Lyra had not anticipated Elara’s inner wolf to remain so calmly subdued.A flicker of surprise—or perhaps disappointment—crossed her eyes.Slowly,she began to believe that perhaps Elara truly no longer carried any deep scent of devotion for Ryder.
Lyra’s visible hostility faded slightly.She took Elara’s arm with a false affection,projecting an aura of naive vulnerability.“Elara,you don’t know how utterly I rely on my Alpha…”
Her voice was soft,like the rustle of dry leaves,but there was an unmistakable,triumphant sense of pride in its cadence.
“This cycle,my Alpha helped me secure my severance.My ex-Mate’s Clan caused deep territorial trouble and even blocked the sole entrance to my temporary den.”
Lyra leaned closer,her scent of manufactured distress giving way to pride.“But my Alpha hired Elder Weston and had them driven off the perimeter overnight.When it came to the property settlement—the division of the shared territory—he utilized the Thorne Clan’s entire network to ensure I kept the best lands.Even my most difficult former Mate’s mother-wolf didn’t dare challenge his decree.”
Lyra’s eyes shone with blatant admiration for Ryder’s power.
Then,she lowered her voice shyly.“To be honest...I never Mated my ex-Mate out of true devotion.I had little choice;the Pack demanded it.But now that I sense the shift in fate...My Alpha and I are not biologically related,nor are we bound by the archaic Mating laws anymore…”
Her meaning was now as sharp and clear as a fresh wound.
Lyra had only entered the previous Mating contract due to Pack ethics and necessity.Now that nothing stood in the way—no legal tie,no claimed Mate—she and Ryder could finally complete their destined bond.
Elara slowly swirled the ceremonial mead in her glass and asked lightly,“So,what you are declaring is...you desire your Alpha,Lyra?”
Lyra’s face flushed instantly,a deep,tell-tale red.
She lowered her head and whispered,“I...I don’t know.I’ve just always depended on him for my safety and protection.”
Her voice took on a nostalgic,possessive tone as she continued,“When I was a sick pup,my Alpha stayed by my side all night,guarding the entrance to my den.When I was targeted by the rogue teenagers at the training grounds,he personally went to confront the Clan Leaders of their families.Even when I first experienced my first internal cycle,my Alpha ran out to secure the necessary human supplies…”
Elara listened,feeling a crushing,hollow emptiness grow inside her.She suddenly realized that even though she and Ryder had been pups together,she could never compete with the primal,familial bond that he and Lyra shared.
The Ryder who had always been distant,cold,and strictly professional with her,his Claimed Mate...had been endlessly loving,nurturing,and indulgent toward Lyra.Elara had been blind to this painful disparity for too long.Only after being deliberately neglected over and over had she finally learned to release the claim.
Lyra suddenly raised her head,her gaze cautious and testing.“Elara...do you sense the way I look at my Alpha is...inappropriate?”
Elara remained silent,studying the subtle shifts in the she-wolf’s defensive posture.
Lyra’s possessiveness over Ryder was so blatant,her schemes so transparent,that she had the gall to declare it openly to his Claimed Mate.
But instead of reacting with the expected jealousy,Elara simply smiled as she calmly responded,“It is not inappropriate.I sense...your Alpha returns that affection,Lyra.”
Lyra’s voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper,edged with triumph.“Then,Elara...will you release the Alpha’s claim to me?”
Elara met her expectant gaze,the bright,innocent hope in Lyra's eyes a perfect mirror to her own former desperation.“Perhaps,”she answered lightly.
She didn't announce her Separation Decree outright.There was no reason to hand Lyra the full victory of the Alpha King so easily.
Still,Lyra seemed deeply satisfied with the ambiguous answer.A conquering,radiant smile spread across her face,as if the Alpha's title and territory were already fully ceded to her.On the way back to the Keep,Lyra dozed off in the back seat of the transport.
Ryder glanced at Elara through the reflective surface of the rearview mirror and spoke in a low,guilt-ridden voice.“Elara,next cycle...I promise I’ll publicly acknowledge our true,binding bond.”
Elara smiled gently,her voice calm and final.“It is of no consequence,Ryder.Our Claiming was only a contractual agreement for the Pack.I comprehend its limits.”
Her calm,immediate acceptance of the lie made Ryder distinctly uneasy.
He hurriedly reassured her,his voice bordering on the desperate.“At the earliest,in a single cycle,I’ll—”
“We have reached the perimeter,”Elara cut him off,looking out the window at the distant gate of the Keep.
One day became one cycle.A single cycle became a full moon.A full moon became a year.
Elara had finally learned the crucial Pack lesson:never wait for promises that will never be secured.Five years of this false claim.She would treat it as nothing more than a fevered,brief dream.And now,after emerging from that dream,it was time to pack her strength and move into the unclaimed wilderness.
The city lights—the distant,human lights beyond the Pack border—flickered outside,just like the hope she had desperately clung to for the past five years,always igniting,only to be extinguished again and again.Now,she had finally accepted the darkness.There was no utility in chasing a light that would never illuminate her territory.
