My gaze flicks across the pairings. My eyes snag on Tala and Bane, hand in hand. Her dark eyes glow with triumph, her posture tall. At least she found someone worthy, someone strong enough to match her. For a moment, a spark of relief warms my chest — then the void returns, colder than before.
I force my voice steady. “Welcome to the Aurora pack. You’ve proven your worthiness in the trials, and the gods have seen fit to bless you with mates. May you bring strength, honor, and new life to our people.”
A cheer goes up, the sound loud and joyous. I smile faintly, because that’s what they need from me, expect from me. But inside, the words scrape raw against my throat.
From the crowd, I catch the snicker. Steele, his arms looped around a giggling female, smiling at me with malice in his eyes. He doesn’t even try to hide it. I killed two of hisfriends, two brothers in Scar’s lineage. The great Alpha Thorn, leader without a mate for yet another season.
For a heartbeat, rage flares through me. I could crush him, silence him. But instead, I let it go. A true Alpha doesn’t waste his power on petty fools. Instead, I lift my chin and sweep my gaze over the crowd. “We leave within the hour. The journey home is long and cold, so be ready.”
The road back is endless stone and dirt, winding through snow-capped mountain passes and valleys of pine that turn to snow-covered ice. The wolves behind me chatter and laugh, basking in the glow of their coupling, while I stride at the front in silence. Tala, once my only companion, now remains behind, traversing the journey with her mate.
Each crunch of paw behind me beats in rhythm with my thoughts. Ember’s face, her fiery auburn hair as she shook her head, her refusal. The way her blue eyes glistened under the moonlight as she stepped away from me. From us. The way it just…ended.
The ache is constant, sharp and deep. But with every mile, I bury it a little deeper. Not gone, but caged, locked inside where it belongs.
I’m Alpha. I’ve proven it twice now. I am Thorn Alpha of Aurora pack, and now my wolves need my strength, not my sorrow.
So I trudge on, jaw tight, the wind biting at my muzzle. Though my heart is shattered, my pack will never see me falter.
Chapter 32
EMBER
The cave is dark when we arrive just before dawn. Torches flicker low along the cavern walls, casting long shadows that stretch and retreat as the wolves file inside. The air hums with quiet anticipation.
The new couples peel away almost immediately, hands clasped, shoulders brushing as they’re guided toward their new caves. Families rush forward, welcoming the new pairings, hugs are exchanged. Other families await pack members who aren’t returning.
They linger, eyes scanning faces, counting heads, waiting for footsteps that never come.
Roman and I bring up the rear.
As the last of the pack disperses, they fade back to their own caves, sometimes never knowing whether their family member mated, or was killed.
A squeal comes from our left. Dove’s mother barrels forward, throwing herself into Dove’s mate’s arms. “I knew it was you,” she says fiercely, pressing her face into his shoulder, careful to keep the words from Dove’s ears.
I catch her gaze over the man’s broad back. She sees methen, standing alone beside Roman, and her smile softens. I lift my hand in a small wave and keep walking.
Cullen clears his throat and starts his long-winded speech about mates and blessings, and the strength of the pack this season.
I don’t stop to listen.
My broken heartbeat is louder than his words could ever be.
Our cave is exactly how we left it.
Cold. Cramped. Damp walls pressing in on a narrow stretch of straw bedding. It’s no surprise no one stole it while we were gone. I stare at the dank alcove and something hollow opens in my chest. I miss the bed inside the cool cliff. No, what I really miss was Thorn’s scent. Breathing in the ghost of his scent that felt like a home I’d long forgotten. That scent lingers on my nose, my soul, never to be replaced. Now, looking at the people here, the dark hovel where we sleep, I realize I’m ready to move on. This is no longer my home; maybe after mother and father died, it never was.
Roman pushes past me and collapses on the straw bedding with a dramatic groan. “Ugh, I miss the beds of the castle already. And the big fire in the library.”
I smile. “I was thinking the same thing.”
“No,” he says, propping himself up on his elbows. “You were thinking about your beefy Alpha mate.” He puckers his lips exaggeratedly, “Oh, Alpha Thorn.”
He smacks his lips again. “Muah. Muah.”
My mouth drops open. “I do not sound like that.”
“Oh, Thorny poo.” He croons, “I miss you.”
