And so for ten years, I, who never cared for anything flashy or ornate, always pinned the most vivid moonblossom I could find before going to see him.
I stood beside him through his glory days, his war markings and swift wolf-form runs across enemy lines, his meteoric rise.
And my reward was a blade through the belly and a pack in the ground.
This life, I intended to live differently.
I walked faster.
Briar rose on her toes and hurried to keep up.
Behind us, the crowd erupted. Howls split the air, dozens layering into a wall of sound that rattled in my chest.
Hoofbeats hammered closer, louder, shaking the ground beneath my feet.
"Seraphina!"
A man's voice split the air beside my ear.
My feet stopped. My body turned, stiff as a board.
Fenris Vargr sat tall on his warhorse, silver-edged battle pelt gleaming, the Crimson Fang crest burned into the dark leather across his chest. Sharp brows, striking eyes, a jaw cut hard enough to draw blood on. He was so handsome it almost hurt to look at him.
His scent hit me before his words did. Woodsmoke and hot iron and crushed juniper, and beneath it all something like scorched earth. My wolf stirred, a low involuntary pull in my ribs that I had spent two lifetimes mistaking for love.
I held still. I did not let it move me.
"Not going to congratulate me on my victory?"
He watched me, expectation written across his face.
Every she-wolf in the crowd turned to stare at me, green with envy.
Once, I would have basked in those looks.
Savored the certainty that I was the only one in Fenris Vargr's heart.
Until I saw with my own eyes what he did for Ravenna Vargr.
Then I understood. All that devotion he'd shown me was nothing but a screen to hide the feelings he could never let the world see.
My voice came out flat. "The line of wolves waiting to congratulate you stretches from one end of this territory to the other, Alpha Commander. You won't miss me."
His brow furrowed. "Three years apart, Seraphina, and this is what you have to say to me?"
I let my gaze drift across his face, calm as still water. "Oh, one more thing. When you find the time, send our scent-bond courtship contract back to the Blackthorn household."
Fenris froze.
He swung off his horse and nearly stumbled on the landing.
"What is that supposed to mean? Explain yourself."
I had no interest in explaining anything to him.
The only thought in my head was to get as far from here as possible.