Nathaniel stumbled home, collapsing to his knees, darkness swallowing him whole. Regret consumed him. Sylvia, who couldn't bear the smallest slight, had endured endless pain at his hands—and never said a word.
For two weeks, he searched relentlessly for her, but a she-wolf with a erased identity was a ghost. She'd only be found if she chose to be.
And that chance was slimmer than him finding her himself.
One day, scouring the house for their binding ring, he realized it was at his hospital office. On a day off, he went to retrieve it.
At the office door, he heard movement. He'd forgotten he'd let Lila nap there. Thinking of Sylvia, he decided that privilege was over. As he reached for the door, Lila's sly voice drifted out, nothing like the gentle tone she used with him.
"Thanks for t
