The celebration dinner this evening feels bittersweet: joy at our accomplishment tempered by the constant pain in my chest where the mate bond continues to weaken.
Windhowl’s council members have spared no expense, transforming our pack’s communal dining hall into something almost regal with candles flickering in iron sconces and the long tables draped in deep green cloth embroidered with silver
thread
The council’s decision to back my proposal surprised even my most ardent supporters.
I smile and raise my glass to another toast, my third in the past hour, even as the dull ache beneath my breastbone flares sharper for a moment.
I wonder if Raiden feels it too, wherever he is tonight–that slow, inexorable unraveling of what once seemed unbreakable. Probably not.
He made his choice long ago.
“To Windhowl’s future, calls Elder Margot, her voice carrying over the sounds of celebration. “And to our Alpha who showed those stuffy bureaucrats what real leadership looks like!
The room erupts in cheers. I nod graciously, taking only a small sip of the rich red wine. I need my wits about me, especially now when the bond’s deterioration leaves me feeling hollow and off–balance in unexpected moments
Across the table, Rairity watches me with knowing eyes
My second–in–command is the only one I’ve confided in about the mate bonds condition. The official story–that Raiden and I mutually agreed to dissolve our political alliance–is technically true but misses the devastating personal reality.
“You should eat something” Rairity murmurs, sliding a plate of roasted venison closer to me. The pack healer said protein. helps stabilize the symptoms.”
I nod and take a small bite, though food has lost its taste weeks ago. I force myself to chew and swallow, knowing my body needs strength for what’s to come,
The negotiations have only just begun, and Silverfang won’t take today’s defear lying down. We needed that speech, and I’d worked on the logistics of the plan night after night
I worked my tail off.
But that didn’t change anything–Raiden lost.
He didn’t take kindly to that
“They’re waiting for you to speak” Rairity adds, nodding toward the expectant faces around the hall. Just a few words. Then we can get you out of here.”
I rise to my feet, ignoring the way the movement pulls at the emptiness inside me.
Tonight is about Windhowl’s victory, not my private grel
Ill allow myself to collapse later, alone in my quarters where no one can see their Alpha weep for something I willingly sacrificed for my people’s future.
“Today marks just the beginning,” I begin, my voice steady despite everything crumbling within. “Of a future that is bright
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16:25 Mon, 21 Apr M
Chapter 47
and well deserved! To Windhow!”
Π
The moonlight filters through the canopy of trees, casting silver shadows over the moonlit gardens.
My mind is a storm of its own, battling with the remnants of the territorial challenge, with the weight of the victory, and with the ever–present, gnawing ache that comes with the loss of the mate bond.
Raiden.
I can’t help but think of him, even now,
His presence lingers like a shadow, though he is not here.
The connection that once felt so unbreakable is weakening–its pull distant, its warmth fading. Every time I look at him, the bond flickers like a flame about to be snuffed out. It’s a cruel irony, really.
After all this time, after everything, I finally lead Windhowl to victory, only to feel like I’m losing him. Losing the one thing I never thought I’d have to fight for
For good.
1 step further into the garden, the soft crunch of the gravel underfoot the only sound that accompanies me.
I need to be alone. I need silence.
My pack, my people, they’re celebrating, but I feel like I’m drowning in their joy, suffocating under the weight of a victory that should have felt like triumph but instead tastes like ashes on my tongue.
The scent of roses hangs thick in the air. It’s both soothing and suffocating, like a promise of something beautiful that’s now wilting
Like us.
