If he'd thought about it for even a second longer, he would have realized how strange it was—that I, who had always insisted on everyone recognizing our bond, had suddenly hidden all traces of it.
But he didn't.
He just smiled faintly, his eyes distant, still savoring whatever had happened with Aurora.
I let out a bitter half-smile and turned to leave.
Outside the chamber, I pulled out my message-crystal. Sure enough, Aurora had just shared a new memory-capture for the pack network.
One image flickered past in the recording.
Fenris's back, framed in a kitchen doorway.
He was wearing an apron, cooking utensil in hand, his expression soft and focused as he prepared a meal for her.
He had never liked being in the cooking quarters.
I was the one who had taught myself to prepare food, hoping to make something he'd enjoy.
Only now did I finally understand.
It wasn't that he didn't want to cook.
He just didn't want to cook for me.
I stood by the moonlit pool behind the Central Den, watching the silver light ripple across the water while something cold and sharp twisted in my chest.
I pulled the bonding token from my pocket and held it in my palm, as if I could still feel the warmth it once carried.