The Wolf Who Loved Too Late

I knelt on the cold marble floor of Luna Isabella's grand hall, my forehead pressed against the back of my hands, my voice steady as a still lake. "I, Helena Carmichael, pay my respects to Luna Isabella."

Isabella Royce, regal and poised, waved a hand gently.

"Rise, Helena. You saved my life, and I've called you here today to grant you a favor."

I didn't stand.

Instead, I bowed lower, my words deliberate.

"I have one request, Luna. Please grant me permission to break my bond with General Grant Morgan."

The hall fell silent, the air thick with shock.

Isabella's porcelain saucer froze midair, her sharp eyes widening. "What did you say?"

"Your bond with Grant was sealed by Alpha Alexander Royce himself," she said, her voice tinged with disbelief.

"He's the finest wolf in Argentum Town. Countless she-wolves would give anything to be bound to him. Why would you want to shatter that bond?"

I stayed quiet, my lips pressed tight.

Around me, the other she-wolves in the hall exchanged glances, their whispers cutting through the silence.

One of them, a high-ranking matron, spoke up.

"Luna, you've been tucked away in the palace too long. You haven't heard. For three years, Grant's been devoted to that Delilah Hayes, the she-wolf he brought back from the battlefield. He hasn't so much as stepped into Helena's chambers."

"Exactly," another chimed in, her tone sharp.

"Last year at the Moon Festival, Grant pinned a flower in Delilah's hair right in front of every noble she-wolf in the pack. Left Helena standing there like a servant."

Isabella's gaze snapped to me, her expression a mix of shock and pity.

"Helena, is this true?"

My nails dug into my palms, the sting grounding me.

I remembered our binding day, waiting alone as the ceremonial candles burned to nothing, no mate by my side.

I thought of every pack gathering, Grant's arm around Delilah while I lingered in the shadows. I heard their laughter through the courtyard walls, night after night, while I lay awake.

"Yes," I said, the single word draining every ounce of strength I had.

Isabella sighed, her shoulders softening.

"Very well. If this is your wish, I'll grant it. But this bond was decreed by Alpha Alexander, and Grant's a key figure in the pack. For it to be unbound, he must agree."

She summoned an enforcer to fetch a scroll, the document that would sever our bond, and handed it to me.

"If Grant signs this within ten days and doesn't change his mind, I'll ensure Alpha Alexander issues a decree to set you both free."

My hands trembled as I took the scroll, the weight of it heavier than stone.

For a moment, I was back three years ago, when the pack's decree first bound me to Grant.

I was Argentum Town's brightest she-wolf then, my name whispered in awe, my beauty and wit unmatched.

When Alpha Alexander announced I'd be bound to Grant, the war hero, the whole