Elara Ryder Lyra NovelThe Price of the Unclaimed Mate

Sierra,I want the bond severed.Please help me draft the separation decree.I want to leave the territory with nothing.
After five agonizing years as Ryder Thorne's secret claimed mate,Elara Vance finally understood that the Alpha King had never marked her out of genuine devotion.She decided to demand the separation without confronting him,preparing the dissolution decree as a gruesome gift for their fifth claiming anniversary.
Even her closest confidante,Sierra,the Packs Beta,could barely believe the finality in her voice.
Immediately,Sierras eyes,usually sharp and pragmatic,clouded with doubt.Elara,have you truly felt through this decision?Five years of a claimed bond is not something you can just break so easily.
Elara lifted her head.Her eyes,usually soft and yielding,were now firm,carrying the desperate resolve of a rogue wolf.I have felt it,Sierra.This bond was a mistake from the beginning,a convenience.I will not continue to endure the silence.
A few minutes later,Sierra retrieved a document from a leather-bound foldera folder that smelled faintly of pine and damp earth,the distinct scent of the Packs official business.She handed it to Elara.
I understand.This is the Separation Decree,drafted by Mr.Weston,the Packs legal elder.He isnt here today,so he instructed me to pass it to you.You simply need to find a way to get the Alpha Kings mark on it.Also,the original territorial agreement must be clarified.The mandatory cooling-off period for a severance is three lunar cycles,so be prepared for the fallout.
Elara took the brittle parchment,the faint smell of the Packs seal catching in her throat,and nodded stiffly.Understood.
She left Sierras study and drove her dusty truck through the winding mountain roads,heading toward the Alphas main keepThe Blackwood Manor,which served as the headquarters for Thorne Industries,the Packs shell company.
When she opened the door to the Alpha Kings sprawling executive office,Ryder was seated behind his enormous mahogany desk,his focus narrowed on a digital report.He looked up,and his gazeintense,calculating,the color of molten goldmet hers.A faint,almost perfunctory smile touched his lips.
Late again,Elara?Just because youve been Claimed by the Alpha King doesnt mean you can afford to neglect your duties.
His tone was gentle,like a seasoned Betas,but his eyes carried the cold,ancient authority of the Alpha bloodline.There was no warmth,no devotion in that deep voice.
The scent barriers were down for road work.
Elara walked up to his desk and carefully slid the Separation Decree across the polished wood.
She took a slow,deliberate breath,forcing her voice to remain steadyunwavering,devoid of the fear she felt.Alpha Thorne,I just concluded a new trade negotiation with the Southern Clan.This is the contract for the Black Forest logging rights.Your mark is needed here.
Ryder reached for the document.Their hands brusheda brief,electric contact.Elaras heart hammered against her ribs,terrified he would detect the sour,deceptive scent of her lie.
But he didnt even glance at the header.He flipped to the final page and,without hesitation,scratched his powerful,sprawling signature above the line markedAlphas Mark.
Another deal sealed?Elara,your human capability continues to impress the council,he said in a relaxed,almost dismissive tone.
Watching his mark commit him to their legal separation,Elara felt a crippling paina phantom ache where their bond should have thrummed with life.
In five years of this hollow claiming,the only reason Ryder kept her close was because she was a useful,clever shield for his Pack businessnever because she was his fated,cherished mate.
Just then,his comm-link pulsed.He glanced at the screen,and his granite features softened.His voice dropped to a gentle,almost tender whispera tone Elara hadn't heard directed at herself in years.
Are you hungry,Lyra?Im stuck at the keep right now.Ill send a Beta to get you something to eat from the village,okay?
Anyone listening would assume he was talking to the woman who carried his future children.
But Elara knew the truth.
She had loved Ryder for countless seasons.They were pups together,growing up side-by-side in the sprawling Thorne Territory.