Loose Me Once And Maybe Am Gone Forever

Seraphine’s POV

A Moon Ago

The crescent moon hung low in the sky, casting the forest town of Black Hollow in a silver haze. The air was thick with the scent of pine and damp earth, but underneath it lingered something else—something darker, like a faint metallic tang that made my wolf bristle uneasily.

I pushed open the cabin door, its creak slicing through the quiet night. The warmth of the hearth fire spilled into the cool air, but the comfort it once brought felt foreign now.

He was in the kitchen, his movements deliberate and smooth, like a predator biding its time. Rowan. My mate. His broad shoulders were relaxed as he stirred the stew over the fire, a small smile gracing his lips when he turned to face me.

“Hey, love,” he greeted warmly, closing the space between us in a heartbeat. His hands rested on my shoulders, grounding me with a touch that once made my heart race. His scent hit me—a rich blend of cedarwood and the musk of the forest. But beneath it was something foreign. Light. Floral. Not mine.

My chest constricted as his lips brushed my forehead, the gesture laced with familiarity. “You’re late,” he murmured, his tone light yet probing. “Couldn’t have been easy running through the woods this time of night. The frost bites harder near the stream.”

“I needed the air,” I replied coolly, shrugging off my fur-lined cloak. My wolf stirred within me, unsettled by his closeness yet yearning for something she knew she couldn’t have.

He crouched before me, his hands moving to untie my boots. His touch was gentle, almost reverent, as he slipped them off and replaced them with the worn slippers by the door. His actions would have warmed me once. Now, they felt like shackles.

“Still stubborn about the cold,” he teased, his golden eyes glinting with affection.

I forced a faint smile, brushing past him. “Some things never change.”

“Guess what I found today?” he asked, with a playful tone in his voice.He went with me into the main room, the firelight enhancing his handsome features.

“Another relic?” I asked, feigning interest as I settled into the chair by the fire.

His grin widened, his wolf shining through in his boyish excitement. “Better. An heirloom of the Crescent Claw pack. A pendant said to hold the blessing of the moon goddess herself. It’s perfect for you.”

The room became small with him around, his energy flowing like a building storm. Over the years, his surprises had moved from heartfelt gestures to grand displays, as if the weight of his gifts could fix the growing divide between us.

I leaned back, my expression neutral. “How thoughtful of you.”

His smile stopped, a hint of uncertainty crossing his face. “You have been quiet lately,” he said softly, moving to sit in front of me. “If something’s wrong—”

“I am ok,” I replied, my voice sharper than I planned.

His eyes stayed on me, looking for cracks in the lie. “Twenty years together, Seraphine,” he said after a pause. “Do you remember the first time we ran together? The way the world seemed to fall away?”

I looked at the fire, its crackling warmth doing little to thaw the ice in my chest. “Of course,” I lied.

“We’ve been through so much,” he continued, his tone thick with emotion. “When we’re old, I’ll tell our pups about everything—our adventures, our struggles. I’ll carve our story into the pack’s den walls if I have to.”

His words should have filled me with hope. Instead, they were like chains, holding me to a life that I no longer owned.

Later, after we finished eating in silence, Rowan brought out a small box from his tunic and set it on the table. “This is for you,” he said, his excitement barely contained.

I opened the box to find the pendant he had mentioned—a silver crescent moon, its edges etched with intricate runes. It was beautiful, undeniably so, but it felt heavy in my hands.

“A sanctuary,” he said, his voice soft. “A place for us, far from the burdens of the pack. Somewhere we can start fresh.”

The sincerity in his voice made my wolf stir, but the floral scent lingering on him was a reminder of the truth I couldn’t ignore.

“Seraphine,” he said, his amber eyes locking onto mine. “I’ll always protect you. No matter what. You know that, right?”

I nodded, the weight of his promise pressing against the walls of my chest. “I know.”

But love wasn’t a sanctuary anymore, and I wasn’t his to protect.

As the fire burned low, Rowan leaned back in his chair, his expression content. I studied him for a moment, taking in the relaxed set of his jaw, the faint glow of his wolf beneath the surface.

The betrayal still lingered in the air, a shadow neither of us could banish.

Tomorrow, I thought, my resolve hardening. Tomorrow, I would act. And when I did, Rowan would learn the true cost of betrayal.