Chapter 300
FAYE
After dinner, I asked to give Anna a tour of the grounds. I was glad she didn’t hesitate.
The walk was quiet at first–just me pointing at places and Anna nodding softly.
We were already a few steps into the compound when she finally spoke.
“I hope you don’t mind me asking something,” she said carefully.
I almost smiled. I had been waiting for it–the moment when the curiosity would pour out.
“Of course not,” I replied. “Feel free to ask.”
She hesitated just enough to show she was choosing her words.
“The young man at dinner…”
“Roman?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yes, Roman.”
There it was.
I kept my expression neutral. “Yes, what about him?”
She exhaled slowly. “I couldn’t quite place him.”
I didn’t answer immediately.
That hesitation had been deliberate. During dinner, I had watched her watching him. I had made sure he stayed long enough. I had encouraged him to join us even when he’d asked to eat upstairs. I had told him gently that he was no longer in the clinic and that isolating himself would not help
him adjust.
He had agreed.
He’d been quiet but cooperative.
Alexander had endured it better than I expected, though I could feel the tension in him the entire time. He had kept his composure, said little, and observed everything. When he finally excused himself, claiming business calls, I knew it wasn’t about business.
Cole followed shortly after.
Roman had asked if he could return to his room once he finished eating. I asked someone to
escort him back to his room.
But before that, I had seen it.
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The curiosity in Anna’s eyes. The subtle tension in her posture.
She had noticed.
And now we were here.
“I don’t mean that badly,” she continued. “He just… feels different,” she said.
“How do you mean?” I asked.
She frowned slightly. “His presence is faint. Like something’s missing.”
We kept walking.
“Is he human?” she asked next. “Do humans live here?”
“No,” I said calmly. “He isn’t human.”
She looked genuinely surprised. “But I couldn’t sense-”
“I know.”
We walked a few more steps before I spoke again.
“He’s my ward,” I said. “And he is a wolf.”
She stopped walking.
“He is?”
“Yes.”
There was silence between us.
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“That doesn’t make sense,” she said carefully. “I didn’t feel his wolf at all. The energy was… off.”
“That’s the problem,” I replied.
We resumed walking, slower now.
“He hasn’t lost his wolf,” I continued. “It’s there. I’ve sensed it.”
Her head turned toward me. “You’ve sensed it?”
“Yes.”
“Then why does he seem…?” she started. “I’m sorry I probably shouldn’t be….”
I noticed she was about to change the conversation.
“No, no, no. It’s fine. I want answers myself. It feels good to have someone who cares enough to discuss it with me,” I said. “Alexander is too preoccupied to worry about these things.”
She smiled. “I can imagine how frustrating that is.”
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“Trust me, you have no idea,” I said.
And we both laughed.
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After a moment, I decided to continue. “For some reason, his wolf doesn’t sit inside him the way it
should.”
She absorbed that slowly.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean it feels… separate,” I said. “Not gone. Not dead. Just not fully joined to him.”
Her expression shifted from confusion to concern.
“Does he know?” she asked.
“No.”
“He doesn’t know he’s disconnected?”
“He doesn’t feel anything at all,” I said quietly. “No internal voice. No instinctual pull. Nothing that confirms the bond. I think he got used to it at some point.” I didn’t want to mention the memory
loss.
She looked back down the corridor instinctively, as if she could see through walls to where he was
staying.
“That explains it,” she murmured.
“Explains what?”
“The way he kept observing everyone,” she said. “Like he was learning how to behave.”
That hit closer than I expected.
“He does that,” I admitted. “He measures before he speaks.”
“He seemed careful.”
“He is.”
There was another pause. Then she sighed.
“Has he always been like this?” she asked.
I didn’t answer that directly.
“As long as I’ve known him,” I said instead.
She accepted the response, though I could tell she wasn’t satisfied with it. At least she was polite enough not to push.
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“And you’re certain his wolf is still there?”
“Yes. Like I said, I’ve felt it,” I said. “Not constantly. But enough.”
I didn’t elaborate.
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I didn’t mention the way I saw it hovering around him yet. I didn’t mention the voice I had heard. I didn’t mention anything that would complicate this further. For now, I had to keep the information
controlled.
She wrapped her arms lightly around herself.
“Is it possible,” she asked slowly, “that his wolf withdrew?”
“Withdrew?”
“There are old references,” she said. “Cases where the wolf retreats under extreme circumstances.
”
“I can’t be sure,” I said.
She nodded.
“I can’t imagine what that would feel like,” she said finally. “To know you’re supposed to be something… and feel nothing inside.”
I had felt something close when I thought I’d lost my wolf–when Nova went silent. That was different. I’m not even sure Roman knows he’s a wolf.
She let out a soft breath.
“That must be terrible.”
I nodded in agreement.
There wasn’t anything else to say to that. No way to soften it. No way to correct it without lying. We stood there for a moment longer, the weight of the conversation settling between us. I had been careful–careful not to say too much, careful not to reveal more than necessary.
She did not need to know how Roman had arrived here. She did not need to know how little he remembered. She did not need to know that Alexander’s patience had a limit.
She only needed to understand the problem.
And she did.
After a few seconds, Anna shifted slightly, her thoughtful expression returning.
“I’ll look around,” she said gently.
I looked at her.
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“At the library,” she clarified. “There are older texts that don’t circulate often. Some are poorly catalogued. Cases, theories… unusual circumstances.” She paused. “If there’s anything about wolves withdrawing or disconnecting like this, I might find something.”
“You don’t have to-“I began.
“I know,” she interrupted softly. “But I want to help.
That sincerity was not performative. It was quiet and real.
“If I come across anything useful,” she continued, “I’ll bring it to you myself.”
She hesitated briefly before adding, “And if I can’t come in person, I’ll send it through Cole.”
I gave a small nod. “That would be helpful.”
Her eyes searched my face for a second, as if making sure I wasn’t carrying something heavier
than I was letting on.
“Thank you,” I said.
And I meant it.
Footsteps approached from behind us before either of us spoke again.
“I was looking for you two,” came the familiar voice.
We both turned.
Cole walked toward us with an easy stride, though I knew he had likely checked the sitting area and the main hall before coming out here. His gaze flicked between us briefly, assessing.
“How are you doing?” he asked, directing the question to Anna but glancing at me as well.
“We’re fine,” Anna replied. “Luna Faye was just showing me around.”
There was no hesitation in her tone. No sign of the conversation we had just had.
He looked at me.
I held his gaze calmly.
He smiled faintly, understanding more than was spoken, and nodded once.
“I was about to start searching the kitchen,” he said lightly. “You disappeared.”
“I didn’t realize we’d walked that far,” Anna replied.
He reached for her hand instinctively, and she let him.
“Are you ready?” Cole asked.
“I am,” Anna said, then turned back to me.
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“Thank you for hosting me,” she said sincerely. “It was… welcoming.”
“I’m glad you came,” I said.
“And dinner was lovely,” she added.
“I’ll pass that along,” I said.
She hesitated a fraction before continuing, “Please send my regards to Alpha Alexander.”
“I will.”
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