Natalie sat at her dead mate's grave and talked, knowing that everything she was going to say would be received without judgment.
"There's this other alpha who's offered me a deal that would get me out of this, but it means I'd have to mate with him. It wouldn't be a real mating, because all he wants is an alliance with my dad and it will only be temporary. The thing is… I need to make everyone believe that he's my true mate, which means I'm going to be telling them that you never were. And I'm so sorry for this, so fucking sorry, my love, but I can't see any other way out.
People say I must wish I'd never found you if it meant you were going to die before we even had a chance to fully etch, but I don't wish that you know. Never have, never will. We might not have mated, but we did have a bond.
