“I’ve thought it through,” she replied evenly, placing the blood-marked parchment on his desk. “The position has remained vacant for half a year. I’m qualified, and I’m willing. I’ve also been told returning healers are considered for High Healer rank.”
Elder Rowan’s gaze lingered on the contract.
Promotion was possible, yes.
If she survived.
The Border Relief Pack often operated near rogue-infested lands and war-torn territories. Not every healer who left came back whole.
The elder sighed.
“You don’t need to push yourself this way. As Alpha Nathanie’s mate, your future here is secure.”
There it was—the unspoken truth.
Her identity had always been tied to him.
Nathanie, the youngest Alpha in decades. The wolf who had led countless victorious battles. The pack’s pride.
And her… the healer he brought home.
Years ago, she had been nothing more than a lone wolf tending to injuries in a remote settlement near the mountains. One brutal winter night, she had found Nathanie half-dead after an ambush by rogues. She treated him, guarded him through the fever, refused to let his wolf fade.
When the Council later invited him to claim leadership of this territory, he agreed on one condition:
“The healer comes with me.”
That was how she entered this pack.
Not through heritage.
Not through rank.
Through him.
She had worked relentlessly since then, proving she deserved her place—not as Nathanie’s chosen mate, but as a capable wolf in her own right.
Still, no matter how many lives she saved, she remained “the Alpha’s fiancée.”
“Have you spoken to Nathanie about this?” Elder Rowan asked.
The question snapped her back.
Her jaw tightened, but her voice stayed steady.
“I’ll inform Alpha Nathanie myself.”
She clasped her hands to stop them from trembling. She could already picture his reaction—the hard set of his shoulders, the flash of dominance in his eyes, the command in his voice when he told her she wasn’t leaving.
For the first time, she wondered if he would even try to stop her.
And when the full moon finally rose weeks later, Adriana left the Alpha manor without ceremony.
All Nathanie received was a dissolved mating bond filed with the Council—and a single sentence written in her hand:
“Nathanie, my wolf no longer chooses you.”
Elder Rowan studied her for a long moment after she promised to handle Nathanie herself. At last, his stern expression eased.