Chapter 25- Promise Ring
Fiona’s POV
My hands were locked around the steering wheel so tight my claws nearly broke through. If I hadn’t been suppressing the shift, there would’ve been shredded leather.
The traffic lights ahead blurred into halos, but I wasn’t seeing them. I wasn’t seeing anything but him-his smirk, his voice, the venom he managed to wrap in charm. Goddess, it was like Dorian had wormed his way under my skin all over again, digging into wounds I’d spent years stitching shut.
I could feel my wolf pacing, furious and protective. She hated him more than I did-hated what he’d done to our pup, to us. My jaw clenched so tight I swore something cracked. “He has no right,” I growled under my breath, my voice trembling. “No right at all.”
My foot pressed harder on the gas, the speedometer inching up. I wasn’t even sure where I was going-just forward. Away. I needed to outrum the storm building inside my chest, the heat of betrayal burning hotter with every mile.
“You don’t get to say his name like that,” I whispered to no one, my voice raw. “You weren’t there. You never were.”
But his words echoed, slippery and cruel.
How’s my son, Jamal?
He said it like he had the right. Like he didn’t cheat, leaving me to carry a pup through moon-sickness and single motherhood while the pack watched me unravel in silence.
I tightened my grip until my knuckles ached.
I remembered Jamal’s laugh. The way Xavien knelt at Jamal’s level when they talked. The bedtime stories. The way my son’s eyes lit up when he called him “Dad.” Dorian had no claim. He was blood, but not bond. And that mattered more in our world.
Then my phone buzzed on the passenger seat, snapping me out of the spiral.
Chloe.
I hesitated, thumb hovering. A part of me wanted to let it ring out, crawl into a den somewhere, and sleep for a week. But this was Chloe. She’d been my ride-or-die since our academy days-before I even met Dorian. When the full moon made me cry from loneliness and pack pressure, she was the one who stayed, held me through the worst of my shifts, whispered strength into my ears like a prayer.
So I answered.
“Hey, baby girl!” Her voice exploded out of the speaker like sunshine cracking through storm clouds. “Just checking in. I have exciting news!”
I could already picture her bouncing on the balls of her feet, eyes wide and sparkly. Probably wearing something wild and mismatched, looking flawless anyway. Chloe could lift the dead with her energy-and right now, I felt like roadkill.
“Why don’t you tell me this news?” I said, trying to match her tone, but my voice came out flat. Dull. Broken. “I’m all ears.”
“Pift,” she huffed. “You know I don’t deliver drama over the phone. This is premium-level good. Meet me at Bailey’ in fifteen minutes. You’re gonna flip, Fi. I swear.”
Fifteen minutes.
I looked at myself in the mirror-puffy eyes, streaks of dried tears, the wild look of someone barely keeping it together. My wolf was still close to the surface, ears pinned, breath heavy in my lungs. I didn’t want to face people. I didn’t want to pretend.
But… Chloe.
She deserved better than my silence.
“Alright,” I sighed, forcing the ghost of a laugh. “I’ll be there in fifteen. But this better be good, Chloe. I seriously need something that isn’t a disaster right now.”
Her laughter poured through the speaker again, warm and contagious. And just for a second, something in my chest unclenched.
“Oh, baby, it’s better than good. Trust me. You’re gonna cry, but the happy kind, okay? Promise. See you soon!”
The call ended before I could respond, and the silence returned.
I dropped the phone onto the seat beside me and took a shaky breath. Reached over to the console, grabbed a tissue, and tried to erase the worst of the mess on my face. It wasn’t much, but maybe I looked less like a she-wolf mid-breakdown and more like a woman barely holding her shit together.
Just fifteen minutes. That’s all.
One problem at a time.
I shifted into gear and pulled back onto the road, whispering to myself like I had a thousand times since Jamal was born.
“One problem at a time, Fiona. Just one problem at a time.”
The second I pushed open the door to Bailey’s Restaurant, the warm scent of roasted meat and honeyed bread wrapped around me. The place was cozy, all low lighting and worn wooden booths, a popular hangout for wolves.
I hadn’t even taken two steps inside before I saw a blur of curls and glitter barreling toward me.
“ANTHONY GAVE ME A PROMISE RING!” Chloe all but screamed, bouncing on her toes like a pup who’d had too much sugarroot tea.
Heads turned. A couple of older she-wolves across the room even perked up, cars twitching. Chloe didn’t care, of course. She shoved her hand in my face, fingers stretched wide, showing off a delicate silver ring that shimmered in the light.
I gasped, the sound erupting from my throat before I could even think. “Oh my Goddess, girl!” I squealed, grabbing her wrist and yanking her hand closer. “Look at this thing!”
It was simple but stunning-a modest diamond set in polished silver.
And just like that, the storm in my chest quieted.
No more Dorian. No smirking ghosts. No tension between my ribs.
Just Chloe’s glowing face, sparkling eyes, and the kind of joy that healed everything it touched.
“You’re kidding! Anthony actually did it?” I laughed.
Chloe nodded so fast her curls bounced like springs. “Yes! Last night! We were having dinner at his place, just the two of us. It was all normal. and then boom-he gets all serious. Starts talking about our future, and I thought, oh no, is this a breakup speech? But then he pulls out the ring and says he’s not going anywhere. That he’s in it-for real.”
Her voice cracked with emotion. I could hear her wolf humming beneath it, a purring vibration of happiness only true mates could produce.
I let out another squeal, throwing my arms around her and squeezing tight. “I’m so freaking happy for you.” I said into her shoulder, blinking back sudden tears. “You deserve this, Chloe. All of it.”
When we pulled apart, her grin was so wide it could’ve split her face. “I keep looking down at it like-is this real? Like he’s really mine?”
“It’s real,” I told her, brushing my fingers over the ring gently. “And he’s lucky as hell to have you. The Moon Goddess was definitely showing off when She paired you two.”
Chloe beamed. “Okay, now you are gonna die when you hear the rest. I haven’t even told you the part where he-wait.” She squinted at me suddenly, her tone shifting. “You looked… off when you walked in. What’s going on?”
The question pierced the moment, and just like that, the weight of the day came rushing back in. Dorian. His voice. The memory of betrayal like a thorn still lodged in my chest.
I hesitated, then forced a smile. “It’s nothing.” I said, waving my hand. “Just needed a breather. You know how pack business gets.”
Chloe’s expression told me she wasn’t buying it. She raised a perfectly arched brow, arms crossed. “Fiona.”
“I’m serious,” I lied. “This? This promise ring? It’s the only thing that matters tonight. Let’s just celebrate. Goddess knows I need something good right now.”
She paused for a beat, then softened. “Fine. But don’t think you’re off the hook. After I finish oversharing every detail of my perfect night,
you’re spilling what’s going on in that sharp little head of yours. Deal?”
I laughed, the sound finally genuine. “Deal.”
We slid into our usual booth near the window, and as Chloe launched into a play-by-play of the dinner, the wine, the ring, the kiss-my heart finally started to loosen. For the first time today, I wasn’t drowning. I was just… here, basking in my best friend’s happiness.
The shadows were still waiting for me. But not yet.
Tonight, I let Chloe’s joy carry me like a tide.
