Back in Shadowfang territory, Alpha Kael stood alone on the balcony of the pack house.
The morning sun had risen, but the uneasy feeling in his chest remained.
The mate bond should have disappeared after the rejection.
Yet he could still feel something.
Faint.
Distant.
But real.
Kael clenched his fists.
It made no sense.
Rejecting Ava had been the logical decision. A Luna needed strength, authority, and power.
She had none of those things.
A warrior approached behind him.
"Alpha," the man said, bowing slightly. "Scouts reported strange lights in the northern forest last night."
Kael frowned.
"What kind of lights?"
"Silver. Like lunar magic."
Kael stiffened.
Lunar magic was ancient.
And incredibly rare.
For a brief moment, Ava's tear-filled eyes flashed in his mind.
He pushed the thought away immediately.
It couldn't be connected.
Yet the strange pull in his chest refused to fade.