SERA

Set one year after the mating ceremony, Chapter 60 timeline.

The tradition was my idea.

Every year on the anniversary of the mating bite, bonded wolves renewed the mark. It wasn’t required — the original bite was permanent, the scar a lifelong testament to the bond — but the renewal was an act of reaffirmation. A choice made again, voluntarily, without the pressure of Elders or the desperation of a crumbling marriage or the chemical manipulation of a sabotaged cabin.

I wanted that. ...