I looked into her eyes.

"If someone hurt me, what would you do?"

"Would you still protect me like you swore in our bond-vows—no matter the cost, even if it meant your life?"

Aurora's hands trembled as she reached for a cloth to wipe my tears.

She didn't hesitate. Just nodded, fierce and certain.

"Anything, Alaric. Whatever you need—just say it. I'll make it happen."

I held her gaze. Those eyes, so earnest. So sincere.

"Really?"

"Then I want you to kill Rowan."

Her head snapped up. She stared at me, frozen.

"What did you just say?"

Panic flickered across her face. "Did something happen? Did you misunderstand something?"

She was terrified I'd caught on.

Her whole body went rigid.

"After the pack territory was seized, Rowan left his position as liaison and crossed the sea to another territory. I haven't had any contact with him in three years."

"Did he come after you during your sanction? If he did, I swear I'll make him pay—"

I caught her wrist. Let out a soft laugh.

"I'm kidding."

"Taking a pack member's life without elder approval carries blood-debt, you know."

"You just finished serving your outcast sentence. How could I bear to see you marked again?"

"I was just teasing."

I turned away to grab something, keeping my expression hidden.

She couldn't see my face. Couldn't see what was really there.

She thought it was just a joke. I heard her exhale—relief bleeding out of her.

"Alaric, I'm sorry."

"These three years... you've suffered so much."

I didn't turn around.

But in my heart, I thought:

It's fine.

Your reckoning is coming.

After Aurora's public disgrace ended, I started making frequent trips to the Den-Healers' Hall.

The healer pulled me aside, her voice low. "Are you really not going to tell your bonded mate?"

"This isn't some minor wound. Your mate has a right to know what's happening to your body."

I shook my head, smiling faintly.

"Let's leave it. I don't want her to know. And I don't want treatment anymore."

Aurora was lurking in the stone corridor, catching fragments of the conversation through the walls. But not enough to piece together.

When I walked out, she was waiting.

"How did it go?" Concern painted her features. "What did the healer say?"

I smiled and shook my head, about to answer—

When a courier stone in her pocket hummed with Rowan's scent-sealed message.

"Aurora, I've got way too much sweet-root wine at my den. Come help me finish it?"

"Oh, and I had a silk robe made for you. Want to come try it on?"

"Sure. I'm on my way."

Her lips curved upward—just slightly—as she replied, voice perfectly calm.

She thought I hadn't heard. Covered the stone with her palm and turned to me, expression serious.

"Alaric, remember that alliance pact I mentioned? I'm going to discuss it now. If it works out, we might actually restore our standing in the territory."

I stared into Aurora's eyes.

When she'd claimed me as her mate, those same eyes had been filled with sincerity.

Now they held that same sincerity.

But the lies spilling from her lips? She didn't even blink.

My gaze must have unnerved her. She started to fidget, nearly tripping over her own composure.

"Alaric, are you... is something wrong?"

"Go ahead."

"If you can turn things around, you won't have to worry about those rogue enforcers anymore."

Those rogue enforcers—every single one of them sent by Aurora herself.

They'd cornered me in that dead-end passage between the outer dens.

Stripped our dwelling of anything worth taking.

Most days, I went three days between meals. When the hunger became unbearable, I'd drink from the well until my stomach stopped screaming.

Aurora let out a breath of relief, grabbed her cloak, and walked out.

I watched her retreating figure. Felt my gaze turn cold.

I thought about last night—waking up in tears, asking Aurora—

"Where are my parents?"

Back when Aurora's pack territory fell under resource freeze, I had tried to reach out to my parents through the courier stone network.

But every message went unanswered.

Aurora told me they had been caught in a territory collapse on their journey home. Both of them—lost to the wards failing. She said their bodies were never recovered from the rubble. I spent three years searching through every allied pack's records. But just two days ago, I finally learned the truth.

They were not dead at all.

Aurora had tricked them into crossing the sea to distant territories.

Three whole years.

For three years, Aurora had been using my scent-seal to send them messages, telling them I was well and healing—while I rotted away in that punishment den, and they had no idea their son was being broken apart.

"Aurora."

I looked into her eyes and decided to give her one last chance.

"Is there anything you have been hiding from me?"

She blinked, then reached over to smooth the hair from my forehead, her touch gentle as morning frost.

"Silly. How could I ever hide anything from you?"

I lowered my gaze, feeling the last flicker of hope die in my chest.

"Good."

After a pause, I said, "I miss my parents."

"First thing tomorrow, I will take you to visit the memorial stones we raised for them."

I asked about my parents' territory holdings—surely they would have left me some claim to the Duskvale resources.

But Aurora's answer came out halting, her scent turning sour with hesitation.

"Everything happened so suddenly. Before I could even sort through their bloodline affairs, I was marked as disgraced and cast into outcast status by the council."

"But now I have plenty of time to investigate what really happened back then."

Her gaze flickered like a candle in wind. She took my scarred hand in hers.

"Alaric, maybe your parents are not really dead. Maybe there is still hope."

Ha.

The three-year mark was almost here. She had lied to me about my parents' deaths, and now she could not keep the story straight anymore.

So she pivoted—claimed there might be hope after all.

Too bad. She had already squandered her last chance.

A few days later, Aurora made an excuse about a pack alliance meeting. In reality, she was going to see Rowan.

I watched the moon climb toward its peak, then scattered the sleeping herbs across the den floor.

The healer sent word through the courier stone. "Everything is ready."

I nodded and sent Aurora a scent-sealed message.

"Aurora, your punishment won. You wanted to protect Rowan? Fine. Take everything."

"Take my life too."

At that same moment, a courier stone hummed frantically in a distant den.