Elaine’s smile flickered through her tears, the first she had managed in what felt like an eternity. It was small, fragile, trembling at the edges, but it carried with it a spark of hope she thought she would never feel again.
Darius saw it, and his chest tightened. That tiny spark in her was worth more than any alliance, more than any law binding him. He still didn’t know the name of the wolf who had done this to her, who had dared to spit on the moon goddess’s gift. But he would. And when he did, there would be a reckoning that even the Silverblade Alpha would not be able to ignore.
For now, though, he made only one vow. “I will not let you wither here, Elaine. After the ceremony… You will leave with me. That, I swear.”
Those words had anchored her ever since. They were the only rope
