Chapter 275
DEREK
The invitation came in a thick white envelope with Moonstone’s crest pressed into the wax seal. Elegant. Formal. The kind of envelope meant to make a statement.
Inside was a handwritten note–Elena’s
“We’re hosting a celebration this Saturday to mark the founding of the Rogue Rehabilitation Foundation. Would love to see you there. Aiden’s excited, and the Council will be in
ndance. Hope you can make it.”
It wasn’t overly warm. But it wasn’t cold either. The generic… it meant something.
hat she’d written it herself, not had an assistant scrawl something
I stood in my office with the card in hand, rereading the note even though I’d already committed every word to memory. Maybe this was the moment I’d been waiting for. A chance to reconnect. A chance to show her that I supported her cause, supported her, no matter how far away she’d felt lately.
I dialed her number before I could talk myself out of it.
She picked up on the third ring. “Hello?”
Her voice was brighter than it had been in weeks.
“Elena,” I said, smiling despite myself. “Got your invitation.”
“Oh! Derek. Hey. Yeah, I wasn’t sure if you’d come.”
“Of course I’ll come.”
She laughed softly, and the sound hit me square in the chest. “It’s been a long few weeks. But… this feels like something worth celebrating, you know?”
I exhaled. “I’m proud of you.”
There was a pause on the line. Then, warm but careful: “Thanks. That
***
And for the first time in too long, I let myself hope. Maybe we were turning
means
a
lot.”
a
corner.
Moonstone’s packhouse was buzzing that night, strings of golden lights casting a warm glow across the courtyard. Wolves mingled in formalwear, wine glasses in hand, and servers moved through the crowd with trays of champagne and bite–sized hors d’oeuvres.
I spotted Elena before she saw me. She stood near the edge of the main garden in a deep emerald dress that made her skin look like warm honey. She laughed at something her brother said, then turned–her eyes meeting mine.
She smiled.
Genuine. Open.
And when I reached her, she leaned up and kissed me on the cheek
Not the lips.
But I didn’t flinch. I didn’t question it. I was just glad to be back in her good graces.
“Hey,” she said. “I’m so glad you came.”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
1/3
** + 25 BONUS
“Good” she said, then grabbed a glass from a passing tray, “Let me introduce you to my business partrier. He’s around here somewhere.
And that’s when I saw him.
Tall. Impeccably dressed in a midnight–blue suit. Hair swept back ist enough to seem effortless. His grin hit me before his eyes
did.
Jacob Stormvale.
Of course it was him. I almost couldn’t believe it.
“Derek,” he said, voice full of performative surprise. “Well, this is reunion. Been too long.”
“Not long enough,” I muttered under my breath, keeping my smik polite.
He held out a hand like we hadn’t spent our youth locked in a rivalry that bordered on bloodsport.
I shook it because Elena was watching.
“Jacob and I went to school together,” I said to her.
“Oh,” she said, glancing between us. “That’s… a fun coincidence.
I didn’t respond. Couldn’t.
Because what I really wanted to say was you partnered with him?
Before I could pull her aside, a sudden clink of a champagne glass echoed across the courtyard. Elena’s father, the Alpha, stood at the front of the garden, raising his glass.
Conversation died down. Heads turned.
“I just want to take a moment,” he said, his voice rich and clear, “to thank you all for coming. Tonight isn’t just a celebration of a new organization—it’s a celebration of vision. Of courage.”
He looked at Elena, pride plain on his face. “My daughter has always had a strong sense of what’s right. Even when the rest of us couldn’t see it. She stood by her friend, by her beliefs, and now she’s standing up for a group that few would dare to fight for.”
I glanced at Elena. She was glowing–caught off guard, maybe, but moved.
Her father continued. “It’s not easy, what she’s doing. But it’s necessary. And she’s not doing it alone. She’s had the support of family–and tonight, I want to honor that.”
I stood a little straighter, expecting to hear my name.
But then he turned toward Mason, standing stiffly near the edge of the garden.
“My son,
Mason,” the Alpha said, “is the kind of leader who doesn’t seek attention, but who always shows up where it counts. And though I’ll still be around–likely bothering all of you from the Elder Council–I want you to know this pack is in capable hands with my two remarkable children.”
There was a stunned silence.
Did he really just say what I thought he’d said? Was he-
He raised his glass again. “Effective at the end of this week, I will be stepping down as acting Alpha.”
A wave of cheers swept over the assembled masses.
I looked at Elena in shock, but she was already gone–rushing toward her father and Mason, who looked like someone had just dropped a boulder on his shoulders.
I turned to follow–but found myself face to face with Jacob.
Chapter 245
+25 BONUS
He sipped from his glass, clearly enjoying himself.
“Big night,” he said casually. “Didn’t expect the retirement announcement, but hey timing is everything, right?”
I gave him a tight smile. “So it seems.”
“We’ve been putting in a lot of hours on the Foundation,” he went on. “Late meetings. Long site visits. Some of these building permits are nightmares. The neighborhood councils change so often, we’re practically starting from scratch every time.”
I didn’t answer.
He leaned slightly toward me. “You’d be amazed how exhausting is, all this coordination. But Elena’s been incredible through it all.”
I clenched my jaw.
“She’s got such vision,” he added. “I mean, we joke sometimes about how we basically live in that building now.”
Before I could respond–or punch him–Aiden came sprinting across the garden.
“Dad!”
I crouched just in time to catch him mid–leap.
“There’s my guy,” I said, lifting him up into a hug.
Jacob reached out to offer a high five.
Aiden stared at his hand, unblinking.
Then turned away entirely and grabbed my hand.
“Come on,” he said firmly. “Mom needs you with the rest of the…
He looked back at Jacob, pausing just long enough to make the next word sting.
“…Family.”
I followed my son into the crowd, Jacob’s smug expression burning between my shoulder blades.
***
Later that night, just before I was about to leave, I caught sight of them.
Elena and Jacob.
They stood near the terrace garden, tucked in just behind the pergola. Their heads were close, their bodies angled inward. They were laughing about something. His hand brushed her elbow. She laughed, the sound like the tinkling of a high bell.
It was nothing. Probably.
But it felt like everything.
My chest tightened as I turned away.
I had come tonight hoping for answers.
Instead, I left with more questions than ever..
