Chapter Title: A Hollow Pull
Rosa's POV
The wind was still tonight. Not the kind that comforted, but the kind that made the silence louder.
I sat alone in my chambers, brushing my hair slowly, watching the strands slip through my fingers. It had been a quiet week… too quiet. Bryant hadn't called for me. Not once.
It wasn't like him.
I tried to push the thoughts away, but they kept circling—like wolves in the dark.
A knock sounded at the door.
Paige peeked in.
> "Your Majesty… Lady Matilda requests an audience with you."
My brows lifted. Matilda? What in the Goddess's name did she want?
> "Let her in," I said calmly, though my stomach tightened.
Matilda walked in like she owned the place. Her gown was beautiful, royal green with gold embroidery. Her makeup was flawless, and her eyes gleamed with something wicked… something sharp.
> "Good evening, Your Majesty," she said sweetly, her voice laced with poison.
> "To what do I owe the honor?" I replied.
She offered a smile — too wide, too fake.
> "I thought it'd be best you heard it from me," she said, sitting across from me without permission. "It's about Bryant."
Her name in his mouth made me sit straighter. She leaned in, her voice soft but cutting.
> "I'm sure you've felt it too… how distant he's become. Well, there's a reason for that."
She paused for effect. Her eyes studied me like she was savoring the moment.
> "He found his mate."
The words hit me like a slap.
> "What?" I whispered, almost choking on the single syllable.
She smiled wider. "Yes. We were at archery together—just a casual moment really—and when our hands touched… it sparked. The mate mark revealed itself. Bryant was shocked, of course, but... destiny doesn't lie."
I couldn't breathe.
My chest tightened and my throat burned. My lips tried to move, but nothing came out. Her voice kept going, slicing me up like dull blades.
> "It's ironic, isn't it? After everything… I turn out to be his true mate. Fate works in strange ways."
She stood slowly, straightening her gown like she had won something.
> "I thought you deserved to know. I mean, whatever… feelings you thought you had for him… it's best you bury them now. For your own sake."
She curtsied mockingly and walked out, her perfume lingering like smoke after a fire.
I sat there. Frozen. The silence screamed.
I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. But I just… sat.
Eventually, I dragged myself to the mirror. My legs felt like stone.
> "Laura…" I called softly.
Her wolf form appeared in the reflection, glowing faintly. She looked at me with kind, confused eyes.
> "Something feels off," she said gently. "I… I've felt a strange pull from Bryant's wolf. A kind of echo."
I swallowed hard.
> "Do you think… he found his mate?"
Laura tilted her head, unsure.
> "I don't know. If he has, I can't feel her presence… just his. Still strong. Still tied to us. I feel no severance. No loss."
My heart cracked a little more.
> "But… he hasn't called for us in a week."
> "Wolves don't always follow time," she said softly. "I still feel connected. Something deeper than the bond… something that hasn't changed."
I reached up and wiped my cheek, only then realizing I was crying.
> "Laura… if he's truly mated to someone else…"
> "Then why do I still feel him?" she interrupted gently. "Why do I still sense his heart beat with ours?"
I didn't have an answer.