I stop following my mate and I let her go. Sloane has made it clear she doesn’t want me around, especially not tonight. When they are nothing but specks in the distance, I walk over to the memorial tree, and bow my head. I pay my own respects to Jack and Ava Cross. I pull the dove I carved from my pocket and set it against the roots of the tree.My throat is thick, “I will take care of them both, moon as my witness. Rest easy.”It is a promise I intend to keep, no matter if Sloane opens herself up to the mating bond, or rejects me for another wolf completely. It is my duty as both a wolf, and the one the moon bestowed on me upon our pairing.Afterwards, I strip myself bare and make for the trees. I become one with my wolf and run until the restless energy dissipates, until some of the pain and tension leaves me. I might have run all night long, until something pulls me back. I hear my mate’s screams after I am already running back towards the clearing. My paws tear across the soil, a
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