Like a wolf drawn to her own wounds, I scrolled through all 349 of her posts.
Then I opened her latest update.
A modest waystation den near the healer-territory.
Kael's rumpled clothing and leather belt draped over a carved chair.
That belt. The one I had given him for our first mating anniversary, tooled with protective wards.
Raven had marked beneath the image: "My wolf's hunting skills are impressive. I am well-fed tonight."
I replied to her mark: "That belt belongs to my bonded mate."
I attached the memory-capture of Kael examining that same belt the night I had gifted it.
The howl-stream erupted.
Wolves flooded in from across the territory networks, calling Raven a bond-breaker, a shadow-mate, a disgrace to Omega-kind.
My communication crystal hummed. Healer Elena's voice came through, low and steady as a winter stream.
"Selene. Tomorrow morning, first light. I have secured you the earliest ritual time for the termination."
