"I no longer care what becomes of her. You promised me before—once this pup was safely born, you would help me obtain my Bond Severance. I hope you intend to keep your word."
Her expression stiffened, guilt heavy in her eyes.
"Grandmother has wronged you."
"I've already tricked her into signing the severance documents. Rest and heal your body. Once her recovery period ends, you may leave."
The Matriarch took the pup into her own care, personally arranging for trusted wolves to watch over him.
I quietly returned to the den I'd lived in before the mating bond, avoiding the gossip that would have followed me otherwise.
But that very night, rumors still spread like wildfire through the territory's elite circles: the Valeheart Pack's heir had defied the Matriarch, risking her post-birth body to protect her Beta lover.
The Valeheart Pack's standing in the territory alliance began to slip. Selene Valeheart was buried under the chaos, scrambling to contain the damage.
Dorian Frostclaw's popular scent-journal account was overrun by outraged pack members. The scandal I had once exposed myself—how he had seduced his brother's bonded mate, only for Selene to suppress it—resurfaced with a vengeance.