A Broken Promise

Jenn’s POV

“Yes,” I said. “Something is wrong.”

Morgan stirred slightly in his arms. “Oh dear,” she murmured, her voice weak but not convincing enough. At least to me. “Did I cause trouble again?”

Wade’s grip tightened unconsciously. “No. You didn’t.”

I swallowed. “While you were busy attending to her… I encountered an intruder at the lake.”

That got his attention. “Are you okay?” he asked.

Really? I was standing here clearly looking well and in one piece. Was he being serious? Was he feeling guilty because he chose his fated even after I put up a fight?

“It was Awful,” I shrugged and took a step back, as he has decided to ignore the main problem here, I’ll just do same, “and also disappointing,”

“How so?” Wade asked.

“Our pack is one of the strongest packs and some wolf just wanders into our land, and spies on your Luna who was swimming naked…”

“He what?” Wade growled possessively. It should be satisfying to see my mate this possessive over me but this act only made me angry. He just accepted another woman before the whole pack, he didn’t have the right to growl like that before me again, but I tried to maintain a blank expression.

“And instead of the Alpha to be looking for this intruder, the Alpha couldn’t be found and I had to report to his Beta” I continued calmly.

“You are angry I understand,” he sighed “I broke my promise to you. I’m –”

“Let’s forget about it.” I said, cutting him off. “What’s happened has happened. Even if you apologize, is there anything you want to do about it?”

Wade’s jaw clenched, concerned flaring properly now. “Why didn’t you shift and call for help?”

“I was in the water,” I said quietly. “And I didn’t want to provoke an attack.”

Silence stretched between us.

Morgan shifted again in Wade’s arms. “Are you sure it wasn’t just a rogue?” she asked. “There are plenty of them these days.”

“No,” I said. “This wolf was different.”

“How?” Wade asked.

I hesitated. “He was… enormous. Silver-furred. His presence alone was overwhelming.”

Something dark flickered briefly through Wade’s eyes.

“We have no reports of any silver wolves near our borders,” he muttered.

“Which is why this is concerning,” I said.

Wade opened his mouth to respond but Morgan suddenly let out a soft gasp. “Wade… I feel dizzy,” she whispered.

He instantly looked down at her. “You should be resting.”

“I just wanted to breathe some fresh air and get to know some of the pack members,” she murmured. “I didn’t think –”

“You can get to know every one of them during the ball,” he said softly, adjusting her carefully in his arms. “There’s no rush. You’re my fated and I’ll make sure everyone treats you with the respect you deserve,”

Every instinct in me recoiled at the sight.

“So,” I said, my voice tight, “that was the urgent business that kept you from responding to a possible border threat.”

He looked at me sharply. “That’s not fair.”

“Isn’t it?” I challenged, almost smiling as his jaw tightened at my provocation.

Simon shifted uncomfortably. “Alpha, with your permission, I’ll personally lead the second patrol to the lake.”

Wade nodded distractedly. “Do so. And double the watch along the southern ridge.”

Simon bowed. “Yes, Alpha.” He hesitated before leaving, briefly glancing at me with concern in his eyes – before turning and disappearing into the night.

Wade finally looked at me again. “Jenn, we’ll talk—”

“When?” I asked. “After another fall?”

Pain and maybe irritation flickered across his face. “That’s not what this is.”

“Then what is it?” I demanded.

Morgan moaned and his attention instantly returned to her. Concern sparked like fire in his eyes and his arms tightened around her. “Are you okay?” the concern in his voice was sickening. It made me want to do things I never imagined myself doing.

Before I lost the last shred of control I was holding unto, I turned and walked out, not hearing the words that were being whispered between them.

That night, I didn’t sleep at all. Wade didn’t return to our bedroom until early the next morning and even then, he only came to break what was left of my heart.

I felt him before I heard him. The bed dipped slightly, his scent washing over me in a way that used to comfort me but now only reminded me of what I had lost. I kept my back to him, my breathing slow and even, pretending to be asleep.

For a long moment, he said nothing. Then his hand hovered near my arm. Paused. And he pulled away. I bit down on the inside of my cheek as silent tears trailed down my cheek. I had no idea when sleep finally took me, but when I woke up again, he was gone.

By the time the sun rose properly, the pack house was already stirring. I dressed slowly, my movements heavy and my chest tight. I avoided mirrors. I avoided the corridor that led to the room Wade chose for Morgan. I avoided everything that might shatter what little composure I had left.

But I could not avoid my wolf. She was restless, uneasy and pacing inside me like a storm trapped beneath my skin. Run, she whispered. Just run.

So I did.

I slipped out of the pack house without telling anyone, letting the trees swallow me whole as soon as I reached the forest line. The instant my feet hit the earth, my wolf surged forward and I welcomed the release. We ran hard and fast, branches whipping past, the earth trembling beneath our steps.

The anger burned off first. Then it hurt. Then the hollow ache that remained.

The farther I ran, the quieter the world became. Eventually, the sound of rushing water filtered through the trees and I slowed, recognizing the familiar pull of the lake – our lake. The place I came to whenever my thoughts grew too heavy.

When I reached the clearing, the water was calm. Still. Glassy beneath the early light.

I shifted back into human form and folded my clothes carefully on a smooth rock near the shore. The air was cool against my skin as I stepped forward and slipped into the lake.

The water embraced me instantly.

I sank beneath the surface and let the quiet wrap around me. For a few precious moments, the world felt distant. Wade. Morgan. The pack. The bond. All of it blurred into nothing. I was nothing and I had nothing. No feelings, no emotions, no resentments and no emotional attachments.

I resurfaced and floated on my back, staring at the pale sky.

Then my wolf growled. It was low and uneasy and made my heart race and the hairs on my back stand. Goosebumps broke out on my skin and I froze.

A presence rolled across the lake – heavy, dominant, and unmistakably not of our pack. The air thickened. Slowly and carefully, I turned toward the far bank. And that’s when I saw him.

A massive wolf stood on the raised embankment across the water. His fur shimmered beneath the morning light – silver and shadow intertwined like smoke and steel. His eyes burned an unnatural red, and it was locked directly on me.

My heart slammed violently against my ribs, and my wolf whimpered in warning. I didn’t recognize this wolf, but I knew one thing for sure. This wasn’t the same wolf I encountered yesterday.

“This… isn’t good,” I whispered.

The silver wolf took one slow step forward and the water rippled. He took another and every instinct inside me screamed–

Run.