Chapter 2

"Perhaps losing it isn't such a terrible thing," Kael said with a faint smile. "After our mating ceremony, we'll simply build another den. One larger than this one. What do you think?"

As he spoke, his eyes lingered on me, as though he were already imagining the future we would share beneath the Moon Goddess's blessing. Every so often, he stole another glance at me, waiting for the smile he expected to see.

I noticed every one of them.

I simply pretended I hadn't.

Once, words like those would have filled me with more joy than I could contain.

Now, I no longer wished to waste even a single tear on him.

My indifference gradually drained the warmth from his expression. He knew I was still upset, yet he made no real attempt to comfort me. The few words he had spoken tonight were already more patience than he had shown me in a long time.

Afterward, he left to cleanse himself in the hot springs behind our den.

Not long after he was gone, the moonstone resting upon the table shimmered with silver light again and again.

The constant glow became impossible to ignore.

I reached over and placed my hand upon it.

The moment our auras touched, a stream of memories flowed from the moonstone.

They were memory crystals.

Every one of them held an image of Kael and Lyra together.

Some showed them dressed in the ceremonial robes worn during a sacred mating rite. Others captured them wandering through the market, laughing together as though they truly belonged to one another.

A dull ache spread through my chest.

So this was the truth.

The impatience he always reserved for me had never existed for Lyra.

I remembered the countless times I had dragged him through the artisans' quarter, hoping he would help me choose the ceremonial robes for our own mating ceremony.

Each time, he had frowned before we had even entered the first shop.

"They're all the same. Choose whichever you like."

That impatient expression remained as vivid in my memory as though I had seen it yesterday.

His indifference toward me had been real.

Just as the tenderness filling every memory crystal of him and Lyra was real.

"What are you doing?"

His voice suddenly echoed through the den.

Kael strode inside, his damp hair still carrying the scent of the hot springs. The moment he saw the glowing moonstone in my hands, his expression changed.

He snatched it away so roughly that I lost my balance and fell against the edge of the sleeping furs.

"Have you no respect for another wolf's private memories?"

His face was still flushed from the warmth of the springs, but his voice was cold enough to make the air between us feel like winter.

I lowered my eyes.

His grip had scraped the back of my hand, leaving a thin trail of blood where his claws had grazed my skin.

The truth was, even if he had not returned just then, I would not have looked any longer.

I had already seen everything.

Many sleepless nights before, I had secretly touched that same moonstone, watching memory after memory until dawn painted the sky.

By morning, my eyes had been swollen from weeping, yet I had still smiled at him and pretended I had only just awakened.

How laughable.

For seven years, I had chased after him alone.

Every mind-link between us had begun with me. Every conversation had been carried by me.

Most of the time, he answered with only a few careless words before severing the connection.

I had clung to those scraps of affection as though they were enough.

In the end, I had only made a fool of myself.

"I'm sorry," I murmured, lowering my gaze. "I won't touch your moonstone again."

He fell silent.

It was obvious he had expected tears or accusations, not quiet surrender.

After a long pause, he spoke awkwardly.

"Those memories..." He hesitated before continuing. "Lyra said choosing ceremonial robes exhausted her, so... I merely accompanied her. Nothing more."

His voice grew softer.

"You know I promised Rowan I would protect her. Don't misunderstand."

I said nothing, allowing his explanation to fade into silence.

Rowan...

Lyra's elder brother.

He had once been Kael's closest companion.

Years ago, when Kael was still only an ordinary warrior with neither status nor territory, Rowan had risked his life to deliver a sacred treaty to the Alpha on Kael's behalf.

He never returned.

A rogue ambush claimed his life before he reached the pack borders.

With his dying breath, he had asked Kael to watch over Lyra.

Kael had honored that promise.

Too well.

What had begun as simple protection slowly became involvement in every corner of her life until there was no place left for me.

I drew a slow breath.

Only a few days remained before I returned to my birth pack.

There was no longer any reason to hide my thoughts.

"You don't have to worry about me misunderstanding anything," I said quietly. "Truthfully... if you and Lyra were to complete the mating bond together, I think—"

Before I could finish, a sharp slap struck my face.

The force sent my head to one side.

"What nonsense are you saying?" Kael roared. "Lyra has always regarded me as nothing more than the brother her own flesh and blood entrusted her to. Do you think she would disgrace herself the way you have?"

My cheek burned as though scorched by fire.

Yes...

Lyra was nothing like me.

She had never spent seven years foolishly believing that love alone could earn a mate's devotion.

My vision blurred with tears.

Before they could fall, however, I caught the flash of regret that crossed Kael's face.

His shoulders stiffened.

"I..." His voice faltered. "I didn't mean that."

"I'm sorry."

For a fleeting moment, I wanted to tell him everything.

Kael... I'm leaving.

Before the words could leave my lips, the moonstone hanging at his waist suddenly blazed with silver light.

The instant he touched it, Lyra's trembling voice echoed through the mind-link.

"Kael... I dreamed of my brother again. I'm frightened... Can you come? I don't want to be alone..."