I boxed up my last few pieces of clothing and a handful of leather-bound journals, summoned a pack courier, and had everything transported back to my parents' Bloodline Keep.
That evening, Fenris and I each received message-sigils inviting us to a gathering hosted by allied pack members at a prestigious estate.
Since the invitations had been sent separately—one to the Ashvale bloodline, one to the Duskmoors—we arrived on our own.
When I reached the moonlit vineyard grounds of the hosting pack, I saw Fenris helping Aurora descend from his carriage.
He caught my scent before he saw me, and something flickered across his features—discomfort, maybe guilt. Still, he approached. "I apologize. I should have sent a pack guard to escort you."
"No need." I kept my expression polished and pleasant. "I have my own escort."
As guests continued to arrive, someone asked curiously, "Alpha Duskmoor, when did you and the Ashvale daughter become so familiar?"
Fenris's mouth opened, but nothing emerged.
He clearly remembered his promise to publicly acknowledge our bond at formal gatherings. But then he glanced at Aurora, her arm wrapped possessively around his, her scent deliberately mingled with his, and the words died in his throat.
I smiled easily. "Have you forgotten? Alpha Duskmoor is my pack leader now. Of course we're familiar. I serve as his Omega Pack Liaison."
"The eldest daughter of the Ashvale bloodline, serving as Alpha Duskmoor's Omega assistant?" The wolf's tone was half-teasing, half-pitying. "Isn't that beneath your station? Don't tell me you still haven't released your attachment to him. The Alpha already has a mate."
Low howls of amusement rippled through the gathered wolves.
My unrequited feelings for Fenris were an open secret among these elite packs—known to everyone except him.
Fenris went completely still.
Before he could even react, I'd already brushed it off with a casual reply. "That's ancient history. Spend enough time serving as Alpha Duskmoor's Pack Liaison and you learn to let such things roll off your pelt." I paused, letting my gaze drift thoughtfully across the gathering. "Though now that you mention it, perhaps it is time I sought a position that offers greater challenge."
A few light remarks, and the tension in the great hall dissolved like morning mist.