Aurora never bothered to clarify their actual bond status. She let every pack member assume whatever they wished.
When Fenris finally returned my howl-call, his excuse was laughably thin.
"I was occupied with territory matters earlier. Didn't catch your signal. What do you need?"
Just as I suspected—he'd completely forgotten he was supposed to escort me from the Healer's Lodge.
Through the connection, I could hear Aurora's laughter, clear as moonlight on still water.
Yet he didn't miss a beat. "I'm in the middle of an alliance negotiation. If it's not urgent, can we speak when I return to the den?"
"It's fine," I said quietly. "I just wanted to know where you were."
After severing the howl-call, I opened my personal ledger and traced the marked dates with one claw.
One week remained in Aurora's bond dissolution cooling period.
Two weeks until my own Bond Rejection agreement took effect.
Soon.
There was no point in letting my wolf grieve anymore.
Hadn't I already decided to release this bond?
When I pushed open the heavy oak doors of the Alpha's Keep, I almost thought I'd wandered into the wrong den.
This place that had held five years of my secret mating was now completely transformed.
The last time I departed, I'd already packed up most of my belongings. But now, Aurora had clearly taken advantage of my absence to dispose of whatever traces of my scent remained.
I walked slowly toward the Alpha's private bathing chamber.
On Fenris's side of the stone vanity sat a pair of matching grooming brushes—one carved from red cedar, one from blue spruce. His and hers.
I stood frozen, my enhanced senses picking up every detail in the room. Everywhere I looked, things came in pairs.
Matching drinking vessels. Matching fur-lined slippers. Matching embroidered cushions bearing intertwined wolf motifs.
Anyone walking in would think this was some scent-bonded pair's intimate sanctuary.
I suddenly remembered the first year of our secret mating, when I'd excitedly commissioned a set of paired ceremonial cups for us.
Fenris had barely glanced at them. "What's the purpose of such sentimental trinkets?"
I never asked for anything like that again.
I drew a deep breath, forced myself to look past all of it, and returned to my small chamber to pack up what little remained of my things.
Fenris's double standards were nothing new. I'd experienced them so many times my wolf had gone numb to the sting.