Ashley’s POV
My heart pounded in my chest, each beat loud and heavy as I walked down the dimly lit street toward Caleb’s apartment. I had been here before, too many times, but this time, something was tearing me apart inside.
My wolf has been whimpering, and restless, and the ache in my chest only seemed to grow stronger with every passing day. I could barely sleep, barely think.
Caleb was all I could focus on, the one person who I knew deep down I had hurt beyond repair. I made up my mind to go to him, to beg again. The idea gnawed at my pride, but I had nothing left to lose.
Dignity be damned, I had thrown it away the moment I had chosen Rolan and my mom over him. I knew now that he was the one who had always been there, the one I should have seen from the start.
But it was too late. My wolf knew it, too. She had been crying inside me, pushing me toward him, urging me to make amends. Could he forgive me? Could he even look at me the same way?
There was no way I could do this on my own. I wasn’t strong enough. That’s why I begged Kiara to help me. She wasn’t thrilled about it, and I could tell she thought I was wasting my time.
Still, she gave me Caleb’s new address without too much of a fight. There was something in her eyes, though, like she pitied me.
I wasn’t sure if it was because of what I had done to Caleb or because I had come to this point of desperation. Either way, I accepted the address with a whispered thanks and made my way to him.
Now, standing at his door, every ounce of courage I had was threatening to drain from me. But I pushed through. I had to.
For him. For me.
I knocked softly, almost hoping he wouldn’t answer. He didn’t want to but his scent was unmistakable and I knew he was just standing behind the door.
I begged him to open and hoped that he did. When the door creaked open, and I saw him, my wolf leaped for joy.
The sight of him made my heart clench. His eyes were cold, guarded. He didn’t say anything for a long moment, just looked at me like he was deciding whether or not to send me away right then and there. His silence spoke volumes.
“I…” I started, but my voice broke, and I looked down, trying to gather my thoughts. “Please, Caleb. I need to talk to you.”
He didn’t move, didn’t give me any warmth or softness. His eyes were like ice. “What do you want, Ashley?”
His tone was flat, detached. The Caleb I used to know, the one who cared for me, was buried deep under layers of hurt.
“Just let me in. Please. I won’t take long.” My voice wavered, and I hated how small I sounded. I felt pathetic, standing there, asking for a piece of him when I knew I didn’t deserve it.
For a moment, I thought he would refuse, but then he stepped aside and let me in. The air in his apartment felt heavy and tense.
I had been here before, but it felt different now, colder, emptier. He closed the door behind me, but still, he didn’t say a word.
Without thinking, I rushed to him. My body acted on instinct, pulling him close, my arms wrapping tightly around his neck. I kissed him.
Desperation filled every ounce of the kiss, every touch. I wanted him to feel how sorry I was, how much I regretted everything. But when I pulled back, his expression hadn’t changed.
“Don’t do that again,” he scolded me firmly. “You don’t get to kiss me like that anymore.”
Tears stung my eyes, and before I could stop them, they started falling, hot and fast. My wolf whimpered inside, the sound echoing through my head.
This was it. I had nothing left. My heart felt like it was breaking, the weight of my mistakes crushing me from the inside.
“You’ve got a few seconds, Ashley,” Caleb said, his voice still hard. “Then you need to go.”
I couldn’t hold back anymore. I fell to my knees in front of him, the tears blurring my vision. I had never been this vulnerable. Not like this. But I didn’t care about pride anymore. This wasn’t about saving face, it was about telling him the truth.
“I’m so sorry,” I sobbed, bowing my head, the floor cold beneath my knees. “I didn’t see it. I didn’t see how important you were to me until it was too late. I was stupid and blind, and I know I hurt you more than I can ever make up for.”
I waited, expecting him to say something, anything. But there was only silence. He didn’t speak. He didn’t move.
The quiet was suffocating, and it was clear that he wasn’t going to forgive me, at least not now, not like this. I had shattered whatever we might have had, and I could see that in his eyes.
Slowly, I stood, wiping the tears from my face with trembling hands. My voice broke as I spoke again.
“I won’t bother you with my presence anymore. You won’t have to worry about me showing up or causing you any more pain. I’m done.”
I looked at him one last time, hoping, praying for something, a sign that he still cared, that there was a chance, but there was nothing. Just the same cold, unreadable expression.
Without another word, I turned and ran out of his apartment, the door slamming behind me. The moment I stepped outside, the cool night air hit my face, but it did nothing to calm the storm inside me.
I had done what I came to do. I apologized. I begged. And now, I had to let go.
But as I walked away, the tears still flowing, I couldn’t help but feel like I had lost a piece of myself along with him.