The Ryder who had always been distant,cold,and strictly professional with her,his Claimed Mate...had been endlessly loving,nurturing,and indulgent toward Lyra.Elara had been blind to this painful disparity for too long.Only after being deliberately neglected over and over had she finally learned to release the claim.
Lyra suddenly raised her head,her gaze cautious and testing.“Elara...do you sense the way I look at my Alpha is...inappropriate?”
Elara remained silent,studying the subtle shifts in the she-wolf’s defensive posture.
Lyra’s possessiveness over Ryder was so blatant,her schemes so transparent,that she had the gall to declare it openly to his Claimed Mate.
But instead of reacting with the expected jealousy,Elara simply smiled as she calmly responded,“It is not inappropriate.I sense...your Alpha returns that affection,Lyra.”
Lyra’s voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper,edged with triumph.“Then,Elara...will you release the Alpha’s claim to me?”
Elara met her expectant gaze,the bright,innocent hope in Lyra's eyes a perfect mirror to her own former desperation.“Perhaps,”she answered lightly.