Each time, he held me close and promised things would change after our mating ceremony. He said I was the Luna he chose. He said Odette was someone he could not ignore. He said I was thinking too much.
And because I loved him, I endured.
I endured every slight, every ruined night, every swallowed grievance.
Because I believed there was a future worth waiting for.
But after that night, I no longer wished to wait.
At dawn, Cassian’s parents arrived with several elders from his bloodline.
The omegas had just finished laying out breakfast when they entered. His mother glanced around and immediately asked, “Has Cassian returned?”
I smiled faintly.
“He never came back last night.”
Her face paled.
One of the elder aunts caught her sleeve. “Stacey, call him back at once. This is unacceptable.”
Then she turned to me, patting my hand awkwardly.
“Elara, don’t be angry. Have you eaten? Sit with us.”
I looked at them quietly.
They were embarrassed. Ashamed for him. Sorry for me.
But none of that changed where he had spent the night.
I sat with them and ate breakfast as though it were an ordinary morning.