Chapter 20
ELENA
The tension, even outside, was suffocating. My fingers curled into my palm as Derek’s grip tightened around my wrist, his touch burning into my skin like an unspoken demand. His golden eyes, once familiar and warm, were now dark with something unreadable–anger, frustration, something else lurking beneath the surface.
I yanked my arm away, taking a step back to put distance between us.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I hissed, keeping my voice low. The last thing I needed was more eyes upon us. The Moonstone pack had already made it clear they weren’t rolling out the red carpet for him.
A spectacle right outside the packhouse doors wouldn’t help.
He exhaled sharply. “We need to talk.”
“There’s nothing left to say.” I turned to walk back inside, but he stepped in front of me,
blocking my path.
“Elena,” he said, voice lower now, almost pleading. “Did you ever think, even for a second, how I felt?”
I froze. “You don’t get to ask me that,” I sputtered. “You said that you could never fully share your life with me. You made your choice!”
I hated feeling all the things he made me feel–the things I thought I had left behind when I rejected him all those years ago.
His jaw tensed. “You disappeared, Elena. I searched for you. I mourned you. And now-”
He cut himself off, shaking his head. “Now I find out you’ve been here all along. With Mason.”
I scoffed. “Of course. Because the only explanation for my survival must be that I ran off to
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Chapter 20
be with another man. Another Alpha.”
+25 Bonus
Derek’s expression twisted, something raw crossing his face before he masked it with indifference. “That’s not what I-
“Save it,” I snapped. “You don’t get to be the victim here, Derek. Not after everything you said. Everything you did. Not after what you put me through.”
He took a step closer, and despite myself, I inhaled the familiar scent of cedarwood and stormy air. My wolf stirred inside me, but I forced her down, refusing to let her sway me.
“I just want the truth,” he said. “Why didn’t you come back?”
A sharp laugh escaped me. “Come back to what? To a mate who would never treat me as an equal? To a pack that never wanted me?”
His eyes darkened, guilt flashing behind them. “I—”
Before he could finish, the Moonstone Gamma crossed the threshold of the mansion door and stepped up to us, his gaze flitting back and forth between myself and Derek, who still stood far too close for polite company.
“Elena?” the Gamma asked, his voice as serious as I had ever heard it. “Are you alright?”
“Yes,” I said, my voice icy and cold. “We’re done here.”
I turned and walked away, not giving Derek the chance to stop me again. My heart pounded, my chest tight with all the words I had left unsaid.
As I rounded the corner, Aiden came barreling toward me, nearly knocking me off balance.
“Mom!” he said, grinning up at me.
“Hello little pup,” I said, swallowing hard.
I glanced over my shoulder, but Derek was gone.
Relieved, I looked down at Aiden, his face all innocence and joy.
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Chapter 20
“Where were you today?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.
He smiled. “The treehouse behind the garden.”
I didn’t believe that for a second. “You never went into the kitchen for a snack?”
His round eyes blinked up at me. “Nope!”
+25 Bonus
A thought occurred to me. “In all your time hanging out in the treehouse,” I said, letting my voice linger on the last word so that he knew I knew he was fibbing, “did you happen to run into any of the guests that were here today?”
“Nope!” he said again, and I decided to leave it at that.
For now.
***
The day of the venue visit arrived, and as usual, Mason was pulled away by urgent pack business. I didn’t mind. I assured him that I could handle Derek on my own.
Whatever unresolved emotions lay between us were irrelevant now. My only concern was making sure the Alpha Ball was a success.
I arrived at the venue early, walking through the amphitheater where the ball would be held. It was lovely, a breathtaking fusion of nature and elegance. Carved into the gentle slope of a forested hillside, it embraced the open sky and would allow the silver light of the moon to pour over the stone steps that curved around the central stage.
At the heart of the space, a grand marble platform stood. I turned, assessing the area thoughtfully. Its polished surface would look lovely at night, and we could suspend lanterns from wrought–iron posts.
The stage, framed by towering columns wrapped in ivy, felt both regal and intimate–ideal for an event as momentous as the Alpha Ball.
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