After 21 Days

Dylan Thomson's first love, Jocelyn Wilkes, had returned from Northia.

That day, he poured me a cup of water with sweet clover added to it and handed it to me. "The silver venom has penetrated her bones. She only has 21 days left and wants to spend her last days of life with me."

He spoke very calmly, as if he were talking about the weather that day. There was no trace of emotion in his voice at all.

I frowned. "At a time like this, she should be looking for the pack's elders, shouldn't she? Why is she looking for you?"

Jocelyn was his first love, and she was also Dylan's younger stepsister.

He once said that even though they had parted ways long ago, they would still be "family" from a different bloodline.

I had often been jealous of her in the past.

Dylan and I were true mates, and we had been sure of each other from the moment we met. Now, there was only half a month left until the bonding ceremony that I had been looking forward to for a long time.

Dylan lowered his eyes and avoided my gaze.

"Her father was caught in an avalanche a couple of months ago while he was out hunting, and her mother abandoned her when she was only four years old. She's all alone," he explained.

"So your heart softened toward her?"

I was sharp and caught the emotion in his voice that he had failed to conceal.

"I just feel a slight regret," he said.

He shrugged lightly, acting as if it was fine. He reached out to tweak my nose and changed the subject on purpose. "Are you nervous? We're going to have the bonding ceremony soon."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "We haven't held the ceremony yet."

"It'll come very soon."

He laughed softly, and his tone changed as he looked seriously at me. "You're my only wife and mate. The only one in my life."

Dylan had always been reticent and somber. He never said cheesy, romantic things to me.

Even when the Moon Goddess had led our wolves to meet, he had only protected me in silence and supported me emotionally.

He never made promises lightly.

However, he had now said the word "forever".

I snuggled into his arms and pulled out the background photo for the ceremony. I laughed and said that I wanted him to help me choose a picture to welcome the guests.

He just hugged me tightly. "You can choose. I've got to return to the Healing Center at the pack and hand over some work."

Dylan then went to change.

He had always taken care of his appearance. Even if he was only going to the market to buy some fruit, he would dress neatly, and it always made my heart flutter.

However, he had gone out with his outer robe hanging loose and rumpled. The cuffs of his pants were uneven, and even his socks did not seem to be a matching pair.

I pressed my lips together, but I did not say anything.

After I got downstairs, I called a cab and followed him at a distance.

I watched Dylan pass the pack's Healing Center without even going in. He went straight to the clinic at the foot of Mount Aquilo.

That was the observation area set up for wolves that were critically poisoned with silver venom.

I did not keep following him.

He had probably gone to visit his stepsister, whom he showed far too much concern for.