Every time we went out, he held my hand and never let go.
Every Moon Blessing Day, every anniversary, he showed up on time with a gift and a smile.
Then Corvina moved in, and everything changed.
She was his blood-brother's widow. That was the reason. She had no pack, no one else, so he brought her into our territory.
At first it was just small courtesies. Checking in on her. Making sure she was comfortable in the guest quarters. Then came the late-night summons. Her legs were swollen. Her feet were numb. She needed him. Again and again, she pulled him out of our bed in the middle of the night, her Omega distress pheromones threading through the halls like smoke under a door.
On our mating anniversary, he left me sitting alone at the feast hall and rushed to the Healing Hall to sit with her through a prenatal examination.
I got jealous. Of course I did. But every time, Theron would take my hands and say with absolute conviction: "Her mate saved my life once. His widow and his pup, how can I just abandon them? Seraphina, you're the kindest wolf I know. You understand, don't you?"
Because I loved him, I trusted him. I trusted us. I trusted what we'd built.
Until I saw him in bed with her.