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I watch her sleep all night, unable to look away. Kaidos, my wolf, won’t let me leave her side. He’s calm only when she’s near, and honestly… I don’t want to go either.
She looks so peaceful-like all the weight she carries in the day finally fades when she dreams.
And yet, I know I don’t deserve her.
She’s been with me through everything-through pain, betrayal, silence, and doubt. And still, I made her feel like she wasn’t enough. Like she was just an option.
But she’s never been just anything.
How do I tell her I’m ready now? Ready to mark her. Ready to choose her with every part of me.
Ever since I discovered the truth-why my father really left the pack-it’s like something inside me shifted. The answers I needed, the closure I didn’t know I was waiting for… it’s all here now.
The guilt eats at me, crawling under my skin. I drag a hand through my hair for what feels like the hundredth time today.
I can’t sit still. I can’t wait for her to wake up just to see that guarded look in her eyes. The uncertainty. The pain I put there.
So, I slip out of the room.
Just as I step into the hallway, I see Selena walking toward Ally’s door. She freezes when she sees me. Maybe she felt my presence and came back to check.
“How is she?” Selena asks softly, not meeting my gaze.
“I… she’s fine,” I say. “Is there something I should know?”
She finally looks up, her eyes filled with something I can’t quite name-hesitation, maybe even fear.
She shakes her head slowly. “Alpha, I don’t know if I should be the one to tell you. I think Ally is the only one who can.”
“Selena, please,” I say, my voice raw. “I want to make it right. I know I’ve failed her… but I need to fix it.”
She hesitates again, then sighs. “You want to fix it? Then talk to her. Listen to her. Don’t just assume you know everything.”
I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat.
But my mind keeps racing.
I remember the moment Ally asked me if I was ready to mark her. The way her voice shook. The fear she tried to hide.
What if she was trying to tell me something that day?
And then there’s something else-something that twists in my gut.
What was she doing at Gaita’s place?
And just like that, it clicks.
I’ve been asking the wrong person all along.
“Excuse me,” I mutter under my breath and head straight toward Liam’s quarters.
As I walk through the pack house, I notice members bowing their heads in respect. I nod back briefly, barely paying attention. My mind is locked on one thing-getting to Liam.
Just as I’m about to knock on his door, my fist freezes mid-air.
The scent hits me hard.
Sex.
Raw and unmistakable.
“Fck you, Liam,” I growl through the mind-link, holding back my irritation. “Meet me in my office. Now.”
There’s a pause-long enough for me to feel him rolling his damn eyes.
Yes, Alpha, he finally replies; clearly annoyed, I interrupted his little party.
I nearly roll my eyes too. What was I thinking coming to his room? I should’ve just linked him in the first place.
But my thoughts are all over the place. Ally’s been consuming my mind. I’m not thinking straight.
With a few quick strides, I round the corner and head toward my office. I push open the door, step inside, and drop into my seat.
Now I wait.
While I do, my mind drifts to something heavier-my father.
I’ve been in contact with him ever since I found out the truth. He didn’t abandon me. He left because he was sick… and he didn’t want us to see him like that.
Hearing his voice again after almost ten years-it shook me.
For so long, it’s only been my mom. Anytime she tried to hand me the phone to speak with him, I hung up. I didn’t want anything to do with the man who left.
But now… I know better. And that guilt crushes my chest more often than I care to admit. Sometimes, I want to punch a damn wall just to feel something else.
I pick up my phone and call him.
It rings three times before he answers.
“Son, how are you?” he asks, his voice deep and familiar.
“Dad, call me Alpha,” I tease, grinning a little. “I’m a big man now.”
I can already imagine the stern look on his face.
“No matter how old you are or what position you hold-”
“I’m still your son,” I finish for him, chuckling.
He laughs quietly. I can picture the small smile on his face. He doesn’t smile often, but he’s always had a soft spot for me and Kayla. The world may see a hard man, but to us, he’s a good father.
“How are you, Father?”
“I’m well. And you?”
“I’m good. And your grandson? I can’t believe you have a son and didn’t bring him to see me,” he teases.
“It’s a long story, Father,” I say, sighing.
A soft knock at the door cuts our conversation short.
“Dad, I have to go. Pack duties.”
“Okay, son. Say hello to your mate for me.”
“I will,” I say before ending the call.
I glance up and see Liam enter. He has a smug look on his face, clearly still proud of whatever wild night he just had with whatever she-wolf he was with.
But that’s the least of my concerns right now.
I know Liam still blames himself for letting Craig take Ally that day. He hasn’t stopped beating himself up over it.
He walks in slowly and drops into the chair opposite mine, guilt written all over him even if he tries to hide it.
“You were with Ally at Gaita’s place,” I say, watching him closely. “What did she go there for?”
A small twitch appears In his jaw. He’s trying hard to mask it, but I catch it. He doesn’t want to tell me.
“Start talking,” I warn, my tone cold. “Because right now, I swear to the Moon Goddess-I will force it out of you.”
His brows raise slightly, and then he slams his fist into his other hand, frustration flaring.
“She made me swear not to tell,” he mutters.
“And you won’t tell me if it concerns my mate’s life?” I snap, glaring at him. “Are you serious right now?”
His “ace falters. Just for a second. But it’s enough. I know whatever it is, it’s bad.
I hold his gaze, and I can already feel Kaidos-the beast inside me-pushing against my control. My grip tightens on the desk until the wood creaks beneath my fingers.
Liam’s eyes flick to my hand, but he says nothing.
“Okay,” he finally says, voice lower now. “You want the truth? She went to Gaita because… she feels weak.”
Weak?
The word echoes in my head as my eyes scan the room, my mind racing.
“She feels weak… and you never thought to tell me?”
“That’s not all, Alpha.”
He pauses, almost like he doesn’t want to say it-but he does.
“She’s weak because you haven’t marked her.”