She looked as though her soul had already left her body.
Caleb’s face drained of all color.
Shock and guilt flashed across his features as the truth dawned on him.
She had seen everything.
Neither of them moved.
She stared at him in silent disappointment.
He stood frozen in horror.
Then footsteps sounded from the doorway behind them.
Lupas entered the house.
He was one of the pack scribes, a wolf tasked by the elders to witness important legal rites—especially those involving the breaking of sacred bonds.
When he noticed the tense silence in the room, his brows furrowed slightly.
Without saying a word, Aria calmly reached into her satchel and pulled out the parchment bearing the mate rejection decree.
Beside it was a small ceremonial blade used during rejection rites.
To Caleb’s complete disbelief, she signed the parchment immediately with steady hands, then pricked her finger with the blade. A drop of her blood stained the document, sealing her consent to the severing of their bond.
She handed the parchment to Lupas.
The scribe accepted it slowly, his expression filled with pity.