The scent of roasted venison and herbs wafted through the air as Harlan and I sat across from each other at the long table in our dining room. The soft glow of the fire crackling in the hearth cast warm light over the plates between us. Dinner was a rare, quiet ritual for us, one of the few moments when the weight of the pack didn’t press down so heavily on his shoulders.

“How was the meeting?” I asked, slicing a piece of meat and glancing up at him.

Harlan sighed, and his fork paused midair. “The elders are at it again. They think the alliances should take priority over the crowning ceremony. They don’t see why we’re doing this now, not with tensions rising along the northern border.”

I frowned. “You’re their Alpha-to-be, not their puppet. The crowning isn’t just a tradition, Harlan. It’s about showing strength. A leader without a ceremony looks weak, and they know it.”

He gave me a faint smile and said, “Spoken like someone who’s spent too much time listening to the council herself.”

“Well, I have to,” I shot back, “Since I’m the one overseeing every little detail while you’re off playing mediator.”

“I don’t envy you. The pack decorators are worse than the northern rogues. They’d tear you apart if you so much as suggest the wrong shade of silver for the banners.”

“They already tried,” I joked, “Mallory nearly shifted when I vetoed the gold trim she wanted for the table runners. It’s a wonder I survived.”

The humor lingered for a moment, these were the moments I clung to the brief flashes of normalcy before the weight of duty crashed down again.

Harlan leaned back in his chair, as he watched me. “Thank you for handling all this, Anya. I know it’s more than you signed up for.”

I shrugged, “It’s what I’m here for. Besides, the pack deserves a leader who commands respect, and I want to make sure your ceremony reflects that.”

His hand reached across the table, brushing against mine, and for a fleeting second, I allowed myself to believe in the connection between us. But the illusion shattered with the sudden, sharp buzz of his phone on the table.

Harlan’s entire body stiffened, as he reached for it.

“Who is it?” I asked, despite the unease curling in my gut.

He glanced at the screen, “Lila.”

The name sent a ripple of tension through the air. “She always calls you,” I muttered, unable to keep the bitterness from my voice.

“She’s grieving,” he said, “Shadow’s all she has left.”

Before I could respond, he answered the call,

“Harlan, Shadow’s not breathing properly,” Lila’s frantic voice came through loud enough for me to hear. “I don’t know what to do.”

His chair scraped against the floor as he stood abruptly. “I’ll be right there.”

“Wait,” I said, rising from my seat. “Harlan, she has the pack healers. Why does it always have to be you?”

He grabbed his coat, “She’s pack,” he replied. “And you know how important this alliance is.”

I watched as he disappeared through the door, and the door slammed shut behind him, leaving me alone in the flickering firelight.

My wolf stirred uneasily, pacing within me, its restlessness feeding my frustration. I reached for my glass of water, hoping to quench the heat rising in my chest.

But my hands were trembling.

The glass slipped from my fingers, shattering on the floor with a piercing crash. I stared at the jagged shards scattered across the wooden planks, my breath catching as the pain in my chest sharpened.

Blood bloomed across my palm, a crimson smear against pale skin as I knelt to gather the pieces. The sting barely registered over the ache clawing at my heart.

“Harlan…” I whispered, the sound swallowed by the emptiness around me.

I sat there for a long moment, my wolf silent now, as if mourning alongside me.

I hadn’t slept all night.

The poorly wrapped bandage on my hand itched and stung, a constant reminder of the frustration and pain bubbling just beneath the surface. But that was nothing compared to the ache in my chest.

I had waited for Harlan, my mate, all night. I’d paced the floors, checked the windows, and even debated of calling him, though I knew it wouldn’t matter. He wouldn’t pick up. He didn’t care enough to tell me where he was or why he hadn’t come home.

By the morning, exhaustion tugged at me, but my pride kept me standing. I threw on some clean clothes, tied my hair back and grabbed my coat to go and meet Ava, my closest friend and one of the pack’s Deltas, had suggested meeting by the river. She said I needed fresh air, and I wasn’t about to argue. Anything was better than being trapped in this house, haunted by my own thoughts.

Just as I was pulling on my boots, the door creaked open.

Harlan.

He walked in like nothing had happened, like he hadn’t left me waiting all night.

“The pack is hosting a gathering tonight,” he said,and businesslike as he handed me a folded invitation card, “We’re both expected to attend.”

I stared at him, incredulous. That was it? No apology, no explanation, not even a glance at my hand, which was so poorly bandaged it looked like a child had done it. He didn’t ask if I’d slept or if I was okay. His eyes barely skimmed over me before settling on the wall behind me, as though I were just another task he had to check off his list.

“I’m not going,” I said,

Harlan paused, turning to face me fully. For the first time, his dark eyes locked onto mine, but there was no warmth in them. “You don’t have a choice, Anya. It’s your duty as my mate.”

“Duty?” I spat, “You’re going to talk to me about duty when you can’t even fulfill yours? Do you know how long I waited for you last night? Do you even care?”

He folded his arms across his chest. “This isn’t about us, Anya. It’s about the pack. You need to stop making everything personal.”

I took a step closer, anger boiling in my veins. “Oh, I’m sorry, Harlan. I didn’t realize that being abandoned by my mate was just ‘pack business.’ My mistake.”

“Enough,” he said, “Be ready by sundown. This conversation is over.”

“No, it’s not,” I said, “You don’t get to walk in here, order me around, and pretend like I don’t exist. I’m not a piece of furniture, Harlan. I’m your mate.”

“A mate who knows her place would be helpful.”

The words hit me like a slap, stealing the air from my lungs. I opened my mouth to respond, but no sound came out. Instead, I turned on my heel and stormed out of the house, slamming the door so hard it rattled the frame.

The forest was my only escape, the one place where I could breathe without feeling like the walls were closing in on me. I wandered to the riverbank, the soft rush of water filling the silence that had settled in my chest.

Dropping to my knees by the edge of the river, I let the tears come, hot and angry. My wolf stirred uneasily, in the back of my mind.

“This isn’t what I wanted,” I whispered. “This isn’t what I thought it would be.”

I wiped at my tears with the back of my hand, but the frustration only built. “You’re pathetic,” I muttered to myself. “Crying over a man who doesn’t even care.”

All of a sudden, a sharp scent hit me then, cutting through the damp pine and fresh water. It was rich and wild, like frost and steel and something darker, something that made my wolf lift her head, ears pricked.

Before I could turn, a voice rang out.

“Talking to yourself already?”

I spun around to see him leaning against a tree…Kael.

He was leaning against the trunk of a tree, his broad shoulders relaxed, yet his posture exuded an alertness that spoke volumes. He was always like that calm, calculating, and completely unreadable. Harlan trusted him, despite the fact that no one in the pack really knew him. Kael had shown up months ago, exiled from the Silverlight Pack for reasons no one dared to ask about, and Harlan had given him shelter in the Moonshine Pack.

But trust didn’t mean familiarity. Kael didn’t talk much, and when he did, his words were sharp and purposeful, like arrows aimed with precision. He carried himself like a lone wolf, even in a pack full of strong personalities. Harlan often relied on him for pack security, especially with tensions rising between the enemy pack. And now, here he was, sent me like some kind of protector or spy.

“Did Harlan send you?” I asked, with irritation as I wiped at my tear-streaked face.

Kael smirked, his silver eyes glinting like shards of ice. “You know the answer to that.”

Of course, Harlan had sent him. It was such a Harlan move too busy to deal with me himself but too controlling to let me wander off unchecked. And Kael, as always, had no problem obeying orders without question.

“I don’t need a babysitter,” I snapped, glaring at him.

Kael’s expression didn’t waver. If anything, his smirk deepened slightly, as though my anger amused him. “I’m not your babysitter. I’m your shadow.”

“Whatever you want to call it, I didn’t ask for this,” I shot back.

“No,” he said, “but it seems like you need it.”

My wolf stirred uneasily, and her instincts sharper than mine. It wasn’t fear…no, that would’ve been easy to brush off. This was something else, something deeper and more primal. A pull. It was subtle, like a whisper at the back of my mind, but it was there, tugging at me in a way that made my skin prickle and my heart race.

I clenched my fists, trying to ignore the way my wolf perked up at his presence, her interest clear and annoying. “Why does Harlan trust you so much?” I asked,him.

Kael raised an eyebrow, “You’re assuming he does.”

I blinked, caught off guard by his answer. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He stepped closer, his movements as fluid and deliberate as a predator stalking prey. “Harlan trusts what I can do for him. That doesn’t mean he trusts me.”

His words sent a chill down my spine, though I couldn’t tell if it was from his tone or the truth behind them. Kael was an mystery loyal to the pack on the surface, yet detached in a way that made me question his motives. Harlan might have given him a place in the Moonshine Pack, but it was clear Kael operated on his own terms.

“And what exactly is it you do for him?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

Kael’s lips twitched, but he didn’t smile. “What he needs me to do.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“It’s the only one you’re getting,” he said,

My wolf growled softly in the back of my mind, her frustration mirroring my own. She didn’t trust him either, not entirely but she couldn’t ignore him. The pull was stronger now, like an invisible thread tightening between us with every word exchanged.

I took a step back, needing to put some distance between us. “You’re infuriating, you know that?”

Kael shrugged, looking completely unbothered. “So I’ve been told.”

I crossed my arms, glaring at him. “If you’re here to spy on me, just go ahead and report back to Harlan. Tell him I cried, or complained, or whatever it is he wants to hear.”

Kael’s silver eyes darkened, and for the first time, his smirk disappeared completely. He stepped closer, “I don’t work for Harlan like that. I’m not here to tattle on you, Anya.”

“Then why are you here?” I demanded, my frustration bubbling over.

“To make sure you don’t get yourself killed.”

I opened my mouth to argue, to tell him I didn’t need his protection, but the look in his eyes stopped me. There was something there, just for a fleeting moment.

“And what makes you think I can’t take care of myself?” I asked,

Kael tilted his head, “Because you don’t even see the threats around you.”

The words hit harder than I expected, and my wolf stirred again, uneasy and restless. Kael’s gaze lingered on me for a moment longer before he turned away, as he walked toward the riverbank.

I watched him, my mind racing with questions I didn’t dare ask. Kael was a mystery, a puzzle I wasn’t sure I wanted to solve. But my wolf… my wolf wasn’t so cautious. She was drawn to him in a way I couldn’t explain, her instincts pulling her toward him despite the warning bells ringing in my head.

“You don’t have to like me,” Kael said suddenly, his back still turned to me. “But if I were you, I’d start paying attention. There’s more going on in this pack than you realize, Anya. And not all of it has your best interests in mind.”

I stared at him, “What are you trying to say?”

He glanced over his shoulder, his silver eyes glinting in the sunlight. “Figure it out. You’re smarter than they give you credit for.”

And just like that, he was gone, disappearing into the trees like a shadow fading with the dawn.

I stood there by the river, my thoughts a tangled mess. Kael’s words lingered.

Who kael really is? And why did I feel like he saw through me?