Chapter 3
Nora's POV
After the bond dissolved, I finally felt light.
No more managing territory taxes. No more mediating clan disputes. No more maintaining those complex defense wards. I wasn't his mate anymore—why the hell should I care about his territory?
The next few days felt like being reborn. I slept in. Learned magical weaving in the elf quarter. Wandered the Starlight Market with Lyra until midnight. No emergency summons. No mountains of paperwork. No cold orders from Kael.
This was what living felt like.
That evening, Lyra dragged me toward the edge of town, practically bouncing with excitement.
"There's an outdoor music festival tonight," she said, eyes bright. "Musicians from across the continent—come on, let's go wild!"
The field was packed. Magic fireworks exploded overhead. The drumbeat was so loud the ground shook beneath us. I sat on the grass, watching the crowd go crazy in the distance, soaking in the energy I'd forgotten existed.
"To freedom!" Lyra handed me a glowing drink.
I took it and downed it in one gulp. It burned going down, but that frozen place inside my chest finally started to thaw.
Then the communication stone at my waist flared hot.
Kael.
I stared at it for a few seconds, then channeled magic into it anyway.
"Why the hell are the defense wards down?"
Kael's voice was ice-cold. "Gareth said you revoked all access permissions? You were managing those systems—they just STOPPED. Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?"
I frowned. "We dissolved the bond, Kael."
"Dissolving the bond doesn't mean you can just ABANDON everything!" His voice shot up. "Those wards, those barriers—you think I can just hand them off to anyone? Nora, what the HELL are you trying to pull?"
Music blared in the background. He seemed to catch on. "Are you out somewhere?"
"Yeah. At the festival outside town."
"Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME—" Kael roared. "You're out PARTYING while the territory's defenses are down? Nora, have you lost your MIND? I thought you just needed rest, and you're at some goddamn music festival?!"
I watched the fireworks explode overhead. Suddenly, it was funny. "Kael, I just want to live my own life."
"Live your own life?" He sneered. "What about the territory? The wards, the barriers, the patrol routes—or is this your way of threatening me?"
"When have I rested in the past five years?" I closed my eyes.
Silence on the other end.
"Even when I lost our child and was lying in a hospital bed," I continued quietly, "I was still handling your territory crises. So don't talk to me about responsibility—I'm not your slave."
The silence stretched.
"If the workload's too much, we can adjust it," his voice suddenly softened. "Have Gareth take on more. I know these past few years... you've worked hard."
I didn't respond.
"Nora," he continued, "when Seraphine goes back to the sanatorium, we'll rebond. I promise I won't let you burn out like this again. Next Saturday is your birthday—I'll take you to Meteor Falls. You've always wanted to go, right? Just the two of us."
My heart clenched.
Next Saturday—the day I was leaving.
For five years, I'd mentioned wanting to see Meteor Falls.
That place... where we first met. Though he didn't remember...
Year one, he said he had to help Seraphine recover. Year two, there was a territory crisis. Year three, he didn't even listen.
Now he remembered. The day I was leaving.
"Just us two, we can—"
"Kael!" Seraphine's sultry voice suddenly cut through. "Come down here! Swim with me!"
Water splashing in the background. Her deliberately loud laughter: "The water's so cold... but you're so warm..."
Kael stopped mid-sentence.
I sat on the grass. Music and cheering surrounded me, but I couldn't hear anything anymore.
"Nora, I..." Kael's voice turned awkward. "Something came up. We'll talk later—"
"Hey there, gorgeous. You alone?"
A deep male voice suddenly spoke beside me. I looked up. A massive bear-shifter stood there, eyeing me with obvious interest. "Want some company tonight?"
"Who the FUCK is that?!" Kael exploded through the stone. "Nora, who is that?!"
"Kael, that's none of your business," I cut him off. "And I don't need your 'compensation.'"
"Wait, you—"
I cut the connection and waved the bear-shifter off.
Lyra walked over, reading my expression. "That asshole again?"
"Yeah," I tossed the stone into my bag. "Already handled."
"Another drink," I told a passing server. "The strongest you've got."
Over the next few days, I ignored every single summons from Kael.
That afternoon, Lyra gleefully filled me in: "Heard what's happening at Nightshade territory without you? Total chaos."
"The wards failed multiple times. Nearly got overrun by beast packs. And Seraphine's even worse—two days ago, Kael was casting a defensive spell, and she suddenly threw herself at him. Broke his concentration completely. The magic backlashed. He coughed up blood right there."
I sipped my tea. Felt nothing.
She leaned in conspiratorially. "Oh, and Kael's been asking around about you everywhere."
"Asking what?"
"About what men you've been seeing," Lyra smirked. "Apparently he issued orders—find the bastard who touched you, and he'll rip him apart personally."
