For the ninety-ninth time, my Alpha mate, Kyle, instinctively veered off patrol—straight toward Seraphina’s den. He turned and looked at me like I was the problem. “Why is your scent so weak? I didn’t even sense you. Anyway, since I’m here, I’ll reinforce the wards on Seraphina’s den.” I stood frozen, a bitter smile on my lips. That phrase again. “Since I’m here.” It started a year ago, after my best friend Seraphina moved to the forest edge. My Alpha, the pack’s leader, kept getting “lost” on his patrols. He promised we’d go to the Moonlight Ritual together. Instead, he knocked on Seraphina’s door, holding the ceremonial Moonpetal Nectar meant for us. Rogue werewolves wounded me and left me burning with a fever. I begged him for healing herbs. He gave them to Seraphina for her “moon-sickness.” Even on my own Coming of Age ceremony, he presented his trophy hunt to her. He laid the kill at her door. “Since I’m here,” he’d said. “Think of it as a gift for your friendship.” Another time, it was: “Seraphina’s aura’s been acting up. Since I’m here, I’ll help her settle it.” I watched him disappear into her den. He never looked back. I turned and walked toward my den. He’d forgotten. Today, my pack oath expired. I decided to leave this territory. Since he loved going there, he could stay there for good. Back at my den, a few young werewolves loyal to me were waiting. “Ella, we’re ready to start moving your things.” I nodded. At that moment, the communication crystal on my wrist buzzed. It was a mental link from Kyle. “Where did you go? Don’t wander off.” I flinched. Our mental link had always been one-sided. I was the only one who cared. For a moment, the message made my fingers tremble. But as I was concentrating, his next thought cut through. “Go to the apothecary in the south. Bring me a moonsilver dagger. Seraphina doesn’t have one here.” I stared at the silent words hanging in my mind. He hadn’t noticed I was gone. He only noticed I was gone when he needed me to run an errand. I looked back through our old messages. Almost every message from him was about Seraphina. “Give Seraphina that vial of Stardust Tears from the Elders. I’ll hunt another prize for you later. Seraphina wants to try the heart of a Fire Drake. We’re hunting one tonight. I’ve already found its trail.” Kyle never asked. He ordered. He had already decided before the words reached me. The last one was during a thunderstorm. I had asked if he could come get me. “I’m already home,” he replied. “You can get back on your own.” A moment later, a new post popped up on Seraphina’s PackFeed. It was a photo of a massive, dark wolf, with her perched safely on its back. The caption read: “Almost drowned in this storm! So lucky my guardian knight came to the rescue.” I knew that wolf’s form. I always told myself to be happy for them. He was my Alpha. She was my best friend. I told myself this was normal. But my patience only ever seemed to encourage him. He pushed the boundaries further and further. This time, I left his message unanswered.
As I packed, another message came from Kyle. “Still not back? Seraphina wanted dinner at Starlight Caverns, so I brought her. Meet us there yourself.” This was nothing new. We would make plans to hunt together. But I’d be delayed by pack duties, or tracking a kill. By the time I arrived, only cold scraps remained. Kyle always brushed me off. “Seraphina is weak, she needed to eat. So the food’s cold, it’s still fine. You’re too sensitive.” Don’t be so fragile. That was his favorite line. Rotting vines once tore through my den and wrecked it. When I asked him for help, he said the same thing. “I don’t have the energy for that. Get some of the younger werewolves. Don’t be so fragile.” So I burned the vines myself and reinforced the wards alone. After that, I stopped relying on him. But with Seraphina, he was different. “You don’t have to be so tough,” he told her. “Let me handle it. Your den is near Ella’s anyway. It’s no extra trouble.” I never understood it. I was his future mate. But when I needed him, I was being “fragile.” When she needed him, it was “no extra trouble.” I swallowed the bitterness and sent my reply. “Enjoy. I’ve got things to do.” His response didn’t come for a long time. “Another tantrum? Ella, you’re not a cub anymore. Grow up.”
I had thrown a tantrum once before. Last winter, an ice-wolf’s claw ripped my side open. Frost poison flooded my veins. I reached out through our link and begged for Fire-bloom. He was at Seraphina’s. Her moon-sickness was flaring up, he said. He was busy brewing her a calming tea. “But I’m uncomfortable,” I sent him. He was silent for two heartbeats. “You can still message me, so how bad can it be? I’ll have a courier send some. Just endure it.” That was my breaking point. He was my Alpha. But I would never be his priority. I told him I wanted to sever our mate bond. No reply came. The mind-link between us slammed shut, cutting me off cold. He knew my love for him was the easiest way to control me. He was sure I would never leave. That was my weakness. I suffered alone for two days. I cried until I had nothing left. Two days later, Seraphina came to “mediate.” And like a fool, I crawled back. I never caused a scene again after that day. But this was different. This wasn’t a tantrum. I was serious.
Young werewolves moved in and out, clearing the den. It hit me. After seven years of our mate bond, my home held almost nothing of Kyle’s. A pair of mud-caked boots, a drinking horn, and nothing else. Even those two items were things I had gotten for him. He’d never given me a real gift. Seraphina got a magical stone for her new den. For her birthday, he bought her favorite Ghost Orchids. But for me, he always had an excuse. “That ceremonial stuff is meaningless, Ella. We’re going to be Alpha and Luna. We have to be practical.” I used to question him, to argue about it. He said, “Getting gifts for your best friend makes you look good to the pack. It’s for you.” I let out a bitter laugh. My communication crystal vibrated. It was my mother calling. “Ella, honey? I was calling about your official bonding ceremony. How are things with Kyle?”
Not long ago, Kyle and I met with our parents. They gave us their blessing, ready to set a date for the ceremony. But Kyle put it on hold. He said the pack was expanding, and bonding could wait. At the time, I was disappointed, but I told myself I understood. The pressure on an Alpha was immense. Now, all I felt was relief. A man who couldn’t even find his way to my den… I would be alone forever with him. “Mom, the bonding ceremony is off. I’m ending things.” Her voice went tight with alarm over the crystal. “Why? Did he do something unforgivable?” “No. It’s just… not the right fit anymore.” There was a long silence on her end. Of course she was shocked. Every werewolf in the territory knew how much I loved Kyle. For seven years, I was devoted to him. My mother knew. Seraphina knew. I had chased after him from the start. To get closer to him, I learned his preferred fighting techniques. I studied the ancient scrolls he was obsessed with. I even secretly joined the same hunting party, just for the chance to fight at his side. When he decided to build his pack in the southern forests, I didn’t hesitate. I gave up a coveted spot at the Central Royal City. I packed up my entire life and followed him here. My own mother refused to speak to me for three days. All I could say was, “Mom, if I let him go, I’ll regret it forever.” Back then, Seraphina angrily scolded me, saying: “Ella, you’re hopelessly whipped.”
Seraphina and I were friends for ten years. She was my family. But now, she was taking all of my mate’s attention without a shred of guilt. She never cared how it made me feel. I saw her new post on PackFeed. It was a romantic dinner. My eyes stung. The picture was taken in the “Starlight Caverns.” I had found it in an old text. Sparkling cave walls, exquisite food, the sound of an elven harp. I begged Kyle to go with me so many times. He always said, “We’re going to be leading this pack, Ella. Think about our resources. A dinner that costs that much? I can put glow-stones on the ceiling for you.” He always sounded so reasonable. Every time, I said nothing. But now, Seraphina mentioned it. He took her to the one place I had always wanted to go. After moving the last box, I collapsed on the furs in my new den. I remembered building my last one. I’d messaged Kyle for help, but he was busy with pack defenses. He told me to handle it myself. To save resources, I did it all alone. I pushed too hard and reopened an old injury. It put me in bed for two days. But when Seraphina built her den, Kyle cleared his entire day. “Building a den is hard work, Ella. Your friend is alone. It’s our duty to help her.” I watched him work for her, sweat dampening his hair. I barely recognized him. It was never that he couldn’t. He just wouldn’t do it for me.
I was packing when the communication crystal started buzzing. It was Kyle. “Ella, open the door! You changed the ward’s incantation. What is this?” I took a breath. “It means nothing, Kyle. We’re over. I’m severing the bond.” He ignored what I said and raised his voice. “Seraphina remembered you wanted food from the Starlight Caverns. She brought some back for you, and you do this? Change the password and ignore us? Ella, stop throwing a tantrum!” I wasn’t sure if he didn’t hear me. Or if he’d labeled my decision as my usual drama. Before I could say it again, he hung up. I let out a hollow laugh. My own fault. My love for Kyle was no secret to anyone in the pack. Even he thought I would never leave. The next day, I was at the pack market, getting supplies for my new den. I turned down an aisle and ran straight into them. Kyle, his arms loaded with bags, and Seraphina at his side. The smiles on their faces vanished when they saw me. “Ella, please, don’t get me wrong. Kyle was only helping me. He was worried I couldn’t carry everything alone.” Seraphina tried to explain, reaching out for my hand. But Kyle yanked her back behind him. “Why are you explaining to her? She still owes you an apology. You baby her too much, Seraphina. That’s why she keeps pulling this crap.”
Seraphina gave me a worried look. She followed Kyle toward the trading post anyway. I watched them leave, my chest tightening. Kyle never went to the market with me. He always said it was too much trouble. “Have a courier bring what you need. Why go through the trouble yourself?” But there he was, carrying all of Seraphina’s bags without complaint. Outside, Kyle stowed all their things. Seraphina was already on his wolf back. She was in the seat only a claimed mate was supposed to take. She looked back and waved at me. “Get on,” Kyle said casually. “I’ll take you both home.” My eyes fell on the saddle pad woven from Moon-Grass. The one that marked the Luna’s seat. His brow furrowed when he saw my expression. “Seraphina is fragile. It’s safer for her up front. You can ride in the back.” He remembered all her little quirks. Her fragility, her irregular moon sickness. But he conveniently forgot about my old battle scars. My eyes stung. I forced the words out. “No, thanks. I’m not going that way.” Seraphina started to dismount. “Ella, don’t do this. You don’t want me sitting here, do you? I can get down.” But Kyle let out a low growl, commanding her to stay put. “If she’s not going our way, fine. We’re leaving.” The wolf lunged forward. Dust hit my face as they rode off. He never had any patience for me.
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