Before he left for the border wars, Fenris Ashclaw promised he would mate me the day he returned victorious.
I waited three years.
On the day of his triumphant return, my father went to the Ashclaw Den with the mating contract sealed under the Moon Goddess's witness. He was thrown out.
Fenris's words were simple: "I'll take her, sure. But only as a kept she-wolf. No ceremony, no courtship marks, no mating bond."
The ceremonial procession passed the Ashclaw Den that day.
He and his war-bonded wolves were doubled over with laughter. "It was a joke! I can't believe you actually took it seriously."
"She'd stoop to being a kept wolf just to be mine. Briar Thornheart, how can you be so pathetic?"
The crowd of gathered wolves kept growing, but he didn't stop. He ordered his men to strip the courtship scent-marks from my skin, accused me of stealing the Alpha Prince's moonstone amulet, and dragged me through the territory grounds toward the Pack Council.
Then the Alpha Prince arrived in a rush and pulled me into his arms.
The color drained from Fenris Ashclaw's face.
——
I had been hauled from the procession by Fenris, stumbling and disheveled.
The wolves behind him were howling with laughter, shoving each other's shoulders.
"The great firstborn she-wolf of the Thornheart bloodline, willing to be a kept wolf for our Fenris. Aren't you ashamed of dragging your bloodline's name through the mud?"
"Even as a kept wolf, she'd need Fenris's approval first."
"Come on, Fenris. The girl's clearly head over heels for you. Just take her in. She threw herself at your gates. It's not like you're losing anything."
Another roar of laughter.
I swallowed the humiliation and looked at Fenris without thinking.
He gripped my chin, tilting my face up, and gave my cheek a few patronizing pats. His scent hit me then, close enough to choke on: woodsmoke and iron filings and something bitter underneath, like old blood that never fully washed out. It wasn't the scent I remembered. "Briar Thornheart. Three years apart, and you've grown quite the thick skin."
"The kept-wolf thing was a joke. You really couldn't tell?"
I didn't understand. He was the one who said he would mate me. He was the one who told me to wait three years.
He broke his word. What had I done wrong?
I forced the tears back before they could spill.
I refused to give them another thing to laugh at.
"You've all misunderstood. The wolf I'm bonding with today is not Fenris Ashclaw."
The crowd laughed again.
One of the wolves pointed at me with open contempt. "Drop the act. Everyone knows you've been waiting around for Fenris like a lovesick fool for three years."
"You're well past your prime. Don't tell me you can't find anyone else, so you're clinging to him instead."
A look of mock realization spread across Fenris's face.
"Briar, if you really can't find a mate, I've got plenty of pack brothers right here. Pick whichever one you like."
He pointed casually at a warrior who was blind in one eye and lame in one leg.
"How about this one?"
"Sure, he lost an eye and a leg, but he fought bravely in the border wars. A decorated wolf. More than good enough for you."
"Fenris, you're a genius. A blind wolf and a fool. A match made under the Moon Goddess!" The laughter was deafening.
"Hey, Grim! How do you like the mate the War Commander picked out for you? Satisfied?"
The warrior called Grim flushed red and stole a glance at me. His scent carried damp wool and dried mud and the faint bitterness of healing salves that had never fully worked. "I... I'll do whatever the Commander says."
The jeers and mockery were endless.
I just stood there, watching Fenris in silence.
I couldn't understand what had happened in those three years to turn him into this person.
We had known each other since we were pups.
The very first time we met, he pointed at me and declared I would be his mate. He even stole the Ashclaw ancestral mating cuff and clasped it around my wrist.
My parents were so alarmed they sent someone to return it that same night.
For as long as I could remember, he had been my protector.
Once, a young pureblood merely touched a strand of my hair, and Fenris broke both his hands for it.
The old War Commander was so furious he beat Fenris and shipped him off to the training grounds to straighten him out.
Before he left for the Blood Frontier, he snuck away from camp and found me. He grabbed my hands and said, "Briar, when I come back, I'll give you the grandest mating ceremony these territories have ever seen. And if you dare bond with someone else while I'm gone, I'll cut the wolf down myself."
Those words still echoed in my ears. But the wolf who spoke them was gone.
Chapter 2"I appreciate the War Commander's kindness, but my mating is none of your concern."
One of Fenris's war-bonded brothers grabbed my arm. "If Grim's not good enough for you, how about me?"
"You're a little past your prime, sure, but the face isn't bad. Since Fenris clearly doesn't want you, you might as well come to me. I know how to treat a she-wolf right."
His hands slid over mine, slow and deliberate. My skin crawled. Something low and feral stirred in my chest, a warning growl my wolf swallowed before it reached my throat. I yanked my hand free.
My pack attendant saw me being humiliated and broke away from the sentinels, rushing forward.
"How dare you!"
"My lady is the future Luna of the Ironveil Pack! You will show her respect!"
"What did you say? Luna?"
Fenris laughed so hard a tear slipped from the corner of his eye.
"She's nothing but a pair of worn-out shoes I threw away, and she still dreams of becoming the Alpha Prince's mate."
The pack of brothers behind him doubled over, howling with laughter.
"The Alpha Prince is no ordinary wolf. You think he'd want some desperate she-wolf who can't even give herself away? Know your rank."
"If you drag the Alpha Prince's name through the mud, can you bear the consequences?"
Vessa Briarthorn walked over just in time to witness the scene.
"Fenris, what's everyone laughing about?"
Fenris draped himself over her shoulder, shaking with laughter. "Briar says... says she's the Alpha Prince's Luna. I can't breathe, my stomach hurts from laughing."
Vessa glanced at me in surprise, then smiled. "Miss Thornheart, I heard about the concubine business."
"It was wrong of Fenris. Let me apologize on his behalf."
I had heard the rumors long before today. The day Fenris returned in triumph from the border wars, he brought a she-wolf back with him and showered her with affection.
This had to be her.
Her scent reached me before I could look away. Night-blooming jasmine and ripe plum, and something underneath it, something that made my wolf's hackles lift without understanding why. Then my gaze caught on the bracelet around her wrist. I froze.
The Ashclaw ancestral mating cuff. Silver-and-bone, passed through generations.
I hadn't expected Fenris to give her that too.
Fenris noticed where I was looking. He lifted Vessa's hand and toyed with the cuff. "Darling, you're being unfair to me. I only made a little joke with her. How was I supposed to know she'd actually dress in ceremonial furs and show up at my den? It's been very distressing."
His war-bonded brothers chimed in one after another.
"Exactly! She's the one chasing what she can't have. The moment she heard our Fenris was the Alpha King's new favorite, she latched on like a leech."
"You saved Fenris's life on the battlefield. He swore he'd only ever love you, and he'd never take a second mate. You have nothing to worry about."
So that was his excuse for breaking his mating promise.
Of course. A childhood sweetheart could never compete with a life debt.
Vessa looked at me with pity. "Miss Thornheart, I know you and Fenris grew up together, so it's only natural you developed certain... feelings."
"But that's all in the past. Fenris and I are in love now. I hope you won't keep clinging to him."
Before Fenris could say a word, one of his brothers shoved me with a sneer.
"Vessa, you're too kind. Why waste your breath on trash like her? Just send her packing."
"Exactly. If she ruins things between you and Fenris, I'll deal with her myself."
I stumbled from the shove.
Even a worm will turn. My fists clenched so tight my nails bit into my palms.
"I told you, the wolf I'm mating with today is not Fenris Ashclaw."
"I am the Alpha Prince's chosen Luna. If you don't believe me, come to the ceremony and see for yourselves."
The words barely left my mouth before Fenris shoved me hard.
"Still putting on an act, Briar?"
"You say you're the Luna? Then where's the royal procession? Where's the Alpha Prince? Go on, call him out. Let's all have a look."
"At least come up with a better lie before you open your mouth."
Fenris was strong. The force of his push sent my forehead cracking against the ground. Blood bloomed instantly, and my ceremonial crown knocked sideways. The scent of my own blood filled the air, sharp and copper-bright, and every wolf in the courtyard went still for half a breath before the jeering resumed.
Vessa gasped. "Fenris, don't!"
Chapter 3"She-wolves can be vain. It's only natural she'd want to climb to a higher branch. But with so many wolves watching, at least leave her a shred of dignity."
Vessa's words sounded like they were spoken in my defense, but every syllable was a blade wrapped in silk.
Fenris's war-bonded brothers spat in my direction.
"Even if the Alpha Prince were looking for a mate, he'd choose a she-wolf from a pureblood bloodline. Not some desperate leftover throwing herself at any wolf who'll have her."
"Luna? Sure, and I'm the Alpha King's son-in-law. Anyone can run their mouth."
"Hold on, you have to give her credit. Briar really went all out trying to mate with Fenris. Look at those ceremonial furs. That's top-grade work from The Treasure Pavilion. Worth at least this much."
One of Fenris's war brothers pointed at the furs I wore and held up his fingers.
Every pair of eyes in the courtyard locked onto me.
Vessa's gaze burned with envy.
Fenris caught the look and let out a derisive scoff.
"The Treasure Pavilion? That's nothing. When I mate with Vessa, I'll commission the finest artisan in the Central Territory to craft ceremonial furs unlike anything the packs have ever seen."
Vessa threw herself into his arms. "Fenris, you're so good to me."
My vision blurred. I remembered the year I turned fifteen, when Fenris had made that same promise: that I would wear the most beautiful ceremonial furs and be the most beautiful bride in the entire Central Territory.
Now he was giving all of it to someone else.
Before I could pick myself up off the ground, his next words slammed me back down.
"Briar, haven't you embarrassed yourself enough? Take those furs off. Now."
I stared at him, unable to believe what I was hearing. "What did you just say?"
Fenris looked down at me from above. "You're standing at the gates of my den in ceremonial furs. Anyone passing by would think I'm the one taking a second mate today."
"Take them off. Before wolves get the wrong idea."
If this road hadn't been the only route to the Ironveil Packhouse, I would never have passed his gates at all.
What I never imagined was that even if there was no love left between us, we had grown up together. And still, he chose to humiliate me like this.
I didn't move.
Fenris waved his hand, impatience carved into every line of his face. "If you won't do it yourself, I'll have someone do it for you."
Two pack warriors started toward me, their eyes crawling over my body with undisguised hunger. The blood drained from my face.
"Fenris, you can't do this."
"If the Alpha Prince finds out, he won't let you off."
Fenris looked at me as though I'd told a joke.
"Even now, you're still keeping up the act."
"The Alpha Prince, huh? I'll wait right here. Let's see who's going to stop me."
The two warriors were already on me. They shoved my attendant aside with a single sweep and reached for me with filthy, calloused hands. The stench of them hit me before their grip did, sour sweat and stale mead, and my wolf recoiled so violently I nearly gagged.
A scream tore from my throat. "I'm not lying! I really am the Alpha Prince's Luna!"
"No!"
The sharp rip of fur and silk split the air.
A moonstone amulet tumbled from the folds of my ceremonial furs.
It landed right at Fenris's feet. Even against the packed dirt, it glowed, faintly, stubbornly, a pale luminescence that pulsed like a second heartbeat.
The moment I saw it fall, panic clawed up my chest and my eyes stung with unshed tears. "That's the Alpha Prince's token. He gave it to me himself. It proves everything I've said is true."
The crowd exchanged uneasy glances. The glow was unmistakable. No wolf could forge moonstone light.
No one seemed sure what to do.
Fenris crouched down and studied the amulet for a long moment. The glow dimmed the instant his fingers closed around it, as though the stone itself refused his touch.
Then a cold smile cut across his lips. "Well, well, Briar Thornheart. You had the nerve to steal the Alpha Prince's personal moonstone amulet. Do you have any idea what the punishment for that is?"
My eyes went wide. "I didn't steal it. The Alpha Prince gave it to me."
That day, after Fenris had thrown my father out of the Ashclaw Den, my father collapsed from the shock and couldn't get out of bed. His wolf retreated deep inside him and refused to surface, and the Thornheart name became the laughingstock of the entire Central Territory.
The very next morning, emissaries from the Ironveil Packhouse arrived bearing this amulet and formal mating gifts.
They said the Alpha Prince had taken a liking to me and would soon come to claim me as his bonded mate.
For my father's sake, and for the Thornheart bloodline's name, I gritted my teeth and agreed.
Chapter 4But Fenris was convinced I'd stolen it.
"I've seen this amulet on the Alpha Prince himself. He said it was a token for his future mate. How could it possibly be in your hands?"
"Tell me. How did you get it?"
Vessa turned to me with a look of open disapproval.
"Miss Thornheart, I thought you were merely vain. I never imagined you'd be reckless enough to steal from the Ironveil bloodline. That's a death sentence under pack law."
"Even if I wanted to help you, there's nothing I could do."
"Why are you still wasting your breath on her? She's committed a crime this serious. I'd like to see who's going to save her now."
I clenched my teeth and pointed at the moonstone amulet. "The Alpha Prince gave this to me. If you don't believe me, we can go ask him ourselves."
Fenris let out a derisive scoff. "You think you can just demand an audience with the Alpha Prince?"
"I'll give you one last chance. Where did this amulet come from?"
My answer was the same. The Alpha Prince gave it to me.
When Fenris saw I wouldn't budge, the frost on his face deepened. "Not talking, is that it?"
"Sentinels! Drag her before the Pack Council. Let's see how long she keeps up this act."
They seized my arms and hauled me toward the council hall, stumbling and wretched. The scent of woodsmoke and iron filings and old blood rolled off the sentinels who gripped me, and my wolf curled tighter into herself, small and silent somewhere behind my ribs.
The crowd of onlookers swelled with every step.
"Isn't that the Thornheart firstborn? What's going on?"
"Word is she stole something from the Alpha Prince. War Commander Ashclaw is having her dragged before the council."
"Miss Thornheart and the War Commander grew up together. I always assumed he'd claim her the moment he returned victorious. Never thought it would come to this."
"You're telling me. Look, she's still wearing her ceremonial furs. I heard she threw away her dignity and offered to be his second mate, and he still turned her down."
Strange, pitying, contemptuous looks pressed in on me from every direction. I could feel every gaze like a physical weight against my skin, and my wolf, who should have snarled back, who should have risen in defiance, did nothing. She lay still, barely breathing. As though the part of me that was meant to fight had already given up.
Just as despair was swallowing me whole, the thunder of hooves broke through the noise.
Moments later, a tall, commanding figure rode in and reined his horse to a halt before the crowd. The air changed. It thickened, pressed down, and every wolf in that gathering felt it at once. A dominance so absolute it settled over the crowd like a sudden frost, forcing shoulders to drop and gazes to the ground before a single word was spoken. The scent hit me a breath later: black pine and winter stone and something sharp beneath it, like ozone before lightning strikes.
When he spoke, his voice was cold enough to freeze the air.
"Insolent fools!"
"What do you think you're doing?"