The words hung in the air like they had been carved from the moonlight itself.

"I release you from the bond."

For a heartbeat, nothing moved. The forest seemed to listen, holding its breath as the invisible thread that had tied me to Alpha King Ryan snapped and dissolved into the night. I felt it like a tight band around my chest finally loosening. A breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding escaped in a trembling rush.

My black eyes blinked against the sting. Relief. Sadness. Something ...