Chapter 2

SYLVARA POV

The corridor outside the Moon Hall was almost empty when I finally forced myself to leave. My shoes clicked softly against the marble floor; every step echoed like a reminder that I was walking alone now.

The torches burned low along the walls, throwing long stripes of gold and shadow across the floor. I was halfway to the guest wing when a low voice came from the dark corner near the stairwell.

"You shouldn't cry over scum like him, bunny."

I stopped.

The word bunny caught me first…soft, teasing, completely unfamiliar. I turned slowly.

He leaned against the stone wall as he belonged there, one boot crossed over the other, the firelight catching on the edge of a black coat. I had never seen him before.

He didn't wear any crest or color that marked him as part of our pack.

His face was half hidden by shadow, but what I could see made my breath catch. Sharp jaw, dark hair falling carelessly over his forehead, eyes the color of storm clouds…steady, unreadable, dangerous in a quiet way.

I straightened, brushing my hands down the front of my ruined dress. "I'm not crying," I said.

He smiled a little, still leaning against the wall. "Really? Could've fooled me."

"I don't even know you," I muttered. "You shouldn't be here."

He shrugged. "Maybe I shouldn't. But you looked like you needed someone to say it."

"Say what?"

"That he's an arse." His mouth curved into a slow grin. "You're pretty Alpha. The one who tossed you aside like a broken toy."

The words stung because they were true. I folded my arms over my chest. "You shouldn't talk about him that way."

He raised a brow. "Still defending him, bunny?"

"Don't call me that."

"Why not? It suits you."

Something about the lazy warmth in his voice made my pulse jump. "You don't even know my name."

He pushed off the wall, walking toward me with easy, unhurried steps. I took a small step back before I realized I was doing it.

He stopped a few feet away, enough that I could see his face clearly now. His features were sharp but not cruel, the kind of handsome that felt a little dangerous…like fire that didn't know it could burn.

"Then tell me," he said quietly. "What's your name, bunny?"

"Sylvara."

He said it once, testing the sound. "Pretty. But I think I'll keep bunny."

I should have been angry. Instead, I found myself almost smiling. "You really don't listen, do you?"

"Not when I'm right."

I shook my head and looked away, toward the open archway that led to the courtyard. "Why are you even talking to me?"

"Because you look like the world just ended. And you need a companion"

A laugh escaped me, small and bitter. "It did."

He didn't say anything. Just waited.

Maybe it was the way he stood…silent, patient, or maybe I was too tired to keep the words inside anymore. "He was supposed to be my mate," I whispered. "We grew up together. Since we were six. He was the only one who ever talked to me. The one who truly knew me. My first love."

The man's expression softened a little. "And now?"

"Now he's marrying someone else tomorrow evening." My voice cracked on the last word. "A Frostmoon princess. He said he had no choice. That it was for the good of the pack."

"Ah." He tilted his head. "Politics. The oldest curse of our kind."

"I would have followed him anywhere," I said. "Even if I was the unshifted wolf every mocked. Even if the others laughed. I thought love mattered."

He studied me quietly for a long moment. "It does. He just doesn't know what the word means."

Something inside me loosened at that, a thread pulling free. I hadn't realized how much I needed someone…anyone….to say it wasn't my fault.

"Thank you," I said softly feeling a bit light."

"Do you have a name?" I asked.

He smiled, slow and unreadable. "Names make things complicated. Let's keep it simple."

I frowned. "You're strange."

"I've been called worse. But strange..not really"

For a few heartbeats, neither of us spoke. The wind slipped through the open arch, cool against my face.

"I wish I could leave this place," I said suddenly. "The pack, the whispers, everything. Just… go somewhere no one knows me."

"Then why don't you?"

"Because I have nowhere to go."

He studied me with those dark, steady eyes. "Everyone has somewhere. They just haven't found it yet."

I laughed softly. "You sound like you've done a lot of running."

"Maybe." He looked away, as if something far away had caught his attention. "Maybe I just know what it's like to be unwanted."

That hit too close. I wanted to ask more, but he stepped back, the shadows wrapping around him again.

"Don't waste your tears on men who don't see you, bunny," he said quietly. "Save them for something worth breaking."

Before I could ask his name again, he turned and disappeared down the corridor.

I stood there for a long time, the echo of his voice following me like a heartbeat. I didn't even realize I was smiling a little through the ache.

The corridor felt emptier after he left.

For a moment, I just stood there, staring at the place where he'd been. The air still held a trace of him… something dark and clean, like smoke and pine. My heart beat faster than it should have.

I told myself it was just from the shock of everything. From the humiliation. From losing everything I thought I had. But deep down, I knew it wasn't only that.

No one had ever spoken to me like that before, honest, kind. It didn't make sense, but somehow, that stranger had made the weight on my chest feel lighter, even if just for a few moments.

"Bunny," I whispered to myself, shaking my head. "What kind of name is that?"

Still, it made me smile a little.

I turned and started walking again, my footsteps soft against the stone floor. The torches hissed in their brackets, throwing trembling light across the walls. Every echo reminded me how alone I was.

By the time I reached my room, most of the hallways were empty. I pushed the door open and slipped inside. The scent of lavender filled the space…one of the maids must have lit the candles earlier, thinking I'd be coming back with Aedric.

That thought made my throat tighten again. I looked around the room, at the white flowers by the window, the folded robe at the end of the bed, the silver hairpins arranged neatly on the dresser. All of it had been prepared for a mated pair.

Now it just looked like a stage for a play that had ended before the first act.

I sat down on the edge of the bed, my hands resting in my lap. For a long time, I just stared at them. The marks where the ceremonial ribbon had been tied were still faintly red on my skin.

I rubbed them absently, wishing the memory could fade as easily.

Outside, I could hear laughter…soft, distant, coming from the main courtyard. Wolves are celebrating the new alliance. Maybe even Aedric himself, smiling beside her. The thought burned worse than anything.

I wanted to scream.

I wanted to cry.

But mostly, I wanted to forget.

Instead, I stood up and walked to the small mirror by the wall. My reflection stared back…pale, tired, eyes swollen from the tears I refused to let fall. The girl looking back at me didn't look like an omega ready for a bond ceremony. She looked like a ghost wearing someone else's happiness.

"Tomorrow, I'll leave," I said quietly to my reflection. "I'll find somewhere new. Somewhere I don't have to see them."

The words sounded brave, but my chest ached when I said them. I didn't know where I would go. The world beyond the pack lands was cold, and for someone unshifted, it was dangerous.

Still, the thought of staying here was worse.

I blew out the candles one by one until the room was dim. Only the moonlight through the window stayed, soft and silver on the floor.

When I finally crawled into bed, the sheets were cold against my skin. My body felt heavy, my mind refusing to quiet.

I kept replaying the ceremony in my head…the moment Aedric looked at me and said I cannot.

The look in his eyes hadn't even been guilt. It was… a pity.

That hurt more than anything.