Ardan PoV

Seventeen years. It has been seventeen years of struggle and longing for Serena to regain consciousness. I waited for her, did not lose faith. But in recent days, something inside me changed. The council elders had been clear: Being too concerned of Serena and our family, I was putting the pack at risk. They thought that my leadership had diminished, that I was no longer an Alpha but someone whose wife has just died.

And maybe they were right. I had taken a decision which is very painful for any mate – to shut the door on my heart. In my mind, I knew and forced myself to...