Chapter 9

Lucien rubbed his temples before continuing. "This is Marga's fifth wish, and the sixth is to stand as her husband for the span of a month. Once I've fulfilled it, all of this will finally be behind us, and we can move forward."

My fingers paused slightly upon the parchment.

"Marga wants a bonding ceremony," he said calmly. "A true one, at least in the eyes of those watching. That is the fifth thing she has asked of me."

I remained silent.

"We'll sever our bond before the Council first," Lucien explained. "It's only the formality of it, a matter of scrolls and seals. There will be a season's waiting, and then the ceremony will be held."

He leaned forward slightly. "But it won't be recorded in the true pack ledgers. It won't be binding beneath the moon, only enough to satisfy her wish. Once it's done, all will return to how it was."

How it was.

I nearly laughed. My brother was gone. My grandfather was gone. My bond, my mate, my whole life, gone. What exactly remained for anything to return to?

Without a word, I took up the quill and signed my name.

Selene Muffin.

The signature came out neat and steady, as though it belonged to some other wolf entirely.

Lucien stared at it for several long moments before releasing a slow breath, relief plain upon his face.

"It's finally over," he said, his voice lighter than I'd heard it in years. "After this, we can leave everything behind and begin anew." He leaned back. "You always wished to see beyond our borders. We'll leave this territory and travel wherever you please. We'll bring your grandfather along, and spend proper time together at last."

My heart stopped.

I stared at him. Had he truly forgotten? Or had he simply never cared enough to remember at all?

Grandfather was dead.

Before I could speak, the bond flared with another's presence, and everything about him shifted at once. The tension left his shoulders. The weariness vanished from his face. His eyes softened the instant he recognized the caller.

Evelyn. Always Evelyn.

"Marga," Lucien answered at once. "What's wrong? Has something happened?"

Her cheerful voice carried through the link. We agreed we'd try wedding gowns today. Don't tell me you've forgotten already, I've been waiting an age.

Lucien glanced toward the window, gauging the hour by the light, and cursed softly under his breath.

"Forgive me," he said quickly. "I lost track of the day. I'm coming now, I'll be there soon."

Evelyn laughed softly through the bond. You always say that. If you don't hurry, I'll choose the ugliest gown I can find.

A smile touched his face. "Be good and wait for me," he replied gently. "Don't wander off alone. I'll be there before you know it."

The link fell quiet. He gathered his cloak and started toward the door.

Halfway there, he stopped. Something made him glance back.

I still sat upon the settee, watching him. For some reason, he frowned, as though something felt wrong, as though he'd forgotten some matter of importance.

The feeling lasted only a heartbeat.

"Wait for me," Lucien said, smiling again. "We'll speak tonight. There's still much to discuss between us."

Then he left. The door closed behind him, and the house fell silent.

I sat there a long while, listening to the emptiness settle around me.

Eventually I rose and walked to the storage chest, drawing out our bonding album from beneath old furs where it had been hidden away. Dust coated its leather cover. My fingers brushed lightly across it.

Once, I had believed that bonding was the beginning of my happiness.

What a foolish dream that had been.

I opened the album. Page after page of painted likenesses filled it, smiling faces, joyful memories, vows that had sounded eternal at the time.

Lies, every one of them.

I stared at the first likeness for a long moment before tearing it clean in two. The sound echoed through the silent house. Then I tore another, and another, page after page, likeness after likeness, until shredded parchment lay scattered across the floor around my feet. Our bonding day. Our first season together. Feast-days. Anniversaries. Every memory that had once seemed precious reduced to nothing more than scraps.

I looked down at the ruin and, strangely, felt nothing at all. The wolf who would have wept while destroying those pages had vanished long ago.

After a while I closed what remained of the album and set it aside. Then I gathered my traveling case and walked toward the door.

This time, I did not look back.

The moment I had signed that severance scroll, Lucien had become another wolf's burden entirely.

As for the bonding gift I had already prepared for the happy pair, I smiled faintly to myself.

They would receive it soon enough. And when they did, neither of them would ever forget it.