But his feelings never changed. Even during our rare intimate moments, it was mechanical. Obligatory. Just instinct and biology, nothing of the soul-deep connection a true mating should bring.
It wasn't until later that I learned the truth: the reason he'd gotten drunk that night, the reason he'd ended up with me—it was because the female he truly wanted had bonded with someone else.
And that female was Aurora Duskmoor.
The false-blooded heiress his pack had mistakenly adopted as a pup.
His sister in name only—but the one whose scent made his wolf howl with longing.
He couldn't bear the thought of watching her become another wolf's mate. His feelings had slipped through the cracks of his careful control, nearly exposing him to the pack elders. That was why he rushed into bonding with me—simply to satisfy his parents' demands and quiet the whispers among the Duskmoor wolves.
At first, the truth had torn through me like claws.
But deep in my heart, I always believed that a bond could strengthen over time. That eventually, I would find a way past his walls and into the place where his wolf truly dwelt.
Until a few days ago, when I discovered the secret hidden within his message-sigil crystal.