"Kael, I truly feel unwell. Can you return to our den and stay with me? Forget the territory negotiations. I just want you here."
His voice turned sharp with impatience. "Selene, do not be difficult. Those negotiations mean better resources for our pup."
When I sensed no softening through our weakened bond, I cleared my throat. "Kael, let me ask you something. Did you ever undergo the phantom-labor trial—with someone else?"
A beat of silence stretched between us like a hunter's snare.
"Selene, I know I should have gone with you. But honestly, I would rather spend that time securing our territory's future than waste it on something without practical purpose."
A female voice carried through in the background, urging him to hurry with a familiar ease that made my fur want to rise.
Kael's words came faster. "Selene, my pack liaison is calling. I must go."
I set the communication crystal face-down on the fur-draped couch and wiped the tears from my cheeks.
A message arrived through the pack-net from Dorian Stormhart.
He had found her.
Her name was Raven Duskthorn. Kael's first love.