His words struck me like ice, cutting deeper than he could understand, reducing all my love to something material in his eyes.
Tears streamed down my cheeks as I whispered, “I don’t need your wealth, Lorenz. I need you. I need my mate to be with me, to care for me. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
But he smirked, amusement flickering in his cold gaze as he pinched my chin sharply.
“Your tears won’t sway me, Toni. You’ll never get what you want. Don’t expect me at your graduation.”
He released me with a rough tug, leaving a sting behind, then slammed the door, reverberating through the manor.
Our union had always been hollow. From the start, it had been a pact arranged by his mother, two strangers under one roof. Though the manor thrived with staff, he insisted I perform every task for him, a mockery of intimacy and care.
The mate I had hoped to spend my life with had become a stranger. And though memories of my efforts and hope lingered, I knew that from this day forward, I had to let them all go.
Growing up in the orphan den, I spent countless days painting under the open sky, imagining a life far beyond the iron gates and stone walls that held me in. I longed for a mate or a pack elder who might recognize my potential, take me in, and help me follow my passion for art. My greatest desire was to become a renowned painter, to claim a den of my own where my creations could roam free.
Then, after I graduated from the den’s schooling, a matriarch offered me a rare opportunity. She would sponsor my studies at the Rhode Island School of Design, one of the most prestigious art academies among humans.
But there was a condition. I would have to bond with her son, Lorenz, a lone wolf five cycles older than me, still reeling from the loss of his former mate, Emily, who had left for Paris to refine her shapeshifting skills and social standing.
I hesitated. I was only eighteen, and Lorenz was twenty-three. “Does he…does he know about this?” I asked, voice barely above a whisper.
“Yes,” she said, softening her gaze. “He agreed.”
Grateful and burdened by duty, I accepted. Her kindness had been a beacon in my confined life, and I could not turn away.