The Snow Wolf's Mate

The Truth Beneath the Kiss:

[POV: Dayana]

I didn’t even have to raise my voice.

Just a look, a tilt of my head, a shift in tone—that was all it took to make Cole falter.

We stood in the center of my chambers, the tension between us coiled like a serpent ready to strike. He hadn’t spoken yet, but I already knew.

I folded my arms slowly, my voice cool and flat. “Tell me the truth.”

He hesitated.

I took one step closer. “Don’t make me ask again.”

Finally, with visible reluctance, he nodded once. “Yes, I did see her.”

I didn’t breathe.

“It was by accident,” he added quickly, as if that would soften the blow. “Near the outer border. I didn’t know I’d crossed into Crimson Fang territory. I didn’t even know she was there.”

“Crimson Fang,” I echoed, each syllable bitter on my tongue. “You’re telling me Aria is no longer a rogue?”

He gave a stiff nod. “She’s been accepted into their pack. She’s not just surviving—she’s… becoming one of them.”

The words hit me like a slap. I reeled with fury, but I kept my expression still. Controlled.

“So let me understand,” I said slowly. “Not only did you find her. You spoke with her. You kept it from me. And now you’re telling me she’s living peacefully under the protection of Hayden, the same Alpha who swore he’d never take in rogues.”

Cole flinched slightly, but held his ground. “I didn’t mean to hide it. I just… I thought it would upset you. And I didn’t think it mattered. You’re the one who’ll be Luna. Not her. That’s already been decided.”

The words were meant to reassure. But they only twisted the knife deeper.

“If it didn’t matter,” I said, my voice dropping to a hiss, “then why keep seeing her?”

He blinked. Hesitated and remained silent.

I felt it then—a sharp tug in the back of my mind. Gale bristling. Something was wrong. Something was shifting. My eyes narrowed as I focused inward, reaching for the bond that tied my wolf to his.

Blocked.

Cole was trying to close me off. He was pushing against the thread of connection between our wolves—just enough to keep me out, to silence the echo of guilt radiating from him.

Gale growled, low and seething.

“You’re hiding something,” I said, stepping in until we were nearly chest to chest. “And now you’re trying to shut me out?”

“It’s not like that,” Cole said quickly. “I just… I didn’t want to confuse things.”

“You mean you didn’t want me to know,” I snapped. “You didn’t want to admit that you still feel something for her. That you’ve been letting your guilt—your weakness—cloud your judgment.”

Cole clenched his jaw. “I’ve already chosen you.”

“But you still think about her!”

He didn’t deny it.

My hand moved before I even realized I’d made the decision. The sharp sound of the slap cracked through the room, loud and final. His face jerked to the side. His eyes burned with surprise—but not anger. Not even regret. Just shame.

Good.

I shoved him hard in the chest, forcing him back a step. “Don’t come back to me,” I said, my voice cold and venomous, “until you grow a spine and stop hiding behind your pathetic guilt for that pitiful sister of mine.”

He stood there, silent.

I turned my back on him and walked to the door. Opened it. “Get out.”

For a moment, I thought he might try to speak. Apologize. Defend himself. But he didn’t.

Cole walked out in silence, and I slammed the door behind him, the sound echoing through the room like thunder.

I stood there, breathing hard. Trembling. Not from sadness.

From fury.

The betrayal was one thing—but the weakness? The indecision? That was unforgivable. He was mine. Bound to me. And still he wavered.

Still he looked at her like she was something worth mourning.

I clenched my fists, jaw tight. If Aria wouldn’t stay gone, then I’d have to remove her—for good.

If she thought joining another pack would save her, she was even more naïve than I remembered. Crimson Fang couldn’t shield her forever. Not from me.

One way or another, I’d erase her. I’d make Cole forget she ever existed.

Because our future—his and mine—was the only one that mattered. And I would burn the world before I let her stand in our way.