"You should know that your disgraceful affairs aren't limited to what's already been revealed. If I wanted to expose more, you'd bleed territory and resources far worse than before."
She stood frozen in the doorway for a long while.
Finally, her voice emerged, almost helpless.
"After this, I'll sever things with him completely. But promise me—we'll live properly from now on, yes? Once the pup comes, we'll be a happy family."
During my pregnancy, she had said such things nearly every day.
Yet it never stopped her from remaining tangled with Dorian Frostclaw.
Sometimes she pitied his status as an unacknowledged offspring. Other times she felt sorry that he had no pack to call his own, no family to lean on.
In short, she had ten thousand reasons why she couldn't help being drawn to him, why she had to help him rise through the ranks.
She remained blocking the doorway as though she wouldn't leave until I answered.
Watching her shadow swallow the morning light, I gave a hollow response just to be rid of her.
It wasn't until the next morning, when an uncensored scent-vision recording of my supposed betrayal spread across every territory network, that I understood what she meant by "after this."