Meadow

nd unnervingly loud in the tense silence. It sealed us in, away fro

nd threw it onto the pristine cream sofa. He whirled

o anger the Alpha

ad, my hands twisting in the worn fabric of my

. "You don't have to. Your very

ngs. I dropped my head, staring at the scuffed toes of my s

ng in on me, and my mind fled, seeking refuge in th

hope. The Moon Goddess had blessed me, pairing me with a powerful Gamma from the formidable Blood Moon Pa

kin that promised nothing.* *He'd spoken the vows, completed the ritual, but his soul had never reached for mine. That night, our first as a m

Ryker was on his phone, his thumbs flying across the screen. A small, tender smi

t, a low, mournful sound. *H

nd a sliver of courage deep inside me. "Ryker," I

talk about," he sa

y voice trembling. "Our bon

e recoil. "The Goddess?" he sneered. "If she was so wise, she

hispering Pines, had been losing territory for years. This marriage, this alli

de," he continued, his voice like shards

give him the satisfaction. I looked at him, truly looked at him, and for the first time,

the conversation. He grabbed his

The question slipped ou

his eyes sliding away from mi

Gammas never personally supe

window and watched his figure hurry across the courtyard, his path leading away from t

But it was nothing compared to the iceberg that had formed in my chest. I

nd my mate was the keeper who'd