C6

Genesis flinched as the sudden harsh screech of a shadow-hawk soaring above the courtyard jarred her back to reality. She sat frozen on the wooden stool in the empty nursery, the plush wolf toy discarded on the stone floor at her feet. She could swear its carved wooden eyes held a cold, mocking glint.

She buried her face in her trembling hands.

Her breath came in ragged, shallow gasps as the terror clawed at her throat. The heat of a panic attack was rising fast, a suffocating weight she hadn’t felt since her adolescent years in the Ravenmoor Citadel.

She pressed her fist against her sternum, trying to force air into her lungs. She had to master her wolf. She had to regain control and find a way to fix this before the pack council sealed the decree.

The Great Solstice feast at Thayer and Elka’s longhouse was a sacred tradition in the Silvermoon Dominion. It was a chaotic gathering Genesis usually cherished, even if the hall was overflowing with loud warriors, scent-marking males, and running pups.

She had arrived without her Alpha, and the tension among her kin was thick enough to cut with a blade.

Her brothers kept watching her, their intense wolf eyes tracking her every move. She knew they were holding back their questions only out of respect for the lower-ranking pack guests present in the hall.

The moment the lesser wolves departed, her brothers would demand answers. Genesis had no desire to speak. Not when she had been ignored for an entire week. Every mind-link to Draven was blocked, and the raven messages she sent to Hollowmere Heights were returned unopened.

She knew precisely where he was. Mirelle’s public scrying stones were glowing with images of Draven cradling his newborn nephew and niece, his broad chest relaxed and his handsome face smiling for the whole territory to see. He looked lighter, completely free of the suffocating weight he claimed she had placed on him.

A heavy arm draped across her shoulders, pulling her firmly against Thayer’s muscular flank.

"You look broken, Gen," Thayer grunted, his voice a low, protective rumble against her ear. "What did that Hollowmere bastard do to you?"

"Nothing," Genesis muttered, refusing to meet his eyes. "He is spending the Solstice feast with his bloodline, that is all. He missed the pups' naming ceremony last year. Stop hunting for a fight, Thayer. He is a good Alpha."

Draven had spent years trying to protect her, even when she pushed him away. She hadn't realized how much he sacrificed until he walked out the door.

"He is leaving you to bleed in silence," Thayer growled, his golden eyes flashing with dominant aggression.

"I am the one who drove him away, Thayer," Genesis confessed, the raw truth slipping past her lips before she could stop it. "I don't even know how to..."

Her voice trailed off into the loud noise of the hall.

How to what?

How to force an Alpha to love a frozen mate?

How to mend a shattered pack bond?

How to make a life out of lingering regret?

The damage was done. All she had left was her Wrenmoor pride, and she needed to salvage whatever dignity remained before the news of his petition broke across the dominion.

She looked around the warm, crowded hall. Male wolves were howling in laughter, females were sharing spiced wine, and the air smelled of roasting meat and woodsmoke. Dropping a bomb about her failed mating right now would ruin the sacred gathering.

"Don't know how to what, Gen?" Thayer prompted softly, his grip tightening in comfort.

"I lost my train of thought, that's all," she lied, forcing a stiff, unnatural smile.

"Genesis—"

"Thayer!" Elka hurried over, her leather apron dusted with white flour. "We are completely out of goat's milk. I can't finish the sacred feast-loaf without it. The whole ritual meal is stalled."

"I will ride to the trading post—"

"There isn't time," Elka said, stress sharpening her tone. "The elders are waiting to break the bread."

"Isolde's cottage is right next door," Thayer offered calmly, smoothing his mate's panicked energy with a gentle stroke along her neck. "I'll fetch a jar from her."

"Please," Elka exhaled, pressing her face into his chest for a brief, frantic second.

Thayer planted a hard kiss on her forehead before turning his sharp gaze back to Genesis. "We are finishing this conversation the second I get back."

"I am sure the feast will survive without goat's milk," Genesis murmured dryly.

"Not on my watch," Elka countered, a sudden spark of her usual fiery spirit returning as she gave Thayer a firm shove toward the heavy timber doors. "Go, before the roast cools."

Thayer flashed a rogue's grin, snorting as he stepped out into the freezing air.

Elka turned back to Genesis, brushing a stray dark curl from her face. "I am sorry for interrupting, Gen. It looked like a heavy conversation."

"It was nothing," Genesis said smoothly. "I was just telling Thayer that Draven chose to spend the Solstice at his sister's estate in the Wolfpine Coast."

"That makes sense," Elka nodded warmly. "Mirelle must be thrilled. I know how furious she was when he missed the pups' first winter blessing."

Genesis froze, her heart dropping straight into her stomach.

"You know Mirelle?"