"Alaric! Come back! Please, come back now! Lily's having a breath-crash—she's going into shock! Come back and take us to the healers! I'm begging you!"
But the presence that answered through the bond wasn't Alaric's frantic response.
It was a female's presence—soft, satisfied, laced with drowsiness and mockery.
Raven Frosthollow.
"Oh my, if it isn't Selene."
"Alaric left his mind open to me when he fell asleep in my den."
"So you really accepted the Bond Rejection?"
"Yes, I accepted it. Can you wake him now? Tell him to come back—something's happened to Lily—"
I fought to keep my composure.
A soft laugh came through the mind-link.
"Lily's having a breathing collapse? Please. You'd do anything to save this bond—cry wolf enough times and no one believes you anymore."
In my arms, my pup let out a feeble whimper. Something inside me snapped.
"Make him come back! She needs help! This is his own pup! Raven, you'll pay for this!"
Raven just laughed, her presence dripping with contempt through our shared connection.
"Honestly? It'd be better if she died. Alaric's going to have a new pup anyway."
The link severed.