Chapter 253
“Thank you. For all you’re doing. For the rogues. For me.”
Elena nodded, and I saw the glassy sheen in her eyes before she blinked it away.
+25 BONUS
The Sentinels stepped forward. Maggie didn’t resist. She walked with them, back straight, out of the chamber and into whatever
next.
came
The rest of the room stirred. Papers shuffled. Doors opened.
Now. I told myself. Now is the moment.
I stepped forward, just as Elena turned.
“Elena,” I said softly.
She stopped.
Her eyes met mine, but something was already wrong. There was no softness there. Just a tight, unreadable expression. Her mouth twisted into something like a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. It looked… restrained.
“Hey,” I added, trying not to look too eager. “Can I talk to you for a second?”
Erin glanced at her, concerned. Gave her arm a quick, comforting squeeze–like she was passing her courage in secret. Then she nodded once and took Mason’s arm.
Mason, however, did not move.
“Elena-” he started, voice low.
“I’ll be fine,” she said. “Just a minute.”
Mason glared at me with open hostility before Erin tugged gently at his sleeve. He muttered something under his breath, but followed her out.
Leaving Elena and me alone.
At last.
I cleared my throat. “I wanted to talk to you about the Foundation.”
She crossed her arms. “Did you.”
Something in her tone stopped me cold.
She wasn’t angry. She wasn’t tired.
She was ice.
“I wanted to tell you I’ve been giving it a lot of thought,” I said, trying to ignore the spike of dread rising through my ribs. “That I’ve made some calls. Looked into grants. I think there’s more Silverclaw can offer, if you’re willing to let me help.”
I smiled–just a little. Not too much. “I want to support what you’re building. Really.”
She blinked once.
Then tilted her head.
“So that’s why you went out to dinner with Cassandra?”
My heart stuttered.
“What?”
1/2
Chapter 253
+25 BONUS
데
She didn’t blink. Didn’t flinch. “I saw it. Wolf Whistle had you from and center. Candlelight. Wine. She looked very engaged.”
Topened my mouth, stunned. “It’s not–Elena, it wasn’t like that.
“Wasn’t it?”
“She reached out to me.”
“Of course she did.”
“She said she wanted to help,” I rushed on. “With the Foundation. She wants to contribute. Time, resources, funding–she said it’s her way of making up for what she did to you. To us.”
Elena held up a hand.
I stopped mid–sentence.
“I don’t want her money,” she said quietly. Calmly. Not a flicker of heat in her voice–just steel. “I don’t want her time. I don’t want her involvement.”
“Elena-”
“I want her out of my life,” she continued. “Completely. And if you’re willing to be part of hers, then I want you out of mine.”
I took a step forward, my hand reaching for her almost on instinct. My wolf surged to the surface, panic roaring through him. She couldn’t mean that. She couldn’t really mean-
But she stepped back.
Just enough to make the distance real.
“I’ve tried,” she said. “I’ve given you every opportunity. I’ve defended you, protected you, and made space for you to earn back what we lost.”
“I am trying,” I whispered.
She looked at me for a long moment.
Then shook her head.
“No. You’re just late.”
Mason’s shadow reappeared in the hallway, like a sentry waiting to see if he needed to step in.
Elena turned toward him.
And then, without looking back at me, she said: “You’ll have joint custody. We’ll work out a schedule. But beyond that?”
She turned slightly, just enough to meet my eyes one last time.
“I don’t want anything more from you.”
And then she walked away.
And I let her.
Because I had no right to stop her.
