Three weeks. Twenty-one days. That's how long Kaelen had been gone.
I stood at the window of our palace suite, watching rain slide down the glass in silvery streams. The weather in Silverholm mirrored my mood—overcast and uncertain. I pressed my hand against the cool pane, as if I could somehow reach across the miles to where my mate was.
"He'll be back soon," I whispered to myself, a mantra I'd repeated countless times since his departure.
The first week hadn't been too difficult. We'd spoken daily, his deep voice through the phone bringing comfort even as our mating bond stretched thin with distance. The second week brought fewer calls but regular texts—diplomatic meetings filling his schedule. But this past week? Nothing but two brief messages saying communications might be spotty due to their remote location.
My wolf paced anxiously inside me, whining and restless.
*Mate too far. Something wrong.*
"I know," I murmured, trying to soothe her. "I feel it too."
