Selene sat alone by the river's edge, her leg still bandaged but her movements steadier.
The full moon loomed above like an unblinking eye. Watching. Judging.
She held the small crystal communicator in her palm, no larger than a coin, its texture sleek and shiny. It hummed softly against her skin, begging to be used.
One press, that's all it would take. A pulse of magic would send her report:
Target still alive. Gaining trust. Mating bond confirmed. Progressing toward kill.
She stared at it. Her thumb hovered, but she didn't press it.
Not tonight.
Not after what Kael said.
Not after he sat with her through another nightmare, silent and still, until she fell asleep against his shoulder.
She slipped the crystal back into her boot just as twigs snapped behind her.
Kael.
Of course.
She didn't need to look to know his scent now; embers and pine.
"Shouldn't you be resting?" he asked, stepping beside her.
"Shouldn't you be somewhere alpha-ing?"
He gave a low grunt that might've been a laugh. "I needed air."
"Same."
They sat in silence. The river babbled at their feet. An owl called in the distance.
Kael glanced sideways at her. "You didn't answer my question yesterday."
"Which one?"
"Who hurt you?"
She smiled faintly. "You always ask like you expect me to actually answer."
"Someday," he said. "You will."
She looked away. "And what happens when you don't like the truth?"
Kael was quiet for a moment.
Then: "I'd rather hear a brutal truth than a beautiful lie."
Selene's throat tightened. If only he knew how many beautiful lies she had already told.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back at the packhouse, Selene sat on her bed, hands trembling. She had lied to Roran, by omission.
And that meant punishment, if he found out. Her loyalty had never wavered before.
So why couldn't she send the message?
Why did the thought of Kael's blood spilling across the council floor make her stomach twist with something like grief?
She pulled out a blank piece of paper. Her hands moved before her mind caught up.
Kael,
If you're reading this, then I'm already gone. You were never supposed to be kind. You were never supposed to care. And I was never supposed to feel anything in return.
But you broke the rules. And I broke the mission.
I was sent to kill you. But now... I don't think I know how to breathe without you.
She stared at the note.
Then crumpled it and shoved it deep under her pillow.
The next morning, the patrol reports arrived late, and with news. A rogue had been spotted near the northern boundary. Unusual.
Kael went still as he read the report.
"Lina," he said.
She looked up from her training.
"Suit up. We're riding out."
The ride to the north was uneventful. Until it wasn't. They found the rogue pinned against a tree, his body slashed by claws. Barely alive.
He coughed blood and whispered, "Tell the she-wolf... her leash is cracking."
Kael turned to her sharply.
"What did he mean by that?"
Selene's heart stopped. She couldn't lie. Not well enough. She knelt beside the rogue, pretending to check his wounds.
She leaned close, whispering through gritted teeth: "You fool." He smiled, a smear of red on his lips. "You were supposed to report. Alpha Roran is losing patience."
Kael's voice behind her was like thunder. "Selene. Step away from him."
Slowly, she stood.
Kael's eyes bored into her. "You knew him."
"I—"
"Don't lie."
Her silence was enough.
Kael turned to one of his guards. "Take him to the dungeons. I'll deal with him later."
Selene didn't meet his gaze. She couldn't. She rode back beside him, silent as guilt churned in her gut.
And that night, she found her note missing from under her pillow.