how it worked.
When Aurora was by his side, he knew any incoming call couldn't possibly be from me—so the message-sigil didn't matter.
When Aurora wasn't around, he was terrified of missing a single whisper from her.
After he closed the connection, his restlessness was palpable. His wolf paced beneath his skin, eager to run to her.
Maybe my comment about the first intended had struck a nerve somewhere deep. He didn't immediately announce he was leaving.
"Go handle your pack duties," I offered, my voice perfectly steady. "Don't let me keep you from your responsibilities."
Relief washed over him, so obvious it might have been funny if it weren't so painful. He rattled off a hasty reminder: "When are you being released from the healers' care? Send me a sigil-message and I'll escort you back to the den."
Then he strode out of the room, his long legs carrying him away with barely contained urgency.
He didn't look back once.
Another week passed. I packed my belongings, ready to be discharged from the Healer's Lodge.
I sent him three howl-calls. Every single one went unanswered, the connection simply fading into silence.
Meanwhile, Aurora's latest appearance at the Lunar Celebration had spread across every pack's territory—her graceful dance, her radiant smile, the way she'd stood beside Fenris's empty seat as if she already belonged there. The story had traveled through a hundred dens and counting.
