Seven Years of Mate, Seven Seconds to Ruin

The moon hung low in the sky, heavy and full, as I stood frozen outside the ancient timber hall of the Greyfang pack. My fingers trembled around the crescent moon pendant I had crafted as a gift for my mate, Kieran. Seven years of devotion, of imagining our future as bonded wolves.

“How much longer are you going to string Talia along?” a gruff voice growled from the other side of the heavy oak door.

My heart stuttered, the sound of my name sending a jolt of pain through my chest. My claws unconsciously extended, biting into the soft wood of the pendant.