She pulled the Claiming Ring from her pocket,holding the cold metal in her palm,feeling the last vestiges of its warmth and the faint metallic tang of his territorial scent.
“Farewell,”she whispered,the word tasting of ashes.
With all her remaining strength,she launched the ring into the dark water.It arced high against the darkening sky before sinking,disappearing forever into the depths of the Pack’s territory.
Taking a deep,clean breath—untainted by the false hope of the bond—Elara turned away.Her heavy boots clicked purposefully against the paved path as she walked away,her chin tilted high.She was done looking back at the shadow of the Alpha King.
After the Pack’s quarterly council meeting,Ryder Thorne,the Alpha King,cast a sharp,assessing look at the unfamiliar female wolf standing near his desk.
“Who is this?”he demanded,his voice carrying the low,authoritative growl that commanded attention across the Blackwood Keep.He addressed Elara Vance,who was calmly organizing the mission reports.
“Kai,a newly vetted Pack member I trained,”Elara replied,her tone deliberately even.“He will handle the meeting records and Pack logs from this cycle forward.”