Chapter 35 The Truth Between Wolves
Sable POV
The glass tower of Ironclad rose into the morning sky like a blade, all sharp angles and steel edges. The closer we got, the steadier I felt.
Fear had no place here. Not today.
My heels clicked against polished stone as Jenna, Sam, and Marcos flanked me, arms loaded with cases and binders. The Everbright logo on our folders felt almost fragile against the sheer presence of Ironclad’s headquarters, but my spine didn’t bend. I wasn’t just walking into a client meeting. I was walking into the wolf’s den—and I wasn’t going to bow.
The receptionist led us to the fortieth floor, a hallway so pristine it could’ve been carved from ice. We entered the boardroom, sunlight flooding the glass table that stretched nearly wall to wall.
“This is it,” Jenna whispered, laying out her laptop and notes. “We’ve got this.”
“We do,” I said, and meant it.
Sam adjusted his tie, a shadow of nerves in his eyes, but he nodded. Marcos began setting up the tech, his hands steady. Within minutes, we were prepped, organized, polished. The rhythm of teamwork hummed around me like the heartbeat of a pack.
And for the first time in a long time, I felt untouchable.
The Restroom
Still, adrenaline and too much coffee demanded a break. I slipped from the boardroom, following the signs to the restroom tucked down a smaller corridor.
The space was sleek, marble and chrome, quiet save for the faint hum of air vents. I thought I was alone—until a familiar scent hit me. Sweet and floral, cloying in the back of my throat.
Liora.
She emerged from one of the stalls, perfectly composed in a cream blouse and tailored skirt, her lipstick precise, her hair gleaming like a knife’s edge. Her eyes widened when she saw me. For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then she smiled, slow and deliberate. “Sable.”
The way she said my name was a challenge.
I stepped forward, blocking the exit with my shoulder against the doorframe. “We should talk.”
Her chin lifted. “About what?”
“You know what.” My voice was low, steel edged. “Kier.”
Her smile faltered, then sharpened. “Of course. Always Kier. Even after five years, you still make everything about him.”
Heat flashed through me, my wolf stirring under my skin. “Don’t twist this, Liora.”
“And why shouldn’t I?” Her voice cracked, bitterness spilling through the polish. “You left, Sable. You ran. You didn’t just abandon him—you abandoned all of us. Do you have any idea what it was like? Watching him break while you disappeared into the human world?”
Guilt flickered hot, but I forced it down. “He wasn’t yours to fix.”
Her laugh was sharp, brittle. “No. But I was the only one there. The only one who stayed. Do you know what it’s like to pick up the pieces of a man destined to lead, to watch him drown in the mate bond you left behind?”
I swallowed hard, but I didn’t move. “And what, you thought you could step into my place?”
Her jaw tightened. “I rejected my mate for him.”
The words slammed into me like a strike.
“What?”
Her eyes burned. “I rejected him. The one the moon goddess gave me. Because I thought—no, I knew—that if I was there long enough, strong enough, loyal enough, Kier would choose me. That he would look at me and see a Luna. But don't be mistaken he will. You're just a temporary distraction.”
For a heartbeat, silence filled the marble room, heavy with the weight of her confession. My wolf snarled, furious—not just at her, but at the idea of her sacrificing her own fate for mine.
“You gave up your bond for him,” I whispered, the words tasting like ash.
She lifted her chin, defiant. “Yes. And I would do it again. Because unlike you, I don’t run from what I want.”
Something inside me snapped, not with rage but with clarity.
I had left to keep my freedom. Liora had stayed, throwing hers away for the hope of being chosen. And here we were, standing in the same place, both tethered to Kier in ways neither of us could escape.
But only one of us had chosen herself.
I stepped closer, letting her see the fire in my eyes, the steadiness in my spine. “Then you made your choice, Liora. And so did I. I didn’t run from him. I ran for me. That’s the difference between us.”
Her face twisted, hurt and fury battling in her expression. “You’ll regret this, Sable. You’ll regret walking back into his world.”
“Maybe,” I said, brushing past her toward the door. “But at least when I regret something, it’s mine.”
I left her standing in the marble silence, my pulse steady, my wolf quiet in her agreement.
The bond still burned. It always would.
But I was stronger than it.
At least for today.