Elder Rowan studied her for a long moment after she promised to handle Nathanie herself. At last, his stern expression eased.
“Very well,” he said, folding his hands atop the desk carved from ancient oak. “If Alpha Nathanie raises no objection, the Healing Council will not stand in your way.”
Adriana inclined her head. “Thank you, Elder. I’ll speak to him. He’ll consent.”
She gathered the blood-sealed parchment and stepped out of the council chamber with measured composure.
The moment the heavy doors shut behind her, that composure cracked.
Her confidence had been easy to display in front of the elder. Convincing Nathanie would not be so simple. The full-moon ceremony that would formally bind them as Alpha and Luna was barely a month away. The pack had already begun preparations.
There had been a time when she had counted the days in anticipation.
Now she counted them like a prisoner marking a cell wall.
Just days ago, when she tried to discuss the ceremony, Nathanie had waved the subject aside.
“The territory is overwhelmed with rogue attacks and border disputes,” he had said flatly. “We don’t need a grand mating ritual. We’ll mark the bond quietly before the elders and be done with it. There’s no need for spectacle.”
She had swallowed her disappointment then, telling herself he was simply burdened by responsibility.
Until that same night.
Standing on the balcony outside their chamber, she had paused when she heard his voice drifting from the shadows below.
“Don’t worry, Olivia,” he murmured softly. “There won’t be any ceremony. If I choose not to hold one, no one can compel me.”
The tenderness in his tone had pierced deeper than any blade.
In that instant, she understood.
It wasn’t the pack’s unrest that made him refuse a public bond.
It was Olivia.
The realization left her strangely empty, as though something vital inside her had already been severed.
Their engagement—if it could even be called that—felt like a hollow promise.
Leaving the territory suddenly seemed less like escape and more like mercy.
But would he allow it?
Her thoughts tangled as she crossed the stone courtyard. Distracted, she failed to notice the solid figure stepping into her path.
She collided with a broad chest and stumbled.
A sharp cry escaped her as her ankle twisted painfully. She would have fallen if not for a strong arm circling her waist, pulling her upright.
“What’s going on with you?” Nathanie’s deep voice cut through her haze. “I called your name three times. You didn’t even react.”
Even after years at his side, being held so close still unsettled her. Heat crept into her cheeks as she met his steady gaze. There was no sign on his face that he knew she had just secured approval to leave him behind.
“I was thinking about the infirmary,” she said lightly. “There’s been a lot to handle.”
His eyes narrowed slightly, as if weighing her answer, but he let it pass. Instead, he crouched in front of her, lifting the hem of her trousers to examine her swollen ankle.
His fingers pressed carefully along the joint.
She hissed at the sting.
Without hesitation, he slid one arm beneath her knees and the other behind her back, lifting her as though she weighed nothing.
“It’s not minor,” he said. “You’ve strained it badly. You shouldn’t be walking for a few days.”
The courtyard guards glanced their way, and Adriana stiffened.
“Put me down,” she whispered urgently. “People are watching.”
He ignored her protest entirely and smacked her lightly on the hip when she tried to wriggle free. “Stop struggling. You’re injured.”
Despite everything, her wolf reacted to his touch—an instinct she despised.
He had only taken a few strides toward the infirmary when his communication crystal vibrated in his pocket.
He paused, shifting her weight slightly as he answered.
A bright, sugary voice floated from the device.
“Nathanie? Are you at the manor? I think I’m coming down with something. Could you check on me? I feel terrible.”
Olivia.
Adriana didn’t need to see the name etched on the crystal to know.
She watched his expression soften almost immediately, the stern Alpha replaced by something gentler.
A small smile curved his lips.
Adriana lowered her gaze and began counting silently in her head.
One.
Two.
Three.
Before she reached ten, he stopped walking.
Carefully, almost reluctantly, he set her back on her feet.
“There’s an urgent matter,” he said, avoiding her eyes as he steadied her briefly. “Someone at the manor needs me.”
Of course they did.
She forced a faint nod.
“I understand,” she replied evenly.
He hesitated for half a heartbeat, then turned and strode away, already issuing quiet instructions through the crystal.
Adriana remained standing in the courtyard, her ankle throbbing, watching his retreating figure.
The decision she had made in the council chamber no longer felt uncertain.
If she left this territory, there would be nothing here holding her back.
