But watching him act as though nothing had happened filled my mouth with bitterness no pastry could mask.
"When did it happen?"
Caelan froze. He poured me a cup of tea to cover his discomfort, then said in a flat voice, "On your Moon Blessing Day."
The ground dropped out from under me. A moon cycle ago, on my Moon Blessing Day, Caelan had vanished without a word. I searched for him the entire night, up the mountain and down, calling his name until my voice gave out. My wolf had paced inside me, restless and whining, sensing something wrong long before I let myself believe it.
He didn't come back until the next morning, dusty and disheveled, claiming he'd gotten lost looking for a gift for me.
Then, like a boy presenting a treasure, he pulled a snow lotus from behind his back.
I hadn't slept all night, but seeing the effort he'd gone through, I couldn't bring myself to scold him. I took the flower and carefully potted it.
Now he was telling me that on my Moon Blessing Day, while I was searching every trail in the dark, he had been in Sable Ashveil's bed. My stomach turned. Something deep in my chest curdled, and my wolf went still in a way that frightened me more than her pacing ever had.
Even so, thinking of everything we'd shared, I couldn't stop myself from offering him one last chance.
"Caelan, can you just not mate with her?"
He turned the teacup in his hands, over and over, his brow furrowed tight.
"Not mate with her? Mate with you instead?"
"Do you really have to force me to say it plainly?"
"She is the Grand Advisor's legitimate daughter. And you? A borderland wolf who knows nothing but foraging herbs and keeping a den. How could you possibly be fit to stand beside me as the recognized mate of a Pack Alpha Heir?"
The color drained from my face. I refused to let it go. "Do three years of what we had really mean nothing unless I have the right bloodline?"
A searing pain tore through my lower abdomen. I pressed both hands against my stomach, but I kept my eyes on him, waiting for his answer.
"In noble packs, bloodline and rank matter above all else. The line between a recognized mate and a kept wolf is absolute."
He paused, guilt flickering across his face.
"Sable might be carrying a pup."
The room tilted. I stared at him, unable to process what I'd just heard.
"Seraphina, her pup has to be recognized as the firstborn heir. That's the only way you'll be safe."