C5

The large white shadow-wolf plush sat slumped on the rocking chair, its carved wooden eyes reflecting the pale morning light.

"Draven nearly ripped the stitching when he carried that beast in here," Elka murmured, her voice sounding hollow in the empty nursery. "He was so desperate to make sure the scent of the Wolfpine Coast was rubbed deep into the fur before he brought it to you."

"He told me the wolf plush was for our pup," Genesis said, her chest tightening as she stared at the toy. "And then he pulled out the obsidian heirloom ring."

"You stared at him like he had handed you a silver dagger," Elka noted, shifting the sealed parchment in her hands. "I remember Ronan telling me you almost ran out of the packhouse when Draven dropped to his knees."

"I was terrified, Elka," Genesis whispered, her fingers tracing the rough edge of the oak cradle. "He was a powerful Alpha, and I was just a healer who had ended up carrying his child after a wild night during the Solstice."

"He wanted you, Gen," Elka said, stepping closer. "He didn't care about the pack laws or the forced alliance. He wanted the bond."

"But I kept my walls up," Genesis said, the memory cutting through her like a claw. "I told him we didn't need to mate under the Great Moon. I told him he was only offering the Hollowmere legacy ring because of the pregnancy."

"And he told you he wanted to tame your skittish wolf," Elka sighed, looking down at the letter. "He laid out the pack terms on this couch. He told you the mating was right."

"He listed the reasons like we were dividing territory," Genesis muttered, her hands trembling as she remembered the heat of his body pressing against hers on the small sofa. "He said we had the raw, mating-frenzy chemistry. He said he didn't want the Silvermoon Dominion to think our pup was a mistake."

"None of us would have thought that," Elka said.

"That is what I told him," Genesis said, her throat burning. "But then he looked at me with those golden eyes. He told me he wanted to raise a whole litter of pups with me. He asked if I was going to find another Alpha."

"And you told him no," Elka said. "Because your wolf had already marked him in secret."

"I was too proud to admit it," Genesis whispered. "I didn't want to give him that much power over my life. I was used to running the healing den alone, making my own decisions without an Alpha's command."

"But you let him in," Elka said, her voice dropping. "You let him touch you."

"Only in the dark," Genesis said, her heart hammering against her ribs. "I made him promise to keep our visits secret for the first four months. I wouldn't even let him sleep in my nest after we bared our throats to each other."

"He hated that, Gen," Elka said, handing the sealed parchment over at last. "An Alpha needs to hold his mate. He needs to feel the pack bond."

"I thought I was protecting myself," Genesis said, her fingers catching on the heavy red wax seal of the Hollowmere pack. "I thought if I didn't get too close, it wouldn't hurt when the bond eventually faded."

"Well, it's over now," Elka said, her eyes dark with a sudden, sharp warning. "Read the letter, Genesis."

Genesis tore the wax seal open, her eyes scanning the dark ink of the pack document.

"What does it say?" Elka demanded, leaning in.

"He didn't just sign a temporary separation," Genesis whispered, the paper fluttering from her hand as her core turned to ice. "He formally petitioned the High Council to sever the mate bond, and he's already claimed another female to take my place as Luna."