Then he reached into his coat, producing a small velvet box. His movements were deliberate, reverent, as though he carried a sacred relic.
“Nyra,” he said softly, “this is for you.”
Her smile bloomed brighter, radiant with triumph as she accepted the gift. “Thank you, Alpha Alaric. You’ve always been so thoughtful.”
She tilted her wrist as she held the box, and that was when I saw it, the flash of silver that stole the breath from my lungs.
The bracelet.
The Silverfang Pack heirloom. A symbol of our bloodline’s legacy, a token passed from one generation to the next, carrying with it the weight of devotion and honor. I had asked him about it once, when we were newly mated, still clinging to the fragile belief that his heart might someday be mine. He had faltered only for a heartbeat before dismissing me.
“It’s nothing but an old trinket, Kaia. Lost years ago. What matters is that my heart belongs to you.”
But now, under the glow of the chandeliers, I saw the truth. It was not lost. It had never been mine to claim. It was always hers.
A searing pain ripped through my chest, sharper than any claw. My wolf whimpered, curling into herself, her anguish mirroring my own as though we shared the same shredded heart. My hands trembled, but I forced them still, swallowing back the storm clawing to break free. I could not show weakness here, not before them.
“I need some air,” I muttered, barely holding my voice steady, before slipping away into the crowd.
The garden beyond was cloaked in shadows, the pool at its center shimmering with pale moonlight. The crisp night air bit into my skin, but compared to the suffocating weight of the hall, it was a relief. I leaned against the railing, staring into the dark water. My reflection wavered there, unrecognizable, a stranger, haunted, broken, utterly alone.
I hadn’t expected Nyra to follow.
When she appeared, her expression had shed the sweetness of the banquet hall. Gone was the radiant smile, the innocent tilt of her head. In its place was a sneer sharp enough to draw blood, her delicate features twisted with disdain.
“I don’t know how you have the audacity to show your face here,” she hissed, her voice low, venomous. “Can’t you see? No one wants you. Not the pack, not your family, not even him. Your thick skin is truly impressive.”