Suddenly, Ame didn’t matter. Jaidah, the wolf he was hunting for the murder of his parents, did matter. None of the wolves gathered meant anything to him. They really hadn’t before, but now it was like they didn’t exist. The moment she walked by him his heart had been locked in a golden chain. The same golden color that glittered along her back and head. The sun shone brightly on her. Just her. Fate had once told his father and mother that they were going to be bound together for eternity. Now, Fate was telling Halcyon the same thing. Though, for Iblis and Rhae it had been something like love at first sight. For their child, it was something a little more complicated. His mind was still too young to fully comprehend the meaning of love. His heart wanted nothing more than for him to be by her side no matter what. The thought of returning to Iromar without her made every muscle in his body ache. His heart seemed to skip a beat and for the rest of his life it would beat in time with hers.

Someone said something, but it sounded distant and faint. His eyes were only for her right now. Her gold and gray form moved to stand with some other wolves and her voice rang out like a silver bell. He heard it loud and clear and it sounded like she was picking a fight with some other pups. At once, Halcyon trotted up to stand behind her, unsure if she noticed or not. His only goal at the moment was to protect her should a fight really emerge. Russet fur stood up high along his back as his hackles puffed out to make him seem bigger than he would ever really be. White teeth that had only just recently lost the last milk tooth were barred and ready to bite whoever dared touch his soul. Hal might be too young to understand love, but it understood how to be a guardian perfectly. It never occurred to him that she was the one who might have been in the wrong, but she was perfect. She could do no wrong in his eyes.

Thankfully, nothing further happened at the gathering of two year olds turned into a pleasant success. The semi-loner took a step back as he watched the wolves begin to fade away as they went their separate ways. He wanted nothing more than to speak with her, to hear her voice again and gaze deeply into her eyes. But he stalled as he realized she hadn’t noticed him yet. Did she not feel the same pull he felt? Was the golden chain wrapped around his heart also wrapped around hers or did she simply told the end of the chain in her mouth? Neither one knew it yet, but he would always be hers to control. If she wanted him to love her, he would. If she wanted him to guard her, he would. If she wanted him to kill for her… he would.

Feeling it was time to leave the pack, Halcyon forced himself to pull away from her. Each step his paws took made his heart burn within his chest. Nights in the swamps were about to become that much more lonely. His thoughts were only of her, his golden goddess. With a start, Halcyon realized he didn’t even know her name! He was already outside of the pack, walking next to the bubbling river that ran into Iromar, and he felt he could not return unless given permission. He whined softly to himself, torn between doing what was right and doing what was smart. Unable to choose, the ex-prince sat where he was and stared longingly at the mountain.