The pain starts subtly–a dull ache in my chest that pulses with each beat of my heart.
I ignore it at first, attributing it to exhaustion after the grueling trials. But as the day drags on, the ache grows, sharp and insistent, clawing at me from the inside. By the time evening falls, it’s unbearable.
Π
In my cabin, poring over the latest patrol reports. I’m trying to lose myself in work, but the words blur. My hand clenches the edge of the desk as another wave of pain ripples through me.
My wolf lets out a mournful whine, low and distressed, curling in on herself deep within my consciousness.
“Siena Rairity’s voice is soft, laced with concern. She’s standing by the doorway, her brows drawn together as she watches me. I hadn’t heard her come in.
“It’s nothing.” I lie, but my voice is tight, strained. Another pulse of agony tightens its grip on my chest, making me gasp.
Kairity is at my side in an instant, her warm hand on my arm. “Siena, what is it? You’re pale.”
“I don’t know,” I whisper, pressing a trembling hand over my heart. “It’s.. it’s the bond.”
Recognition flashes in her eyes, her lips parting in understanding. “Raiden,” she murmurs.
The name sends another jolt of pain through me, and my wolf whimpers softly, curling tighter.
“Raiden… he’s pulling away”
Rairity’s grip on my arm tightens. “Why now?” she asks softly, her voice filled with sympathy
I don’t answer. I don’t have to. I already know the reason.
Zion, Lila, our fight about Windfowl’s warriors. The list is as endless as my pain.
Unable to contain the unease gnawing at me, I decide walk the perimeter of the camp, a feeble attempt at easing the nerves that this sort of death brings.
The moon hangs heavy in the sky, bathing the woods in silver light. The cool breeze offers no comfort, carrying with it the distant hum of life beyond the territory. My steps are slow, each one weighted with uncertainty.
And then I see them.
Through the windows of the Great Hall, Raiden and Lila stand together.
Their bodies are close–too close.
Her arms drape around his neck, her fingers trailing lazily down his chest as they speak in hushed tones. His face is angled toward hers, his expression softer than I’ve seen in years.
He’s relaxed in her presence, his guard down in a way he never was with me.
My heart clenches so painfully I think I might collapse.
Lila’s gaze flickers toward the window, and for a brief moment, our eyes meet. Her lips curve into a smile–a victorious, taunting curve that sends ice through my veins.
She knows.
1/4
Chapter 45
“Siena Rairity’s voice pierces through the fog of my anguish, pulling me back. She’s beside me, her expression twisted with
worry
“It’s over, I murmur, my voice hollow. “He’s he’s chosen her”
Rairity’s jaw clenches, her fury barely contained. “You deserve better than this,” she says fiercely, her eyes burning with
conviction.
But her words fall flat against the weight pressing down on me.
Back in my cabin, I sit on the edge of my bed, staring into the dying embers of the fire
The room feels too quiet, too empty. My mind replays the scene over and over again, each repetition carving deeper wounds into my heart.
“True mates can’t mark another wolf,” I whisper aloud, my voice barely above a breath. The words taste bitter, hollow, “Yet Raiden marked her.”
The realization settles like a stone in my stomach.
“It was never real,” I say softly, more to myself than anyone else. “I was never his true mate. just a political arrangement he’s finally figured out how to escape.”
But even as I say it, something inside me rebels–a deep, primal instinct that refuses to accept that truth. My wolf stirs, her whine echoing in my mind, full of grief and doubt.
“No,” she whispers softly, her voice a faint echo. “Something’s wrong.”
Sleep eludes me tonight, leaving me restless and irritable as I pace the confines of my quarters.
I find myself at my desk before dawn breaks, battle maps spread before me, though the markings blur together. Rainity stops by as the first light creeps through my window, her expression concerned as she places a steaming cup beside me.
“You’re strategizing early,” she observes, her voice tentative–my second–in–command has learned to read my moods too
well.
“The tournament leaves no room for error,” I reply, not meeting her eyes. She hovers a moment longer, clearly wanting to ask about my encounter with Raiden, before quietly withdrawing
By midday, reports arrive that Silverfang has formally acknowledged Windhowl’s decision to compete independently.
The message is perfectly diplomatic, worded in a way that makes Raiden appear generous while setting us up to shoulder all blame should we fail
It’s so precisely calculated that I almost admire the political maneuvering
Almost.
I crumple the parchment in my fist, startling the young messenger who brought it. With a deep breath, I smooth my expression and dismiss him with what I hope passes for a confident nod
“Again, I command as Keel stumbles on the rock climbing simulation. His muscles tremble with exhaustion, but he resets his position without complaint,
Behind me. I feel Rairity’s concerned gaze but ignore it. We have three days until the tournament.
Three days to prove we don’t need Silverfang’s assistance.
2/4
16:25 Mon, 21 AL
Chapter 13
My was push beyond their huis, diven by my relentless pr. When Irene’s hand slijo, and the readea ny the gerent Luting her forehead. I feel a stals of quilt
“Rest. Ten minutes, Tonder, softening my tone. While they gulp water fram skins, I walk the perimeter of the grounds. rolling tension from my shomblers.
“They’ve not Salvestang warriors, Rainity says quietly, falling into step beside me. And they don’t need to be. They
the
Window!”
iche.
Her words strike a chond. I’ve been pushing them to light like Raider’s perple, when our strength has always been adaptability, not brute force or technical parcision.
I
“Use the ice call out as Keel slides down an incline. To fight it. Redirect it”
|
He adjusts, using the momentum to propel himself toward his target instead of struggling for traction. His eyes widen with understanding, and for the first time in slays, I feel a spark of genuine hope.
“You’ve done well,” I tell them as twilight approaches. “Tomorrow, we rest. The day after, we dow the Alliance what Winslow is made of
“Dismissed,” I call after them, though they’re already dispersing. The wond hangs in the empty training grounds, unnecessary and hollow.
“You’re overworking yourself again, comes a familiar voice from the edge of the cleating
I don’t break my stance, though my pulse quickens “Spying is beneath you, Zion”
He steps into view, leaning against a training post with casual grace. Not spying Observing His tone is light, but his expression is serious. “There’s a differenc
“I’m fine,” I reply automatically, barely looking up from the documents scattered across my desk, but knowing what he
“Siena. Talk to me,” he urges, stepping inside and closing the door behind him.
For a moment, I consider brushing him off. But the exhaustion weighing down my soul is too heavy to carry alone any longer.
“It’s Rasden,” I finally admit, my voice barely above a whisper.
Zion’s expression darkens. “What did he do now?”
“He’s.. severing the bond, I murmur, the words tasting like ash “He’s choosing Lila over me.”
Zion’s jaw tightens, his hands curling into fists at his sides. “The bastard,” he mutters under his breath
I shake my head, a bitter smile tugging at my lips. “It doesn’t matter anymore, Zion. It was never real to begin with”
“Don’t say that,” he says fiercely, stepping closer. “You don’t know that”
11 were his true mate, he wouldn’t have
“Don’t I?” I meet his gaze, my heart aching with the weight of unspoken truths. “If I were his been able to mark her.”
“You deserve better than this” he murmurs, his voice soft but
filled with conviction
For a moment, I let myself lean into his touch, savoring the warmth and comfort it offers. But it’s fleeting–a temporary escape from the storm raging inside me.
“I can’t do this right now,” I whisper, pulling away.
15:25 Mon, 21 Apr
Chapter 15
Zion’s eyes darken with understanding but he nods sepping bark
Suddenly, it all comes to a head
I stumble, gripping a nearby tree for support as the world spins around me–sharp searing pain that tears through my chest, knocking the breath from my lungs
My wolf howls in agony, her voice echoing through my mind raw and desperate
“Siena!” Zion calls out as I fall to my knees
Rairity’s voice reaches me through the hare of pain her hands saying me as I s
“What’s happening?” she asks panic lacing her words
“The bond,” I gasp, my vision swimming “2’s breaking”
I can feel it–the last fragile threads of the connection between Raiden and me frying digging through my gray. And with it, a part of me is dying
isn’t set
“No,” my wolf growls, her voice filled with defiance Something’s wrong. This in this ‘t how it’s supposed to end”
“Siena, stay with me,” Rainity pleads, her grip frim, grounding me
I cling to her words, to her presence, as darkness threatens to pull me under
away
But even as I fight to hold on, I can’t shake the feeling that something–something mai–s sipping awe
Me
