The moment Alpha Alexander and Beta Maximilian left, the chamber changed.
Too quiet. Too still.
Like something had just been set in motion.
Or sealed.
And then—
I felt it.
Not faint. Not uncertain.
Sharp. Immediate.
Pulling.
My wolf surged forward before I could stop it.
Mine.
The word wasn't a thought. It was instinct. Truth.
I lifted my gaze—
And found her already there.
Eleanor.
Standing too still. Too controlled.
Like she felt it too.
Of course she did.
There was no way she didn't.
"Princess…"
My voice came out lower than I intended. Rougher. Not formal. Not distant.
Because distance wasn't possible anymore.
Not with this—whatever this was—pulling at every instinct I had.
She turned. And for a second—Everything locked into place. There was no doubt.
No hesitation. Just recognition.
My wolf went still. Certain.
"Finally we have found her".
And the way her breath caught—
I knew she felt it too.
Relief hit harder than it should have.
I stepped closer, slower this time. Careful.
"I should have come sooner," I said quietly.
Because standing here now—feeling this—
It already felt like I was late.
"I'm Michelle. Beta of Varkos."
The title felt irrelevant the moment it left my mouth.
"But that's not what matters right now."
Nothing did.
Not rank. Not alliances. Not politics.
Just this.
Just her.
"You feel this."
Not a question.
It couldn't be.
Because if she said no—
I wouldn't believe her.
"Yes."
The word hit—and something inside me eased instantly. Tension I hadn't even realized I was holding snapped loose.
Of course she felt it.
How could she not?
I stepped closer without thinking.
But
She stepped back.
And that—
That didn't make sense.
Confusion cut through the certainty, sharp and immediate. "Why are you pulling away?" I asked.
Because everything about her—her breath, her stance, the way her gaze held mine—
said she wasn't.
"It doesn't change anything."
For a second, I just looked at her.
Waiting for it to make sense.
It didn't.
"That's not possible," I said, shaking my head slightly. "You just said you feel it."
"I do."
"Then how does that mean nothing?"
She didn't answer.
And something in my chest tightened.
"This—whatever this is—it doesn't mean anything."
That hit.
Not hard.
Not loud.
But deep.
I felt it in the way my shoulders locked, in the way my breath slowed too deliberately.
"Eleanor…" I stepped closer again, more careful now. "You don't believe that."
She didn't argue.
Didn't push back.
Just stood there—
Like she was holding herself together.
"I can't do this."
I went still.
"…can't?"
Or won't?
Because those weren't the same thing.
"No… that's not how this works," I said, more firmly now. "You feel this. I feel this. That changes everything."
"It doesn't."
"Then explain it."
I wasn't angry.
I needed to understand.
Because right now—nothing she was saying matched what I could feel.
"I can't do this."
She stepped back again.
Instinct kicked in immediately.
I closed the distance.
"Don't."
The word came out lower. Controlled.
"Don't step away from me like I'm something you need to escape."
Because that—
That wasn't what this was.
"You feel me," I said, quieter now, the words pulled straight from instinct. "Don't stand there and tell me this is nothing when your own wolf is reaching for mine."
Her wolf was there. I could feel it.
Responding.
Answering.
"I'm already in a relationship."
Everything stopped.
Not slowly.
Completely.
"…say that again."
"I have been. For over a year."
Each word landed. Measured. Final.
Something in my chest tightened—sharp this time.
But I didn't look away.
I wouldn't.
"Who is he?"
"He is the right choice."
"That's not what I asked."
"It's the only answer that matters."
I exhaled slowly.
Control.
Hold it.
"And what makes him right?"
"Status. Power. Alignment between families."
I looked at her—really looked.
And for the first time—
Something cracked.
Not fully.
But enough.
That's what she was choosing?
Over this?
"He fits into my world."
That explained it.
Didn't make it right. But it explained it.
I moved closer again. Didn't think.
Didn't hesitate.
"Doesn't matter."
Because it didn't.
Not compared to this.
My hand lifted—stopping just short of her arm.
I could feel the heat of her skin without touching it.
And that inch—
That distance—
took more control than anything else so far.
"This doesn't happen twice," I said, quieter now—but certain. "You don't belong to him if you can feel this with me."
"I chose him."
"And you're wrong."
The words came before I could stop them.
Not anger.
Not spite.
Truth.
"You're the one refusing to understand," I continued, my voice roughening. "This isn't about your world. It's not about alliances."
It couldn't be.
Because none of that felt like this.
"This is the Moon Goddess."
That was the only explanation that made sense.
"You think she binds you like this for nothing?"
She didn't answer.
So I asked the only thing left.
"And you love him?"
Because if she did—
Then what was this?
"Yes."
The word landed.
And something inside me—
not broke—
but shifted.
Sharp. Final.
My breath caught.
"And he gives you what I can't?"
"He fits into my world."
A pause.
"And I don't."
"No."
That one—
That one hit harder than everything else combined. I felt it in the way my posture changed—subtle, automatic. Like I was bracing for something I hadn't prepared for.
"You're choosing him."
"Yes."
Silence.
Heavy.
"And this bond?" I asked, quieter now. "…this means nothing to you?"
She didn't answer directly.
Didn't need to.
"I belong to the life I've already chosen."
That was it.
That was the answer.
Not denial.
Choice.
And that—
That was worse.
Something in me went still.
Not gone.
Not broken.
Just… contained.
Locked down before it could do something I wouldn't take back.
"The Moon Goddess doesn't make mistakes," I said.
I needed that to be true.
Because if it wasn't—
Then this meant nothing.
"But maybe…"
My voice dipped, rougher now.
"…we do."
And she had.
She was.
"I won't stand in your way."
The words cost more than they should have.
More than I expected. But I said them anyway. Because forcing her—
wasn't an option.
Even if every instinct in me rejected that.
I stepped back. Not just physically.
Pulled everything with me. Every instinct. Every pull. Every claim I hadn't made.
Distance.
Control.
I inclined my head.
Formal. Detached.
The way I should have been from the beginning.
But my eyes—
They didn't listen.
They lingered.
Just for a second. Long enough to take in everything I wasn't allowed to have.
Then I turned.
And walked away.
Without looking back.
Because if I did—
I wasn't sure I would keep walking.
And that was the problem.
Not the bond.
Not the Moon Goddess.
Her.
And the fact that even now—
Even after everything she had said—
My wolf was still there.
Still certain.
Still waiting.
Mine.