This time, he replied instantly—his voice echoing through what remained of our connection.
I let his words wash over me. His tone was mocking, impatient.
"Selene, you'd better not be stalling. If you fail to appear, I have ways to make you regret it."
I didn't respond. I just closed off the bond completely.
The days that followed passed in a blur. I drifted through the empty den like a ghost.
The funeral rites were simple—just a few bundles of moonlilies, Lily's favorite flower.
I knelt before her wrapped form, burning sacred herbs through the endless nights.
Alaric never came.
Not a single message asking what happened. Not one attempt to reach through our dying bond.
Nothing.
On the day of the burial, the sharp click of claws on stone echoed from outside the mourning den.
Crisp. Grating.
I looked up.
Raven stood in the entrance wearing a blood-red ceremonial gown, a jeweled collar gleaming at her throat, strolling in like she already ruled this territory.
Her gaze landed on the painted memorial at the center of the space. She pressed a hand to her lips in mock surprise, but her eyes glittered with undisguised satisfaction.
"Oh my. She actually died?"
She walked over and stood above me, looking down at where I knelt, her tone as casual as if she were discussing the weather.
"I was worried this little runt would fight my pups for the succession rights someday. Well, problem solved. Saves me a lot of trouble."
She tilted her head, a saccharine smile spreading across her face.
"Don't be too sad, Selene. It's called survival of the fittest. She was just making room for pups who actually deserve the Alpha's blessing."
My fingers tightened around my ceremonial dagger until my claws broke the skin of my palm. Blood seeped through the gaps between my fingers and dripped onto the stone floor.
I lifted my head and fixed my gaze on her perfectly painted face. My voice came out raw, like I was choking on blood.
"Get out."
Raven let out a contemptuous scoff. "What's with the attitude? I came all this way just to kindly remind you not to forget about the bond rejection ceremony."
She tilted her head, a cruel smile playing on her lips. "After all, now that your little burden is gone, you don't exactly have any leverage to keep Alaric anymore, do you?"