The Silver Wolf (Diana and Talon) novel Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

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Chapter Eighteen

‘I want to see our mate.’

Fenrir’s voice thundered through Talon’s mind, raw and restless, carrying a hunger that had nothing to do with blood or battle.

‘I want to smell her again, Fenrir growled. ‘Taste her scent on the wind. Feel her presence. Let’s go find her.’

Talon’s jaw tightened as he resisted the pull-not because he didn’t want the same thing, but because he knew Fenrir was seconds away from breaking loose.

‘Do not waste time with this Alpha and his pathetic drama with his Luna, Fenrir snarled.

‘None of this matters. Only mate matters.’

‘I know,’ Talon answered quietly, his own control straining. ‘We will find her.’

He turned back once more, fixing Asher with a gaze that held neither pity nor mercy-only finality.

“Alpha Asher,” Talon said coldly, his voice carrying across the clearing like a verdict. “I suggest you fix your mating with your Luna and stop concerning yourself with mine.”

Asher stiffened.

“My mate and I do not concern you,” Talon continued. “You lost that right the moment you rejected her.”

The words struck like a blade.

Without waiting for a response, Talon turned away and strode toward the forest, Fenrir surging eagerly beneath his skin. Every step pulled him closer to her-to the one who belonged to him by fate and bond.

Behind him, Asher stood frozen. His face contorted with pain, regret clawing openly across his features. He wanted to shout, to argue, to chase after Talon and demand what he believed was stolen from him.

But Talon was right. He had lost Diana the moment he rejected her.

Cedar had warned him.

‘You will regret this, his wolf had said.

Asher hadn’t believed him then.

14

Chapter Eighteen

Now, the truth sat heavy in his chest.

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Cedar had been silent ever since the rejection. Withdrawn. Distant. Asher could still shift. He could still fight. His strength remained, but the bond that once anchored him felt hollow.

Cedar no longer spoke to him freely. Especially not when Hazel was near.

Asher swallowed as memories surfaced-moments he had tried to ignore.

He tolerated Hazel.

That was the truth.

When they mated, Cedar retreated deep into his mind, leaving his body to act without connection. When it came time to mark her, he had forced Cedar to partially shift, just enough to complete the bond.

Even that had come at a cost.

The strain had widened the fracture between man and wolf.

Now, finally, Cedar spoke.

‘I am glad our mate found her second chance, Cedar said quietly, his voice heavy with something that sounded dangerously close to relief. ‘And from the looks of it, she has found someone who can accept her. Protect her.’

‘It’s been a long time since you’ve spoken to me, Asher’s fists clenched, and he snapped. ‘And that’s all you have to say?’

He paced angrily, frustration boiling over. ‘We can fight for her. We can take her back. She

was ours.’

‘Fight with you?’ Cedar’s response was sharp, unyielding. ‘Against the Alpha King?’

A pause, then venom.

‘Should I die for your stupidity?’

Asher froze.

‘I warned you,’ Cedar continued. ‘Our mate was special. Even without her wolf, we should have accepted her. But you chose power over fate. Status over bond.’

The words cut deep.

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“No,” he finally said, his voice controlled. “That is Alpha Talon’s decision. If he wishes it known, he will make it known himself.”

Rafe nodded again, reading the tension in his Alpha’s posture.

“Understood,” he said, then turned to carry out the orders.

Left alone, Asher allowed the mask to slip just slightly.

Hope-foolish and stubborn-coiled tightly in his chest.

Maybe when Talon spoke to Diana… when the reality sinks in that Diana had no wolf. Maybe… Just maybe.

Asher clenched his fists.

Surely even the Alpha King would hesitate. Surely he would see what Asher had once seen- that a Luna without a wolf was a weakness. That duty sometimes required rejection.

Surely, Talon would choose the same path.

The thought gave Asher a fragile sense of comfort, thin as glass.

Then Cedar’s voice cut through his mind, sharp and merciless. ‘I think you will be hoping for a very long time for that to happen.’

Asher winced, and he muttered under his breath. ‘Enough,’

‘You still don’t understand; Cedar did not soften. ‘He is not you. And she is not what you convinced yourself she was.’

The silence that followed was heavy with truth.

Asher stared into the forest, watching the shadows swallow the path Talon had taken- knowing, deep down, that hope was already slipping through his fingers.

And this time, there would be no one left to blame but himself.

15

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