The forest blurred past as I ran, my wolf's paws pounding against the frost-hardened earth. The midnight air burned in my lungs, but I couldn't stop. Not when every breath still carried the phantom scent of cedar and rain mixed with vanilla and jasmine.
I'd been running for hours, pushing my wolf to her limits. The pack house lay miles behind, but I could still feel the mate bond tugging at my chest—a cruel reminder of what I was about to lose.
My wolf stumbled near the eastern border, exhaustion finally catching up. I shifted back to human form, collapsing against an ancient oak tree. The bark scraped against my bare skin, grounding me in physical sensation when everything else felt like it was spinning out of control.
Then it happened. The pain hit like lightning, starting in my chest and radiating outward. My wolf howled—a sound of pure anguish that tore from my throat before I could stop it. The mate bond was straining, responding to Ethan's emotional distance with physical agony.
*Hannah?*
The mind-link startled me. I recognized the voice immediately—warm, steady, concerned. James.
*I'm sorry,* I responded, trying to close the connection. *I didn't mean to project so loudly.*
*Where are you?* His mental voice carried an edge of worry. *That kind of pain... are you hurt?*
*Eastern border. Near the old oak.* I couldn't lie to him. James had always seen through my masks anyway. *I'm... I'm not physically hurt.*
Silence stretched between us. Then, gently: *I'm coming to you.*
*James, no—*
*You shouldn't be alone. Not like this.*
The connection faded, leaving me with my wolf's whimpers and the taste of tears I hadn't realized I'd been crying.
True to his word, James appeared within minutes, his massive black wolf moving through the underbrush like shadow given form. He shifted smoothly, and I averted my eyes as he pulled on the clothes he'd carried.
"Hannah." He crouched beside me, maintaining a respectful distance. "What happened?"
The words tumbled out between sobs. Ethan's cold announcement. Olivia's betrayal. The dress fitting that shattered what was left of my heart. Planning my own replacement.
"He's rejecting me at the next full moon," I whispered. "Seven years, James. Seven years of devotion, and he's throwing me away because I can't give him an heir."
James's jaw tightened. In the moonlight, I caught the flash of amber in his dark eyes—his wolf responding to my pain. "Hannah, there's something you need to know."
I looked up at him, confused by the certainty in his voice.
"Three years ago, at the alliance meeting between our packs," he began carefully, "my wolf sensed something. About Ethan."
My heart stuttered. "What do you mean?"
"Alphas have heightened senses, especially regarding pack bloodlines and fertility. It's how we instinctively know who will strengthen our packs." He paused, clearly weighing his words. "Hannah, Ethan is sterile. I've known for years."
The forest spun around me. "You... you knew?"
"I thought you knew too. I assumed that's why you never..." He trailed off. "This rejection, this plan with Olivia—it's all a sham. She could never bear his pups because he can't father them."
A broken laugh escaped me. "Oh, I knew."
James's eyes widened.
"I've known for seven years," I admitted, my voice hollow. "Since right after our mating ceremony."
The memory crashed over me like a wave, and suddenly I was there again...
*Eleanor Foster's private study smelled of lavender and old paper. She'd summoned me the morning after my mating night, when I should have been basking in newfound joy.*
*"Sit," she'd commanded, her silver hair gleaming in the morning light.*
*I'd obeyed, still naive enough to hope for acceptance.*
*She'd slid a folder across her desk—medical records, test results, official pack healer documentation. All stamped with confidential seals.*
*"My son is sterile," she'd stated without preamble. "Has been since a childhood illness. He doesn't know—we've kept it from him to protect his Alpha status."*
*My world had tilted on its axis. "Why are you telling me this?"*
*"Because you have a choice." Her cold blue eyes had bored into mine. "Reject him now, before the bond fully settles. Find a mate who can give you pups. Leave, and never speak of this."*
*"And if I stay?"*
*She'd smiled then, sharp and cruel. "Then you bear the burden of this secret. You endure his disappointment month after month. You watch him blame you for what his body cannot do. And when he finally breaks under the weight of his failure, you'll have no one to blame but yourself."*
*I'd looked at those papers—proof of my mate's deepest shame—and made my choice.*
*"I stay," I'd whispered. "He's my mate. I love him."*
*Eleanor's expression had shifted to something between disgust and pity. "Then you're a fool. But if you breathe one word of this to him..."*
*"I won't. I'll protect him."*
*And I had. For seven long years.*
"Hannah." James's voice pulled me back to the present. His face was a mix of awe and horror. "You knew, and you stayed? You let him blame you?"
"He's my mate," I said simply. "Was my mate. I thought... I thought our bond was enough. That love was enough."
"While you protected his pride, he plotted with your best friend to replace you." The growl in James's voice made me shiver. "You deserved so much better."
"Did I?" I met his eyes, seeing my own pain reflected there. "Maybe Eleanor was right. Maybe I was just a fool."
"No." James moved closer, his warmth a comfort against the cold night. "You loved with a pure heart. He's the fool for throwing that away."
We sat in silence, the weight of truth settling between us. In the distance, a wolf howled—lonely and lost.
Just like me.
But for the first time in years, I wasn't bearing this burden alone.
