Werewolf

When Our Crimson Bond Fade

by Hyacinth

I was born able to see the colors of the bonds between wolves.The deeper the love, the closer the link came to crimson. When a heart began to waver, it faded to pale pink. When only habit and responsibility remained, it turned gray-white. When I was seven, my father brought another woman home, saying she only needed our pack’s temporary protection.From that day on, the link between him and my mother grew dimmer. My mother’s wolf fell silent, and her health deteriorated. The day she died, the light connecting them vanished.Years later, my brother marked his longtime girlfriend and formed a mate bond with her. Yet the light on his side was only pale pink.I warned him not to promise her forever if he did not love her. He insisted he would honor their bond and care for his mate.Less than six months later, he found another woman.After seeing so many links fade, I knew my gift never lied.I wanted someone who would keep choosing me, no matter how many years passed.Then I met Rhys Calder.He was the youngest head of security in the Greybridge Pack and a former border operative. Everyone said he was cold and exacting, a man who never allowed anyone close. Yet the first time we met, the link extending from him to me burned a brilliant red.After that, he picked me up from work every day, waited two hours for me in a storm, and once drove across half of Greybridge just to bring me flowers.Eventually, I accepted him.For seven years after we formed our mate bond, that link remained deep red.Rhys remembered that I loved the almond croissants from the bakery on the corner. He decorated the terrace himself on my birthdays. Every time he left Greybridge on an assignment, he brought gifts home for Jamie and me.I thought I had finally found the love I wanted.Then Rhys returned from a mission two weeks ago.When I helped him out of his coat, an unfamiliar rose scent clung to the fabric.At that moment, the link extending from him to me seemed to dim.

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