I told him the truth.

       Alpha Kendrick didn’t push for more, though he continued calling, updating me on where he was and what he was doing. He mentioned, almost hesitantly, how nervous he felt about seeing Elena after all these years.

       It was odd—this routine we’d fallen into. Over time, we’d grown accustomed to sharing everything. Whenever he traveled for work, it was second nature to exchange “I miss you” and recount the trivialities of our days.

       Even now, as he prepared to reunite with her, he still called me, as though nothing had changed.

       Habit, I realized, is a cruel master.

       I let the silence stretch between us for a while.

       “Are you upset? Why aren’t you saying anything?” he asked, his tone edged with concern.

       “No,” I replied softly, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. “I wish you the best.”

       How I managed to say it, I’ll never know.

       He went quiet, the silence thick and heavy, before finally speaking in a low voice. “I’ll come back as soon as I can. No matter what happens, I love you.”

       For a fleeting moment, I wanted to believe him—maybe I even did. But belief wouldn’t change anything now.

       This time, I was ready to let go.

       Three days later, Alpha Kendrick returned.

       I hadn’t expected him back so soon, but what truly stopped me cold was the sight of who stood beside him. Elena.

       I remembered our first meeting vividly. Back then, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy.

       Elena was the kind of woman who shattered expectations with reckless ease—a little wild, magnetic in ways that demanded attention. She was stunningly beautiful, radiating confidence and an undeniable charm.

       The air between us now hung heavy, burdened with years of unspoken history.

       Her natural charisma was something I could never replicate. Where she embodied freedom, I was a product of discipline and carefully cultivated propriety.

       She still carried that untamed elegance. A tattoo curled along the curve of her neck, her sunglasses perched casually atop her head, loose curls spilling over her shoulders.

       “Felicia, long time no see,” she said, her voice familiar but softened by weariness.

       This wasn’t the same Elena I remembered.

       She politely asked if she could come in, and though I was too stunned to speak, I stepped aside.

       As she passed, her arm brushed against a decorative bear wearing a wedding bow tie. The little figure toppled to the floor. Without hesitation, she crouched, retrieved it, and handed it back with a faint, almost apologetic smile.

       “I forgot to congratulate you,” she said. “I wish you and Alpha Kendrick a happy wedding.”

       Her words were polite, even kind, but they carried an undercurrent I couldn’t quite place.

       I nodded, unsure how to respond.

       Elena’s gaze drifted around the living room, taking in the sparse furnishings. The house felt hollow—most of my belongings had already been sent to the Blue Moon Pack’s territory. What remained were things that belonged to Alpha Kendrick or shared mementos I couldn’t bring myself to sort through.

       Alpha Kendrick noticed too. His brow furrowed as he glanced around.

       “Felicia,” he said, confusion coloring his tone, “why does the house feel so empty?”

       “I’ve just been organizing and clearing out a few things,” I said casually, brushing off his concern with a vague excuse.

       Elena sat down and removed her sunglasses, revealing deep bruises around her eyes and faint scars etched across her face.

       In that moment, I understood why she seemed different. The unshakable confidence she once radiated was gone, dulled by hardship and loss.

       “As you can see,” Elena said softly, her voice steady despite everything, “I’m not doing well.”

       She told me how her life hadn’t unfolded the way she’d imagined. The rogue king she once called her true love had never planned to marry her.

       “To him, I was just a passing distraction,” she admitted, bitterness lacing her words.

       Trapped in the Rogue Lair, she had spiraled into depression, unable to return to the life she once knew.

       “It wasn’t until I reached out to Alpha Kendrick that things started to change,” she said quietly. “Thanks to his help over the years, I never lost myself completely.”

       Beside me, Alpha Kendrick tensed. His unease rolled off him in waves. It wasn’t just about her confession.

       It was the confirmation that they had never truly lost contact.

       Elena didn’t stop. Her voice remained soft, steady—almost gentle.

       “Alpha Kendrick spends a month with me every year. Always at the end of the year. Without him, I wouldn’t have made it through.”

       The words landed like a punch to the gut.

       Suddenly, everything clicked.

       His so-called “wolf pack business trips.” The vague excuses every December. The expansion efforts, the alliances he claimed to be securing.

       None of it had been real.

       He hadn’t been tending to the pack. He had been with her.

       Elena glanced at me, gauging my reaction before continuing.

       “When Alpha Kendrick started growing his pack’s business, I heard you sold your dowry to give him the startup capital. Even from afar, I admired your loyalty.”

       I said nothing. The weight of her words pressed down like a lead shroud.

       Loyalty.

       That’s what I had given him. Unwavering. Absolute.

       And in return?

       “I was in trouble at the time too,” Elena admitted, her voice quieter now. “My life was…… falling apart. So, Alpha Kendrick sent me $200,000 to help.”

       The number rang in my ears.

       $200,000.

       Suddenly, I remembered the missing funds from the Red River Pack’s accounts. The ones brushed off as a bookkeeping error.

       It hadn’t been an oversight.

       It hadn’t been a mistake.

       It was a secret.

       A carefully concealed piece of Alpha Kendrick’s life with Elena—one I was never meant to uncover.