Chapter 25
“Sorry, I refuse to be your mate, Damon. Let’s break up. I don’t love you
anymore.”
In the dream, Ariel pulled her hand away and walked off without hesitation.
“Ariel! No! You can’t do this! I’ll treat you so well. You love the baked Alaska
from Eastside–I’ll buy it for you every day. Jewelry, houses, the Luna position-
anything I can give, I’ll give it to you. Just stay with me, please!”
Damon begged with everything he had.
But Ariel never turned back. Not even once.
He ran after her desperately, but all he caught was air.
Even the two engagement rings in his hands vanished.
Ariel didn’t want him. Didn’t want his love. Didn’t want anything.
“Ariel… Ariel…”
Chapter 25 The Answer That Would Never Change
His eyes remained tightly shut, pale skin drenched in sweat. He’d bitten his
own lip so hard, blood dotted his mouth.
No one knew how many times he whispered her name.
Mr. Knox watched, eyes clouded with concern.
With a deep sigh, he turned to his beta, who had spent days tracking down
Ariel’s latest contact information.
“Ariel, it’s me. Damon’s grandfather. You saw me at the Mating Ceremony,” he
said, voice low and tired.
Ariel had just finished with a client when she picked up, confused.
“Mr. Knox? Why are you calling? If this is about asking me to get back together
with Damon, there’s no point. I’m not interested.”
It had been a while since Damon last disturbed her. She thought maybe–just
maybe he’d finally given up.
ww
Chapter 25 The Answer That Would Never Change
So this was his new approach? Getting his grandfather involved?
Her lips curled with dry amusement.
Mr. Knox’s voice was frail, but still earnest.
“Ariel, I know that kid hurt you badly. I’m not asking you to forgive him. I just
want you to come see him–just once. Let him see you, get the closure he
needs, and I promise… he won’t bother you again. Think of it as an old man’s
request.”
Ariel stayed silent for a long time.
When she finally spoke, her voice was calm, but firm.
“Sorry, but I’m doing well now. I’m not going back. If I go back… would I ever
leave again? Damon is the Alpha of Thornfang Pack. I’m just a heartbroken, ordinary she–wolf. Please, just let me go.”
“He loved Isabelle once. He’ll fall for someone else eventually. I was never the
one. No one will ever be the one. He’s just clinging to an obsession. And once
Chapter 25 The Answer That Would Never Change
enough time passes… I believe he’ll forget me.”
With that, there was nothing more to say.
Mr. Knox understood. He had begged, pleaded–there was nothing else left.
“If that’s your decision, then I won’t push you. But if any part of you still cares….
come back and see him. If not, let’s pretend this call never happened.”
“…Thank you,” Ariel replied gently.
After hanging up, Mr. Knox sent her a video–a clip of Damon unconscious in
bed.
Ariel watched in silence.
m
She was startled by how much he’d changed in just a few short months–thin,
ghostly, barely recognizable.
But that no longer had anything to do with her.
11:39 AM
Chapter 25 The Answer That Would Never Change
She felt no pity.
Her love had long been buried in Thornfang Pack’s soil.
So no, she wouldn’t go back.
There were plenty of people around Damon now. He didn’t need her to be one
of them. Not anymore.
Chapter 26 Eighteen Years of Silence
Chapter 26
“Ariel!”
Damon woke with a start, her name still clinging to his lips.
Mr. Knox sat at his bedside, face dark.
甘
“From today forward, you need to get your act together,” he said coldly. “Be
the Alpha Thornfang Pack needs. Bring it back to strength. And one more thing
-you are not to look for Ariel again.”
Damon coughed, disoriented and confused. His voice came out hoarse.
“Why?”
“She’s my mate. I never signed the severance agreement. That means we’re
not divorced. As long as I stay determined, as long as I’m sincere, she’ll
forgive me eventually. Ariel’s always been softhearted–if I just try hard
enough, she’ll come back…”
Chapter 26 Eighteen Years of Silence
“Enough!” Mr. Knox barked, cutting him off.
He pulled out a recording of his call with Ariel and played it by Damon’s ear.
Her voice filled the room–clear, decisive, and devastating.
When the recording ended, the silence was suffocating.
“You can’t even sense the mate bond anymore,” Mr. Knox said grimly. “Do you
really think she’ll come back?”
Damon’s face went pale. He muttered under his breath, “No… no, that’s not
true. This is fake. I’m going to find her. I have to see her. I need to tell her she’s
the only one I’ve ever loved!”
He jumped out of bed, tearing out his IV, dragging his weak body toward the
door.
Mr. Knox didn’t stop him.
As expected, Damon made it only a few steps before collapsing to the floor.
11:40 AM
.
Chapter 26 Eighteen Years of Silence
The wounds on his back split open again, bleeding through the thin hospital
gown.
The effects of the poison were far from over.
Still, Damon gritted his teeth, eyes red with madness, trying to push himself
forward.
And again–he passed out.
Mr. Knox sighed and turned to the guards. “Get him back in bed. Keep watch.
Don’t let him leave again.”
He took a few pills of his own. His own body was no longer strong–he had
retreated to the mountains years ago to quietly manage his illness.
He hadn’t expected to be dragged back down the mountain by this mess.
Later that day, he lay in the hospital room next door, letting the nurses run
their tests.
11:40 AM
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