All Chapters of Oaths Expire, Marks Don't: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

By the time the sun sank behind Black Fir Forest, Keller had come back alone to apologize. He stood with his head bowed, guilt all over his face. I stopped my mother before she could explode and led him into the backyard, far enough from the main house for the pine fence to keep curious ears away. Whatever I had once felt for him, I needed to put it to rest myself.I had barely pulled the betrothal contract from my pocket, its pages stamped with both packs' seals, when Keller caught my hand and fastened a cold moonstone bracelet around my wrist. He smiled as if this were the most natural thing in the world. "Evelyn, don't be angry. Consider this my peace offering. Give me one more year. I'll replace the bonding gifts, and the whole North will watch you become Blackwood's primary mate."So this was what he meant by sweet talk. In his mind, I really was that stupid, that docile, the kind of woman who could be made to wait with a trinket.I took off the bracelet and stared at him. "What a

Keller stared at the oak moon wolf, his brow furrowed. "Evelyn, it's a piece of fabric. Why take this so far?"Under old northern pack custom, returning a moon-wolf token ended a betrothal for good. I set it on the counter. "You know exactly why. Thirty-six full moons have passed. The oath is void by law. Here's your token. We're done."He scoffed as if he had heard the funniest joke of his life. "Done? Every pack in the North knows about our betrothal. Everyone sees you as my intended mate. You're twenty-six, and I've kept you waiting for three years. Walk away now, and what respectable wolf would risk offending Blackwood to take you?"This was the second time he had used such cruel words to condemn my future. He knew exactly what I had endured. He simply did not care.I looked at him so long it felt as if I were seeing him for the first time. "My future is none of your concern, Mr. Blake. My family has already asked the matchmaker to find me someone else."Keller's sneer deepened. Ly

On the road back to Blackwood, Keller passed a bakery in the Neutral Zone. The scent of cinnamon and blackberries drifted into the street, reminding him of my favorite pastry. Only one blackberry cinnamon roll remained in the display case, and the man beside him bought it first.The man was tall, with a quiet intensity in his eyes. Ronan Grey. The year before, Lydia had crossed the Grey Ridge border without permission and a patrol warrior stopped her, suspecting she had stolen route maps. Keller clawed him for laying a hand on her, then gave Grey Ridge two winter hunting grounds earmarked for my bonding gifts as compensation.Ronan held up the paper bag. "You reached the door first, Mr. Blake, but you hesitated. The last roll belongs to the man who actually chose it."The shopkeeper hurried to smooth things over. "The next batch will be ready soon. Give Mr. Grey a little grace. He spent three days above the snow line to find a matched pair of white antlers for the woman he's courting.

The three of them withdrew to a side room before Milo dared speak. "Miss Hall didn't send the old tokens back to Blackwood. The Silver Fir estate is being prepared for a formal delivery of bonding gifts on November eighteenth."Keller's rigid expression eased at once. He did not know the old tokens had never arrived because I had burned them. He did not ask whose bonding gifts Silver Fir expected. He chose to hear only the answer he wanted.November eighteenth was ten days away. If he left Fir Valley at dawn and gathered the supplies as soon as he reached Blackwood, he could still arrive with his own gifts in time. For tonight, though, Keller looked at the fresh bite on Lydia's neck and the dependence returning to her eyes. Once again, pity smothered reason.He left at first light, desperate to get home, but Lydia insisted on going with him. The journey fell apart almost immediately. The SUV's brake line ruptured halfway there. Someone had already drained the backup vehicle's fuel. Eve

Warmth spread through me. For three years, I had endured endless scrutiny and even braced myself for the Grey family to question me. But Ronan never asked why I could not hold on to Keller. He never treated me like another man's castoff. He believed me, and he stepped forward to shield me from every cruel word.Ronan turned and smiled at me. When he faced Keller again, his expression went flat. "You wanted everything and valued nothing. Don't blame me for reaching for what you threw away. Since you refuse to leave, stay and watch us seal the oath."The twelve gift trucks rolled through the Silver Fir gates one by one. The notary read each clause aloud. When Ronan and I pressed our thumbprints onto the Lunar Council document, our new mate oath became binding. The marking had not yet taken place, but no one could deny my choice.Keller sat outside the gates the entire time. After the celebration ended, a guard reported that he still refused to leave. I was silent for a moment, then decid