Darius Dane stood with his back straight, chest broad, and nerves slowly fraying as the pack’s tailor circled him for the third time.
The tailor’s measuring tape slid across his shoulders before tightening around his chest.
The scent of fresh wool, leather, and cedarwood polish filled the room, mixing with the faint aroma of pine drifting through the open window.
“Forty-five,” the tailor announced.
The scratching of a quill immediately followed as his apprentice bent over a ledger and recorded the number.
Darius resisted the urge to sigh.
Beside him stood his Beta, Nicolas Quinn.
The man had been leaning against a carved wooden pillar for nearly half an hour, watching the entire process unfold with far too much interest.
Every time Darius looked his way, Nicolas appeared seconds away from laughing.
It was irritating.
The Great Alpha Dane was getting married.
The thought should have filled him with satisfaction.
Instead, it felt strangely hollow.
Not to his mate.
His jaw tightened.
No.
That matter had been settled weeks ago.
Aurelia Dusk had been rejected.
The bond was gone and the sorceress had returned to her island, and he had remained in the North where he belonged.
Everything had worked out exactly as it should have.
“Lift your arms.”
Darius obeyed.
The tailor stretched the tape beneath them before jotting down another measurement.
His skin prickled beneath the man’s touch.
Across the room, sunlight spilled through tall windows and illuminated floating specks of dust.
Outside, he could hear wolves sparring in the training yard, the distant clash of wooden practice swords carrying through the air.
Life was as normal as it should be.
For him.
For his pack.
Now he was to marry Elena Frisk, Daughter of Alpha Gerald Frisk.
It was a perfect match.
One that would strengthen alliances between packs and secure the future of his territory.
Elena was respected, intelligent and gracious.
She had been raised within wolf traditions.
She understood their customs and their values.
Everything a Luna should be.
Not some random witch.
Not a woman whose very presence had made his wolf restless.
Not a woman who’s taste still lingered on his tongue and filled his thoughts when he least expected it.
Darius immediately shoved the thought away.
“Thirty-two.” The tailor stepped back.
Nicolas hummed, a sound was suspiciously amused.
Darius narrowed his eyes.
“What?”
The Beta’s grin widened.
“You look thrilled.” The dry remark earned him a glare.
“And why do you sound so happy Nicolas?”
“Aye.” Nicolas folded his arms.
” Because you look like you’re preparing for execution.”
Darius let out a low grunt.
The tailor continued measuring his waist while pretending not to listen.
His apprentice wasn’t nearly as subtle.
His quill had noticeably slowed.
“Elena is a good match,” Darius said.
The words came out firm and practiced as if trying to convince himself and his wolf, he had repeated them enough times to remove all doubt.
Nicolas’s expression didn’t change.
“Aye.”
Darius frowned.
“That’s all you have to say?”
“What would you like me to say?” Nicolas shrugged.
“The truth.”
Nicolas scratched his jaw.
“The truth?”
“Yes.”
The Beta studied him for a moment, he hesitated for a minute then sighed “Are you sure this is what you want to do?”
The room suddenly felt warmer.
Darius’s jaw flexed.
Before he could respond, something strange rippled through him.
His breath caught in his throat.
A sharp sensation twisted low in his chest.
It felt dull, like a tug to something but it was gone before he could grasp it.
His hand instinctively moved toward his sternum.
For a split second, his wolf stirred.
Then the sensation vanished as quickly as it had appeared leaving behind only unease.
Nicolas immediately noticed the strain that flashed across his Alpha’s face.
The amusement vanished from his expression as he scanned his alpha for the source of his discomfort.
“What’s wrong?”
Darius raised a hand.
The tailor and his apprentice immediately took the hint.
Almost immediately the older man gathered his measuring tape while the apprentice snatched up the ledger.
Within moments, the door clicked shut behind them, leaving only silence in the room.
Darius like the silence after.
The headache had settled behind his eyes like a vice.
He crossed the room and lowered himself into a nearby chair.
The leather creaked beneath his weight.
“Nothing,” he muttered.
His fingers pressed against his temples.
“Just…” The words trailed off.
He wasn’t entirely sure how to explain what he had felt.
Nicolas stepped closer.
The scent of pine and snow clung to the Beta’s clothes from the training grounds.
“Is it your wolf?” he asked.
Darius’s jaw tightened.
The question reminded him of another predicament he found himself in.
Ever since the rejection, Kyle had been silent.
The wolf wasn’t completely gone but it was like a slammed door in his face.
Darius could still feel his wolf somewhere deep inside him, but every attempt to communicate had been met with cold silence.
And what was worse was kyle refused to shift.
A month!
An entire month without transforming.
The longest period in Darius’s life.
And even though his pack didn’t know yet Darius still found it humiliating.
What Alpha couldn’t shift?!
“No,” Darius answered.
His fingers continued rubbing his temples.
“Still stubborn as ever.”
Nicolas snorted.
“Can you blame him?”
Darius’s hand stilled.
Slowly, he lifted his head.
The Beta folded his arms.
“You rejected his mate.”
The words hung heavily in the air.
Darius’s eyes narrowed.
“And what exactly was I supposed to do?” he asked, his voice sharpened and defensive.
“Bring a witch into our home?”
Nicolas didn’t flinch just pressed his lips into a thin line.
He stepped forward and raised his brow, “Well your wolf really seemed to like Aurelia”
Darius flinched at the name and a wide grin form Nicolas’ face.
“Aurelia”, Darius shot him a warning glare.
He straightened in his seat and threw his head back to state at the ceiling.
“I rejected her” his tone quiet, “And she accepted it.
She’s no longer a part of my life”
Aurelia Dusk was his past.
There was no reason they would ever cross paths again.
Ever.