The interior of the cottage smelled of cedar, dried lavender, and the faint, lingering scent of Rikae's expensive cologne. Outside, the wind howled, but the hearth was roaring.
Rikae sat on the edge of the small wooden bed, his tactical coat discarded on the floor-the first time he had been out of uniform in a year. Lisra sat beside him, her hand tucked firmly into his. She wouldn't let go. If she did, she feared he might turn back into the grey-eyed ghost who had visited her three days ago.
"You think I chose him over you," Lisra said, her voice barely a whisper in the firelight. "I saw it in your eyes the night of the fire. I saw the way you looked at the mark on my neck."
Rikae's jaw tightened, the Wolf in his chest letting out a low, protective rumble. "He claimed you, Lisra. He used the bond's own mechanics against us. My logic couldn't process why you stayed. Why you... smiled at him in that ballroom."
Lisra looked into the fire, her eyes reflecting the dancing orange flames. "I didn't smile for him, Rikae. I smiled so he wouldn't look at my brother. I smiled so he wouldn't send his Enforcers to burn the Black-Ridge to the ground."
She squeezed his hand, her nails digging slightly into his palm.
"Valerius wasn't just a tyrant; he was a broken, rotting soul. He had no North Star. When he found me, he didn't see a mate-he saw a cure. He told me that if I left, if I fought him, he would make sure every pup in my pack starved."
Rikae's gold eyes flashed with a violent light. "I would have fought him for you. The Silver-Claw would have-"
"And how many would have died, Rikae?" she interrupted, turning to face him. "How many mothers would have lost their sons in a war for one girl? I couldn't let my love for you be the reason a hundred others bled."
She reached up, her thumb tracing the line of his jaw.
"I stayed because I thought I could change him. I thought if I showed him what a real bond looked like-even a fake version of one-I could soften the Iron-Fang. I thought if I loved the monster, he might stop being one. I was arrogant, Rikae. I thought my heart was a shield that could protect everyone."
A tear escaped her eye, landing on Rikae's hand.
"I didn't choose him because I loved him. I chose him because I loved you enough to let you live your life without a war on your doorstep. And I loved my pack enough to be their sacrifice."
Rikae felt the last of his resentment-the cold, bitter pride that had fueled his "Vessel" persona-evaporate. He realized that while he had been "optimizing" his efficiency, Lisra had been fighting a psychological war every single hour of every single day. She had been the stronger one.
"I was a coward," Rikae whispered, leaning his forehead against hers. "I saw your sacrifice as a betrayal because it hurt my ego. I turned myself into a machine because I couldn't handle the fact that you were braver than me."
"We were both just trying to survive the dark, Rikae," she said.
Inside his mind, the Wolf let out a long, peaceful breath. The "Gold Standard" was gone. In its place was a man who finally understood that love wasn't a tactical advantage,it was the only thing worth the casualty list.
But as the fire began to die down, Rikae felt a sudden, sharp prickling at the back of his neck. His senses, now fully restored and heightened by the bond's reconnection, caught a scent on the wind.
Ozone. Gun oil. And the stale, metallic scent of the Iron-Fang.
Rikae pulled back, his eyes narrowing as they locked onto the darkened window. "Lisra. Get behind me."
"What is it?"
"I'm not sure..," Rikae hissed, his hand reaching for the concealed blade at his belt.