When I got back to the Alpha Den, I stood outside for a long moment, staring at the house that was supposed to be ours. Since Ravenna returned to Blackthorn territory, Alaric had barely been home. His scent, cedar and cold iron and storm ozone, had grown faint in every room, layered over now by absence. I could no longer feel the warmth this den once held.
I walked to the wall, took down the portrait from our mating ceremony, and tossed it straight into the trash.
I didn't want to leave a single trace of myself here. Not one reminder of what used to be.
I packed up all the tokens of our bond, the paired moonstone carvings, the ceremonial sashes, the shared hunt trophies, and stuffed them into a bag. I was heading down the stairs with it when the front door suddenly swung open. Alaric walked in, carrying Ravenna in his arms.
When he saw me standing silently by the door, a flicker of guilt flashed across his face.
"She's not feeling well after what you did," he said, like that explained everything.