A cup of unopened tea was getting cold in Serafina's hands as she sat in Silverwind Pack's opulent dining hall. Long shadows were cast on the stone floors by the slender light coming from the tall windows. The hall was exquisite, with crystal chandeliers and columns lined with silver, but it didn't feel like home.
Even though she had only been here four days, every hour seemed to last a year. It was too quiet in the walls. The smiles were too practiced. And she had vowed to stay away from the one person she couldn't stop thinking about.
Roman.
Just out of her line of sight, his presence hung like a stormcloud. Never far away. Staying vigilant. He positioned himself at Thomas' right hand during morning briefings. Like a wolf pacing its territory, he moved around the perimeter during training. And Serafina felt the mate bond pulsing in her bones like wildfire ready to spread during those brief, unguarded seconds when their eyes met.
They hadn't said anything else. Not outside of the official conversations. Not more than was required.
It didn't matter, though. Her heart was aware of what her mind would not consider.
She looked across the hall as Thomas walked in, warriors on either side of him. He nodded as his eyes passed her. obedient. Unmoved. Since the wedding, he had always been friendly, never harsh or unkind. but chilly.
Words exchanged in front of witnesses, rings bound by duty rather than love, their marriage was a formality.
Another person also sensed it.
Susanna.
Now, she was constantly in the background. less noisy. She excused herself more quickly. Once upon a time, she had been a beacon of light in the Silverwind home—graceful, compassionate, and endowed with a warmth that illuminated even the chilly hallways. She hardly stayed in a room anymore if Thomas walked in.
Serafina had witnessed it. When Thomas passed by, Susanna's eyes flickered. The way her hands shook when their eyes unintentionally met. Something had once been there. Maybe it still was.
Serafina got up and went into the kitchens with Susanna.
The younger woman's dark braid slipped over one shoulder as she looked up in surprise. "My luna. Are you in need of anything?
"No," said Serafina softly. "I just wanted to see how you were doing."
After a moment of hesitation, Susanna shook her head. "I'm all right. Simply busy.
Serafina whispered, "Susanna, you don't have to lie to me." "I am aware that something has changed. I also sense it."
Two women caught in the same web of expectations and unfulfilled desires looked at each other.
Susanna averted her gaze. "He no longer sees me."
Serafina touched her hand. "Perhaps he's simply attempting to avoid it."
With a tenuous understanding, they stood silently.
Later that night, Serafina sensed Roman's presence behind her as she made her way back to her quarters through the torch-lit hallways—close enough to keep an eye on her but far enough to avoid intrusion.
A companion in the dark.
In name, a husband.
And the walls inside her started to crumble.