The Silver Wolf (Diana and Talon) novel Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

‘Why did you run?’ Artemis demanded, her voice sharp inside Diana’s mind, edged with hurt and disbelief.

Diana’s footsteps slowed, then stopped altogether. The forest around her was silent again, as if the land itself was holding its breath. She pressed a trembling hand against her chest, trying to calm the frantic pounding of her heart.

‘He is our mate,’ Artemis continued, softer now but no less insistent. ‘I want to meet him.’

Diana swallowed hard. “Artemis… you said he wanted to mate with me. With us. We don’t know who he is.” Her voice cracked as panic bled into every word. “And… and if we did mate… I wouldn’t know what to do. I’m not ready. I’m full of rogue blood. Why would he even want to mate now?”

Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, nails biting into her palms. Every old fear she thought she had buried clawed its way back to the surface.

‘I will be there, Diana,’ Artemis said firmly. ‘I will guide you. I won’t leave you, don’t you remember that? You are not facing this alone.’ A pause, then a softer, almost teasing tone. ‘And honestly… do you think he would look at you the way he did if he were disgusted by rogue blood? Do you think he would want you if that were the case?’

Diana shook her head, though Artemis could feel the hesitation in her heart. “But our ex-mate

‘I told you already,’ Artemis snapped, her anger flaring. ‘Our ex-mate was an idiot.”

Diana flinched as memories surged forward-sharp and merciless.

‘He rejected us because he thought you were wolfless, Artemis went on, her voice shaking with fury. ‘Because he was weak and blind and chose pride over truth. Then he mated that power-hungry excuse of a Luna.’ The words were laced with bitterness. ‘Five years, Diana. Five years of pain. Five years of carrying wounds that never truly healed. And after all of that

they let our parents die. They failed them.’

Diana’s chest tightened until it hurt to breathe. Images of her parents-smiling, protective, proud-flashed through her mind, followed by the sound of claws, blood, and screams she could never forget.

“We can’t leave this pack yet,” Diana whispered. “Not until we know what really happened to them. That rogue attack… there’s something wrong about it.” Her voice trembled. “Our new mate… he looks important. Powerful. Wolves like him don’t wait. He won’t stay here for us.”

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She swallowed hard. “We’ll be rejected again.”

Artemis let out a low whine, the sound raw and aching. She understood-understood too well. Diana would sacrifice the mate bond without hesitation if it meant uncovering the truth about their parents’ deaths. Artemis felt that resolve, felt the iron determination beneath Diana’s fear. But understanding didn’t make it hurt any less.

‘You always choose duty over yourself, Artemis murmured. ‘Even when it breaks you’

Silence stretched between them before Artemis straightened, her voice steadier now,

resolute.

‘We have to have faith in the Moon Goddess, she said, ‘She led our mate to us. She did not do that by accident. And she will guide us through this journey too-every step of it.’

Diana let out a shaky breath. “Just like how she led our ex-mate to us?” she asked quietly, bitterness threading through the words.

Artemis snorted. ‘As I’ve said, stupid ex-mate does not count.’

Despite everything, a small, fragile smile tugged at Diana’s lips. For the first time since she ran, her heart slowed just enough to breathe.

They weren’t ready yet, but they wouldn’t run forever.

Fenrir surged forward inside him, a tidal wave of fury and possession.

‘Lies, his wolf snarled, teeth bared, voice echoing like thunder through Talon’s bones. ‘She is

ours.’

The bond pulsed-hot, violent, undeniable. It wasn’t a whisper. It wasn’t a suggestion. It was a claim carved into Talon’s soul.

Talon’s hands clenched slowly at his sides as he lifted his gaze to Asher. Two Alphas stood mere steps apart, the air between them thick with dominance, challenge, and the promise of bloodshed. The ground itself seemed to tremble beneath the pressure of their auras, warriors nearby instinctively backing away.

This was not a misunderstanding.

This was a reckoning.

The bond had been claimed.

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