The thought of him sends a fresh wave of pain through my chest. I shove it down, forcing myself to breathe through it.
Not now. Deal with that later.
My wolf stirs restlessly inside me, alert and watchful. She’s been like this all day, her senses sharper than mine, picking up on things I can’t quite perceive. It should comfort me, having her here after so long. But right now, it just makes the loss of our mate that much more acute.
She knows what we gave up. What we’ll never have.
The sky bleeds orange and purple as the sun continues its descent. Shadows lengthen across the field, and my pulse kicks up a notch.
Where is she?
A figure emerges from the trees, silhouetted against the dying light. Too far to make out features, but the way she moves triggers bone-deep recognition.
My mother.
No warmth rises. No relief at seeing family. Just the cold, careful guardedness that has lived in me since I was old enough to understand that her love came with conditions.
She walks quickly, her steps purposeful. As she gets closer, her face sharpens into focus. Those same harsh features, the elaborate updo starting to come loose, expensive perfume probably still clinging to her clothes despite dressing down.
She’s still twenty feet away when she stops dead, as if she has just walked into a wall. Her whole body goes rigid.
“Mom?” I call out, my voice careful. Neutral.
She doesn’t respond. Just stands there, staring at me with wide eyes that catch the dying light.
My wolf whines uneasily. Wrong. This is wrong.
My mother takes one step closer, then another, moving slowly now. Like she’s approaching a wild animal.
When she’s close enough that I can see the color drain from her face, she stops again.
“What have you done?” Her voice cracks like a whip across the space between us. Horrified. Furious.
My shoulders square defensively. “What?”
She closes the distance in seconds, fingers shooting out to grip both my upper arms. They dig in hard as she shakes me.
“How long has it been since you stopped your pills?” she demands. “How long?”
My brain scrambles to process. The pills. The medicine. “How do you know I stopped?”
“I can sense your wolf, you stupid girl!” Harsh. Panicked.
The truth hits me like ice water. I stare at the fury and fear in her eyes as everything clicks into place.
She can sense my wolf.
Because my wolf is no longer suppressed.
I tear myself out of her grip, stumbling backward when she finally lets go. My voice comes out strangled, broken. “It’s true, then. They do suppress my wolf. Darius was right.”
My mother goes even paler, if that’s possible. Her eyes widen. “Darius?” The name comes out like a curse. “You told Darius about the medicine?” She grabs me again, shaking me even harder this time. “Have you been with Darius this whole time?”
Before I can answer, her gaze drops to my neck. She releases one of my arms and reaches for my throat.
A terrible realization forms in my mind.
“What are you looking for?” My voice goes cold. Flat. “Amating mark?”
