When Lily's scent-message reached him through the pack bond.
"Alaric, my den flooded from the storm and I'm soaked through. Can you come help me?"
His expression shifted instantly.
"Sure. I'm on my way."
He thought I hadn't sensed it. Blocking the bond-thread, he turned to me with a perfectly straight face.
"Lyra, remember that alliance pact I mentioned? I'm going to meet with them now. If it works out, we might finally rebuild our territory."
I stared into his eyes.
When he'd claimed me as his mate, those same eyes had been filled with nothing but sincerity.
Now they looked just as sincere.
But the lies rolled off his tongue without so much as a blink.
My unbroken gaze made him uneasy. He nearly tripped over his own act.
"Lyra... is something wrong?"
"Go ahead."
"If you can secure this alliance, we won't have to worry about those rogue hunters anymore."
Those rogue hunters—every single one of them had been sent by Alaric himself.
They'd cornered me in dead-end forest paths.
Stripped the den of anything worth trading.
Most weeks I ate once every three days. When the hunger became unbearable, I'd drink from the stream just to fill my stomach.
I thought about last night—waking up in tears, asking Alaric:
"Where are my parents?"
When his pack lost its territories, I'd tried to reach them for help.
But they'd vanished. No answer through the bond, no trace of their scent.
Alaric told me they'd been caught in a mountain collapse on their way back to our ancestral grounds.
Both of them. Gone.
They told me the search parties never recovered their bodies. For three years, I hunted through every territory, followed every cold trail—only to discover two days ago that my parents never perished at all.
Alaric had manipulated them into fleeing beyond pack borders.
Three full cycles of seasons.
He'd been intercepting my scent-messages, sending false assurances in my place, letting them believe I thrived under his protection. They had no knowledge of the existence I truly endured.
"Alaric."
I met his amber gaze directly, choosing to offer him one final opportunity.
"Is there anything you've kept hidden from me?"
He paused, then reached over to smooth the hair from my face, his touch gentle.
"Foolish little wolf. Why would I ever conceal anything from you?"
I dropped my eyes, letting the hope drain from them completely.
"Good."
After a stretched silence, I murmured, "I miss my parents."