Rider took flight, digging his claws into the ground as we ran into the woods away from where was once Lyra’s home. Panting and torn between instincts and reason, he howled, furious at the thought of surrender. Fated mates were not meant to be cast aside. Yet, inside me, I carried the guilt too heavy for the bond to erase.

Rider tipped his head back and let out a howl that split the night. The sound of an Alpha wolf, whose world was breaking before him. It was raw, broken—half longing, half ...