"Ashton hoarded all of this for his own indulgence, with no regard for the Crown Alpha's reputation or dignity! What kind of wolf does that?"
He was trembling with righteous fury.
That ethereal face of his, all sharp angles and cool detachment.
Like some exiled wolf-spirit descended from the moon itself.
Rowena couldn't look away.
"From this day forward, everything in this territory falls under your authority."
Rowena helped Edric to his feet with her own hands.
"The moon-coins, the staff, the land, and every trade route. All of it goes to Edric."
Everything I had built.
One sentence from the Crown Alpha, and it all belonged to Edric Duskborne.
I dropped to my knees.
"Your Highness, I request a bond rejection."
Rowena stiffened.
She was about to speak, but Edric tugged gently at her sleeve.
"Your Highness, if my brother stays any longer, he'll only taint the dignity of your pack. Better to grant him what he asks."
Rowena swallowed whatever she'd been about to say.
"Granted."
When I walked out of the Crown Alpha's territory with the rejection decree in hand, the wolves on the street all stopped to stare.
Some speculated about what I'd done wrong.
Others said I deserved it.
That my head was full of nothing but trade routes and moon-coins, nothing like my brother and his lofty moon-singer principles.
I ignored every last one of them.
The truth was, mating with the Crown Alpha had never been entirely about honoring my brother's arranged mating pact.
As a member of the ruling pack, Rowena could secure an Alpha Trade Seal with almost no effort.
With that seal, I could send caravans as far as the Western Reaches and no pack would interfere.
Now that the Crown Alpha had cast me aside, the seal was gone with her.
My gaze drifted toward another estate on the west side of Moonhaven.
The younger Alpha daughter. Rowena's sister.
In truth, she was the one I'd been meant to mate with in the first place.
My brother and I had each been matched to one of the two Ashenveil daughters.
But Edric ran off on his own, and to save face with Rowena, who held the greater power, the family had no choice but to send me in his place.
In the year since, Elara Ashenveil had remained unbonded.
The door opened, and I looked at her.
"Princess Elara. The old mating pact between us. Does it still stand?"
I had prepared myself.
If she refused,
I would bow and leave without another word.