Fern’s face keeps surfacing in my mind. The terror in her eyes when she showed me those text messages from her ex. The fury when I carried her out of the medical center against her will. The way she said fine, like she was signing her own death warrant rather than agreeing to a mating bond.
I didn’t give her a choice. Not really. I backed her into a corner and left her with only one way out, and now she’s going to bind herself to me for life because I was too desperate to think of another solution.
My wolf growls at the self-recrimination. She’s ours. We’re protecting what’s ours.
But am I? Or am I just another man trying to control her for her own good?
The comparison she drew to her ex cuts deeper than any wound I’ve ever taken in a fight. I am nothing like him, I tell myself. But what did I do the moment she pushed back against me? I wrapped my fingers around her wrist, threatened to carry her, and when she slapped me, I did exactly what I’d threatened—I threw her over my shoulder and hauled her away like she was property to be moved rather than a person to be respected.
How is that different from what Robbie did? How is that different from what she spent years trying to escape?
I slow to a trot and then stop as my sides heave while I catch my breath. The forest is quiet around me as the nocturnal creatures begin to stir. An owl hoots somewhere in the canopy overhead. A creek burbles nearby as the water catches the first silver glimmers of moonrise.
I lower my head and close my eyes while I try to find some clarity amid the storm inside me.
The mating ceremony will happen tonight. Fern agreed, even if she did so through gritted teeth with hatred blazing in her eyes. Once the bond is complete, the entire pack will recognize her as mine, and their protection will extend to her automatically. No threat from her past will be able to touch her without answering to every wolf in Silvercreek.
That’s what I wanted. That’s what I convinced myself she needed.
So why does it feel so hollow?
Because she doesn’t want you, a voice whispers. She’s accepting you because she has no other options. Because you made sure she had no other options.
I shake my massive head while I try to dislodge the thought, but it clings anyway and burrows deeper with every breath I take.
The forest offers no answers. Just the endless quiet of trees and earth and sky, indifferent to my turmoil.
When I finally turn back toward headquarters, the moon has risen fully above the trees. My paws carry me home at aslower pace than I left, and each step feels heavy with the weight of what’s to come. The run helped burn off the worst of my restless energy, but it did nothing to quiet the doubt gnawing at my insides.
The transformation back to human form feels more abrupt than usual, like my body is reluctant to give up the simplicity of four legs and fur. I gather my discarded clothes from beneath the oak and dress mechanically as my mind continues turning over the evening’s events.
Fern is in that guest room right now, probably cursing my name as she puts on that white dress. Probably staring at her reflection and wondering how her life went so wrong. Soon, we’ll stand before the pack and speak the words that will bind us together for eternity.
And she’ll hate me for it. Maybe forever.
My wolf rumbles in my chest with a sound of frustration and longing all tangled together. He doesn’t understand human complexities. To him, mate is mate. Protection is love. The bond is everything.
But I’m not just a wolf. I’m a man too, and I know that what I did tonight may have saved her body while destroying any chance of winning her heart.
I climb the steps to the pack headquarters and pause at the door as I rest one hand on the worn wooden frame. Through the walls, I can hear the sounds of preparation. Luna’s laughter rings out somewhere inside, bright and clear against the evening quiet. Everyone else is celebrating. Another mating, another bond, another strengthening of the pack.
I’m the only one who knows how badly I’ve broken this before it’s even begun.
Chapter 11 - Fern
The white dress feels like a shroud.
I stand in front of the mirror in the guest room as two women I barely know fuss over me, adjusting the fabric and pinning my hair. Luna works on the left side while Skylar handles the right, both of them chattering about how beautiful the ceremony will be and how lucky I am.
Lucky. Definitely not the word I’d use.
“You’re going to love the Hollow at night,” Luna gushes as she weaves a small white flower into my hair. “It’s magical with all the torches and the moonlight filtering through the trees.”
“I’m sure,” I reply flatly.
Skylar catches my eye in the mirror and offers a sympathetic smile. “I know this isn’t what you planned, but Connor’s a good man, Fern. One of the best. He’ll take care of you.”
“He dragged me out of the medical center and threw me over his shoulder like a caveman.”
