“Very well,” he said, folding his hands atop the desk carved from ancient oak. “If Alpha Nathanie raises no objection, the Healing Council will not stand in your way.”
Adriana inclined her head. “Thank you, Elder. I’ll speak to him. He’ll consent.”
She gathered the blood-sealed parchment and stepped out of the council chamber with measured composure.
The moment the heavy doors shut behind her, that composure cracked.
Her confidence had been easy to display in front of the elder. Convincing Nathanie would not be so simple. The full-moon ceremony that would formally bind them as Alpha and Luna was barely a month away. The pack had already begun preparations.
There had been a time when she had counted the days in anticipation.
Now she counted them like a prisoner marking a cell wall.
Just days ago, when she tried to discuss the ceremony, Nathanie had waved the subject aside.
“The territory is overwhelmed with rogue attacks and border disputes,” he had said flatly. “We don’t need a grand mating ritual. We’ll mark the bond quietly before the elders and be done with it. There’s no need for spectacle.”
She had swallowed her disappointment then, telling herself he was simply burdened by responsibility.
Until that same night.
Standing on the balcony outside their chamber, she had paused when she heard his voice drifting from the shadows below.
“Don’t worry, Olivia,” he murmured softly. “There won’t be any ceremony. If I choose not to hold one, no one can compel me.”
The tenderness in his tone had pierced deeper than any blade.
In that instant, she understood.
It wasn’t the pack’s unrest that made him refuse a public bond.
It was Olivia.
The realization left her strangely empty, as though something vital inside her had already been severed.
Their engagement—if it could even be called that—felt like a hollow promise.
Leaving the territory suddenly seemed less like escape and more like mercy.
But would he allow it?
Her thoughts tangled as she crossed the stone courtyard. Distracted, she failed to notice the solid figure stepping into her path.
She collided with a broad chest and stumbled.
A sharp cry escaped her as her ankle twisted painfully. She would have fallen if not for a strong arm circling her waist, pulling her upright.
“What’s going on with you?” Nathanie’s deep voice cut through her haze. “I called your name three times. You didn’t even react.”