The Weight of Change

Theo’s heart twisted with guilt. He had always known the dangerous consequences of rejecting the mate bond. When his mother, a devout believer in the pack’s oracle, had told him that Savannah was his mate, he hadn’t believed it. He had fought against it. But his father’s threats had forced his hand, and he had reluctantly agreed to marry her. And then, with the bitterness of that forced union, he had vowed to make her life miserable. He had broken her. And now, with the bond between them in full force, he could feel the consequences of that cruelty more than ever. He had pushed her to the brink of despair, and the guilt of it crushed him.

When Savannah woke up in the ICU, she made it clear that she did not want to see him. His father respected her wishes, but Theo wasn’t willing to give up so easily. He snuck into her room one time, desperate for any kind of interaction, but when Savannah saw him, she said nothing. Her silence was deafening. The private nurse informed him that Savannah hadn’t spoken to anyone since her awakening. He had expected her to cry, to scream at him, or at least show some sign of emotion, but she didn’t. Instead, she gave him nothing—just a blank stare, as if he were a complete stranger.

Theo’s heart clenched with unease. He hadn’t expected this cold indifference, and it terrified him. He tried to reach out to her, offering her comfort in his own way. “I’m taking a leave of absence from my job as Chief Royal Hunter to take care of you,” he told her, hoping she would be content with his presence. He had always been her world before, hadn’t he? He longed for the days when he would catch her blushing after he had caught her staring at him, the days when she would bake cakes for him, even though he never bothered to eat them. But now, everything was different. Every time he saw her, his mood soured further.

“Hello, sweetheart,” he said, his voice strained, trying to regain some semblance of the connection they once shared.

“I woke up from my bad dream,” she responded, her back still turned to him. Theo thought her words were a small sign of hope. She had spoken to him. Maybe things could be fixed.

He stayed by her side until she drifted off to sleep, watching her closely. As he did, his heart tightened. He had once thought Savannah was plain—her beauty unremarkable. But now, as he observed her, he realized how wrong he had been. She was stunning—far more beautiful than Clover, whose beauty had always seemed so enticing to him before.

Her skin was soft, creamy, with a hint of rose on her lips and cheeks. Her lashes were long, naturally curling, framing her delicate almond-shaped hazel eyes. Her nose was perfectly sculpted, and her beauty was undeniable. He found himself leaning in closer, breathing in her scent for the first time, and it overwhelmed him—her fragrance making his wolf stir with desire. It was wild, untamed, and it shook him to his core.

But the next day, everything changed.

His father handed him the divorce papers with a bitter tone. “You’re free now. Marry your b***h,” he said before walking away. Theo felt a wave of panic wash over him, the weight of his father’s words sinking in. He ran to the hospital, desperately searching for Savannah. He found Beta Lennox and her mother crying. Savannah had left the hospital. She had run away from her nightmare.

Theo begged his father for days to tell him where Savannah had gone, but his father’s response was cold. “Find her yourself,” he said. “She took all my prized possessions from the vault and left a note.”

For the first time, his father—Alpha of the Red Moon pack—smiled, as if pleased by Savannah’s defiant act. “What did the note say?” his father asked, curious.

“Go to hell,” Theo replied, a bitter smile curling his lips. It was the first time he felt admiration for his mate’s audacity, her fire. But it was too late. She was already gone.

His father’s expression grew hard, and he shook his head in disappointment. “You bullied her from the moment she came here. You need to own your mistakes and deal with the consequences. I won’t help you,” he said, turning away and leaving Theo to his misery.

Clover, the daughter of an Alpha, had been his lover since their teenage years. They had an understanding—physical, without the emotional weight. When Savannah left, Theo finally resolved to end things with Clover. He knew, deep down, that she had played a role in Savannah’s suffering.

Clover had tormented her, and he had done nothing to stop it. In fact, there had been times when he had even joined in, helping Clover in her cruel games. But Clover, ever the opportunist, told him she understood his situation and wanted to remain friends. She had always been understanding, but he couldn’t ignore the fact that she had contributed to Savannah’s pain.

Theo’s obsession with historical artifacts was well known. He had always been a skilled thief, taking treasures from the government, rival thieves, and prominent wolves. The more secure the vault, the more he was drawn to it. He had been fascinated by the challenge. But when Savannah infiltrated his security system, he was both impressed and astonished. She had broken through barriers he thought unbreakable.

When Theo saw Ethan Lewis with Savannah, the realization hit him like a bolt of lightning. Ethan, the one person he had always seen as a rival in the world of theft, had stolen his most prized possession. Not the gem—Savannah. Ethan had taken his mate, and with her, all the things he had once held dear. The anger that surged through him was overwhelming. Ethan, the very man he had considered his adversary for years, had now stolen everything from him. He couldn’t wrap his mind around it. Every thought, every moment, seemed to revolve around this revelation, and with each passing second, his fury only deepened. Savannah had been with Ethan for the past nine years, and from the way they interacted, it seemed they were far closer than he had ever imagined. The question plagued him—were they lovers? The thought gnawed at him, a persistent ache he couldn’t shake.

Theo’s obsession with reclaiming Savannah grew. After everything that had happened, he couldn’t just let her slip away from him—not again. It was overwhelming to see her again after so many years, and the intensity of the bond between them hit him like a flood. The familiar pull of the mate bond was undeniable. He wanted to ravish her right there in the hospital room, overcome by the intoxicating scent of her presence. The primal urge surged through him, stronger than anything he had ever felt before.

For the first time, Theo felt the full force of what it meant to have a mate. The connection between them was unlike anything he had ever experienced. She was his center of gravity, his universe, the one thing that had always been meant to complete him. But there was a nagging question in the back of his mind: Why didn’t Savannah feel the same way? Was it because she was human? Or was it because the pain he had caused her over the years had created a wall so strong that the bond they shared couldn’t penetrate it?

It was an enigma. The mate bond was supposed to be powerful, overwhelming, unbreakable. Yet, it seemed that Savannah didn’t feel it at all. Why? Theo racked his brain for answers. He hadn’t rejected her—he had been the one to push her away, but never had he severed the bond. And she hadn’t rejected him, either. Savannah had told him herself that she didn’t want to be the one to reject him first. So why was the bond between them not pulling her toward him? Why did it feel as if the emotional distance between them was as wide as an ocean?

The unanswered questions tormented him. The ache of wanting to understand, to fix everything he had broken, grew more intense by the minute. Why wasn’t the bond enough to reach her?