“Did I?”Ryder responded,considering for a second,then nodded,seemingly satisfied with the convenient excuse.If Ryder had used his Alpha insight,he would have sensed the sheer gravity of his Mate—a woman who had always yearned for public recognition—removing her sacred claim marker.But he was distracted,a soft smile playing on his lips,his mind clearly still dominated by thoughts of Lyra.
Elara forced a silent,brittle chuckle,left his office,and pulled out her comm-link.Lyra had just posted a sensory log on the rival Clan’s social channel.
In one short clip,Ryder,the fearsome Alpha King,was standing in a small kitchen,wearing a human apron,cooking with an expression of intense focus.Ryder despised the preparation of human food.Elara had spent years mastering the Pack’s traditional meals for him.The truth now hit her like a physical blow:Ryder wasn’t unwilling to cook.He was simply unwilling to cook for her.
Following the raw realization,Elara walked to the edge of the Keep’s deep-water training pool.The water shimmered under the fading mountain light,but she felt only the chilling cold of absolute isolation.
She pulled the Claiming Ring from her pocket,holding the cold metal in her palm,feeling the last vestiges of its warmth and the faint metallic tang of his territorial scent.
“Farewell,”she whispered,the word tasting of ashes.
With all her remaining strength,she launched the ring into the dark water.It arced high against the darkening sky before sinking,disappearing forever into the depths of the Pack’s territory.
Taking a deep,clean breath—untainted by the false hope of the bond—Elara turned away.Her heavy boots clicked purposefully against the paved path as she walked away,her chin tilted high.She was done looking back at the shadow of the Alpha King.
After the Pack’s quarterly council meeting,Ryder Thorne,the Alpha King,cast a sharp,assessing look at the unfamiliar female wolf standing near his desk.
“Who is this?”he demanded,his voice carrying the low,authoritative growl that commanded attention across the Blackwood Keep.He addressed Elara Vance,who was calmly organizing the mission reports.
“Kai,a newly vetted Pack member I trained,”Elara replied,her tone deliberately even.“He will handle the meeting records and Pack logs from this cycle forward.”