When Elara opened the gate to the Blackwood Keep,she almost thought she had entered the wrong territory.The Den,which held the scent of her five-year-long,secret Claim,had been completely contaminated.It was a raw,visceral shock to her Fated Mate senses.
She had packed most of her personal human belongings before leaving the Healer's den,but it was clear that Lyra had taken advantage of her absence to remove even more of Elara’s residual scent markers.
Elara walked slowly toward the Master Chamber’s private washroom.
On Ryder’s washstand,there was a pair of matching Pack-issued scent stones—one deep crimson,one pale lavender—clearly a set.She looked around and saw that the entire Den was now filled with these paired,coded markings.Matching Pack blankets,carved drinking horns,and communal bedding were everywhere.
Anyone who didn’t know the truth would believe this was the established Den of a deeply Mated Alpha and his She-Wolf.
Elara then recalled the early cycles of their claim.She had nervously purchased a set of simple,matching wolf emblems for their Den.
At the time,Ryder had only glanced at them with a cold Alpha eye and said,“What is the utility of these trivial,human distractions?”
After that,she never suggested another shared marking again.
Elara took a deep,steadying breath,forced her body to ignore the overwhelming,intrusive scent of Lyra that permeated the territory,and went to pack the last of her few personal belongings.She had grown accustomed to the Alpha’s indifference.After so many disappointments,her inner wolf had gone numb.
She quickly packed the remaining clothes and her precious human scrolls(books)and dispatched them to the Vance Clan Territory via protected courier.
That evening,both Elara and Ryder received coded invitations to a mandatory Alpha/Beta dinner gathering from an allied Clan.Since the invitations were sent separately—one in the name of the Vance Clan and the other in the name of the Thorne Clan—both of them arrived at the event alone.
When Elara reached the Neutral Zone gathering point,she saw Ryder exiting his armored transport with Lyra clinging to his side.
Ryder noticed her and,displaying a flicker of Alpha discomfort at the public optics,stepped forward.“My apologies,Mate.I should have ordered a patrol transport to collect you from the Den.”
“It is of no consequence,Alpha,”Elara replied with a polite,brittle smile.“Besides,I secured my own escort.”
As more guests—high-ranking Alphas and Betas—arrived,someone from an older,more traditional Pack asked curiously,“When did Alpha Thorne and Beta Vance become so close in proximity?”
Ryder hesitated.He had promised Lyra that he would publicly solidify their alliance at an official Pack gathering.But when he glanced at the petite,pale woman beside him,his Alpha tongue seemed unable to form the declaration.
Elara smiled brightly,the sound carrying a deceptive confidence.“Have you forgotten,Elder?Alpha Thorne is my direct superior now,the Alpha King.Naturally,I follow his command.”
Someone from the crowd laughed,easing the tension.“The eldest daughter of the Vance Clan working as a mere Beta secretary?Is that not a wasteful assignment for such a sharp mind?”
Another Alpha joked,“Still marking the Alpha King’s territory,Elara?Surely you know he is already Claimed!”
The people around them chuckled knowingly.
Almost everyone in their social hierarchy knew that Elara had fiercely pursued Ryder years ago,an open secret everyone acknowledged—everyone,that is,except Ryder himself.Hearing this,Ryder froze,the reality of her long-term devotion hitting him belatedly.
Before he could react,Elara spoke lightly,dismissing her past.“That was during the last moon cycle.But I have been following Alpha Thorne’s command for a while now,and I have become too comfortable.Now that you mention it,perhaps I should seek a more challenging assignment in a different Pack.”
With just a few words,Elara had expertly deflected the focus and steered the conversation toward neutral Pack trade topics,and the atmosphere became lively again.
Hearing her mention leaving—not just the Den,but his direct command—Ryder suddenly felt an unfamiliar,deep uneasiness.
He forced a stiff,practiced smile.“Beta Vance is highly valuable.I would suffer a severe loss to the Pack if she chose a different territory.”
Someone else asked,trying to fill the quiet void,“Why did Alpha Thorne not bring his Claimed Mate tonight?Your Claiming ceremony was so low-key…”
Ryder responded vaguely,“She is preoccupied with Pack matters.”
The guests wisely changed the topic.No one questioned why Lyra,who had no official standing with the Thorne Clan,was standing in the Mate's place.While Ryder was caught up in the mandatory Alpha drinking rituals with the other Clan leaders,Lyra suddenly approached Elara.
She smiled innocently,her voice like soft velvet.“Sister-in-law…Oh,I—I mean,Elara.I sensed from my Alpha that you and Ryder already signed the decree for severance,is that correct?”
Elara looked at the she-wolf pretending innocence and calmly replied,“Yes.”
Lyra let out a visible sigh of relieved acceptance,her smile growing more natural.“That is good…I thought you still felt a bond of devotion toward my Alpha.”
As soon as Lyra finished speaking,she acted as if she had revealed a forbidden truth.She shook her head,nervously twisting the hem of her expensive human dress like a shy little pup.
But Elara could clearly see the hidden satisfaction burning in her eyes.
“Really,Lyra?”Elara asked,setting down her drinking horn,a faint,dangerous smile forming on her lips.“It certainly took you a long time to cease your scent marking.”
