I suppressed my Alpha scent with rare herbal compounds, concealed the Ashvale bloodline markings that glowed faintly under moonlight, and shook off his shadow sentinels along the way. I settled at the foot of this mountain in the borderlands, where no wolf of standing would think to look.
That was when I met Seraphina Blackthorn. She was running in human form along the ridgeline, dark hair streaming behind her, a smile playing at the corner of her lips. Her scent hit me before I even saw her face. One look, and I fell hopelessly in love.
I hid my identity from her, and she told me only that she was a rogue she-wolf wandering the territories. With the Moon Goddess as our witness, we became mates.
We had no Blood Circlet or moonlit ceremony, but tending the herb garden and running the tree line side by side, we were happy.
Now the den was destroyed, and I was locked away in that isolation den.
The only glimpse of the outside world I could steal was through a crack in the corner of the wall.
A few women passed by on the road, whispering about the mating ceremony at the Stormfang estate.
"Did you hear? The Elder Councilor's trueborn daughter petitioned the Supreme Alpha himself to get a Blood Circlet for the young Alpha heir. Traded three generations of warrior bloodline honors for it!"
"Well, he is the heir to the Stormfang Pack. He deserves that kind of ceremony."
"They're a perfect match in bloodline standing. What a striking pair they'll make."
The Blood Circlet they spoke of had been my favorite in the stronghold. I simply hadn't reached the age to take a mate, so my father never bestowed it upon me.
On my own mating night with Seraphina, all I had worn was a wreath of moonflowers she'd woven by hand.
She had said, "My Fenris deserves the finest things in the world. Even an Alpha Heir's Blood Circlet wouldn't be too good for you."
And now she had traded her family's honors to give that very circlet to Caspian Stormfang.
That evening, Seraphina brought a whole box of the pastries I loved.
She sat across from me, her expression calm. "Eat something. You haven't had a bite all day."
I picked up a piece and ate it slowly, in small bites.
But watching her act as though nothing had happened filled my chest with a bitterness I couldn't swallow.
"When did it happen?"