The Fox He Failed to Tame

My gift is called 'Echoing Hearts.' It lets me hear the thoughts of anyone who feels a tainted or disingenuous love for me.

Because of this, I can distinguish truth from falsehood with perfect clarity.

It's helped me weed out deceitful wolves and gauge the true intentions of any suitor.

I can hear every thought, clear as day.

In my day-to-day life, I avoid eye contact with strangers to keep from being overwhelmed by the psychic chatter.

But the first time I met Jeremy Nathan, the entire world fell silent.

All I could hear were our two voices, crisp and clear.

"Hi, I'm Jeremy."

I didn't answer right away, waiting to hear his inner thoughts.

But there was nothing. A profound, beautiful silence.

When our eyes met, his mind was a closed book.

"Hello."

While he pursued me, my world remained beautifully simple, free from the noise.

He had to be the fated mate the Moon Goddess had granted me.

We fell in love, we dated, and we planned our bonding ceremony.

For two whole years, I never heard a single one of his thoughts.

But on the day before our bonding ceremony, his heart suddenly spoke to me.

'If she crashes the ceremony tomorrow, will my wolf lose control?'

'I have to be ready to take her away at a moment's notice.'

I don't tolerate tainted bonds, whether with friends or a mate.

So, the next day, I walked to the altar without a backward glance and performed the rite to sever our bond.

In the end, the bonding ceremony—with its absent bride and a groom rekindling things with his old flame at the altar—became the scandal of the werewolf world.

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1

Jeremy and I had been drowning in preparations for the bonding ceremony.

He was the heir to the Nathan Pack and had recently taken over most of its affairs from his father.

As the day drew closer, the sheer number of details became overwhelming.

For the past few months, we’d been so busy we’d barely had a moment alone together.

Today, we were finally having the last fitting for our ceremonial robes, and a thrill of excitement coursed through me.

When I arrived at the tailor's workshop, Jeremy was already there, inspecting the strength-enhancing runes on the robes.

He was discussing the details with the head tailor when a voice from his communication crystal interrupted.

He turned to answer, his voice hushed and soothing, as if gently calming the person on the other end.

I understood. He was busy.

Managing a powerful pack isn't easy.

Especially since, as the sole heir of the Nathan Pack, he had no brothers to share the burden.

After he ended the call, he turned back, his gaze meeting mine.

Just as a familiar warmth spread through me from our connection, I suddenly heard his thoughts.

'Katie insists on coming tomorrow. Her scent… it makes it hard to stay calm. I'd better prepare a shifting charm, just in case I have to drag her away.'

Katie? Drag her away? I froze. His lips hadn't moved.

The words weren't spoken, but they were his thoughts. My mind went blank.

A sudden chill washed over me.

It was the first time in two years I had heard his thoughts.

This could only mean one thing.

A crack had formed in our fated bond. His love for me was no longer pure. It was tainted—malicious, even.

I caught a glimpse of the tailor, who, following Jeremy's instructions, was tucking a small charm into a hidden pocket of his robe.

Jeremy saw me, gave me a hurried nod, and headed for the door.

I assumed it was our usual silent understanding—that urgent pack business called him away.

But what I had just heard was no figment of my imagination.

My gift had never failed me.

I instinctively followed him, calling out hesitantly, "Jeremy?"

I was desperate to catch more of his thoughts, to figure out what was really going on inside the head of the man I was supposed to bond with for life.

Why, of all times, would our mate bond crack the day before our bonding ceremony?

Hearing my voice, he froze with his hand on the car door.

He shot a brief, hurried explanation over his shoulder before ordering the driver to speed off.

"Sorry, there's an emergency at the pack border. I have to go right away."

He was lying.

His thoughts told a different story.

'Just from her voice on the crystal, I can tell Katie's about to lose it.'

'If I don't go calm her down tonight, she'll give me the silent treatment for weeks.'

I was never the type to wait around for answers.

So, I immediately arranged a private meeting with Jeremy's Beta.

And through his thoughts, I learned the whole story.