Page 122

They bound their wrists together.

When it was done, applause filled the hall.

Later, when the feast had softened into music and wine, they slipped away.

Outside, under starlight, they shed silk and linen and shifted to fur, muscle, and instinct.

Blaidd gave her a head start, following seconds later, shifting mid-leap and gaining ground quickly. They did not need to say where they were going. The caves waited for reaffirmation.

Behind them, the pack watched with happy smiles.

Maxen and Lisna stood side by side, watching them disappear. Lisna leaned against Maxen's arm and felt his gentle kiss against her hair, her babe asleep in her arms.

Sion stood near their parents, speaking softly.

Eira sat on a chair, looking out of the window in the hall. Gone was the defiant, sharp-tongued girl who once challenged everyone. In her place was a shadow of her former self.

Blaidd had haltingly explained the deal with the changelings earlier that week. Five years of indenture—of feeding them with her blood, of serving them. Eira had shivered but nodded to show she understood. All the rebellion seemed to have seeped out of her.

She had not spoken a single word still.

Now she sat in a corner of the hall, hands folded in her lap, an untouched goblet before her.

When the ceremony concluded and attention shifted elsewhere, she slipped away.

Aiko watched her leave. Her eyes shifted to Sora, who stood in the shadows by the door.

His gaze tracked Eira's retreating form. His mouth was a thin line as he noticed the hunched shoulders, the way she avoided every pair of eyes.

And Aiko knew… In that moment, she knew she could not remain.

Kenji appeared at her side, offering her a goblet of wine.

She wore a green silk sheath dress tonight, light catching the smooth fabric, her dark hair braided over one shoulder. Many of the unmated males followed her with their eyes, but she acknowledged none. She took the goblet from him and drained it in a single swallow. Her expression was as smooth as a porcelain doll.

Kenji raised a brow. "Aiko—"

"I need something from you," she said quietly.

Her voice held none of its usual brightness. There was only pain and acceptance of the inevitable.

By dawn, the hall had emptied. The fires had burned low.

***

Chapter 49

The next few days passed like a dream.

Blaidd was already dressed when she woke that morning, fastening the clasps on his tunic with languid movements that were slower than usual. His reluctance to leave his naked one curled up under the covers was obvious.

He had held her tightly before leaving for the Moon Warden. He needed to give him a full account of events. But it also meant he would be away for at least five days.

The night before, he had not been gentle. He had not been able to let her rest.

He had kept her close, joined to him again and again, as though repetition could fuse their flesh together. As though imprinting himself into her skin would keep her with him. Her hips, her thighs were littered with finger-shaped bruises. He had bitten into his claiming mark, as if reaffirming the bond.

She had laughed breathlessly at first, then finally pushed at his chest.