Chapter 14

Ella's POV

His words didn't move me anymore, so I smirked.

"You want me?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's true, Ella. Honey, I want you. I can't live without my mate. I want to marry you," Carson said, stepping toward me.

I stared at him, unbothered. "Carson, we're done, no matter what you say or do. I don't want you as my mate. I don't love you anymore." My voice was sharp, and the pack around us went completely still, eyes wide in shock. "Just give it up already. You're only here because you can't handle the blow to your ego. Accept it."

My attention shifted to Anna, who had somehow managed to creep up beside Carson. I hadn't even noticed her approach, but seeing her standing next to him made my stomach churn. There she was, still clinging to him, trying to prove something.

Anna shot me a nasty glare behind Carson's back, then turned to give me a sickeningly sweet smile. "Miss Hansen, Alpha Carson told me everything about you. He's here because he can't live without you. Just forgive him already, Miss Hansen."

I stayed silent for a beat, then let out a slow, calculating smile. "Fine. We'll find somewhere quiet to talk, away from my father's pack," I said coolly.

Hope flickered in Carson's eyes, and he reached for my hand. But in the next second, I did something no one expected.

I slapped Anna hard across the face. I heard my mother gasp in surprise, saw pride flash in my father's eyes, and caught Asher grinning like a fool.

"Ahh! You…!" Anna shrieked. "How dare you slap me!"

But I wasn't finished. As she raised her hand to slap me back, I grabbed her by the hair and yanked her head back.

"Oh, Anna, your eye was twitching earlier, wasn't it? Who were you rolling it at, huh?"

Before she could answer, I slapped her again, once, twice, five or six times, until her cheeks were a fiery red, and her nose started bleeding. Her fake cries turned into real, heart-wrenching sobs.

Disgusted, I shoved her toward Carson, who was just standing there, frozen in shock. To my surprise, he didn't catch her. When she tried to crawl toward him, her tear-streaked face desperate, he took a step back, a frown crossing his features.

Anna's wide eyes filled with disbelief, but Carson ignored her, walking straight toward me with a look of genuine sincerity. "Ella, I've already told her, I've only ever seen her as a sister. Those things you were upset about? They won't happen again. I promise."

As Alpha Carson reached out, trying to pull me into a hug, my brother stepped in, facing him with a hard glare. "Touch my sister, and you'll get a taste of the Hansen wrath," Asher warned, his voice cold and menacing.

Carson's gaze softened, full of regret. "I'm sorry, Ella. I regret everything I've done. Please, forgive me."

But I shook my head, my expression unyielding. "That doesn't change my mind, Alpha Carson. Now go. Take your secretary with you, and don't ever show your face here again."

He opened his mouth as if to argue, but in the end, he said nothing. He turned and walked away, leaving Anna scrambling after him, her sobs fading into the distance.

That was the last I saw of Alpha Carson.

A few weeks later, I started working at Crimson Consolidation, and to my surprise, Liam was the managing director there. At least I had someone familiar in the office. Liam always treated me like the kid sister, always joking and making me laugh, and sometimes he'd take me out for food.

Now and then, Asher would visit me at work, like I wasn't already going home to the pack. Sometimes, he even brought our parents along.

One evening, I was so buried in paperwork that I lost track of time. When I realized it was already past seven, I quickly packed up, knowing I should've left an hour ago to return to the pack.

To my surprise, I saw Liam waiting outside. "Your brother wanted to make sure you got home safe, so he asked me to wait for you," he said with a smile.

We left the building, chatting about work on the way to his car. Then my phone rang. The caller ID was unknown, but assuming it was one of my colleagues, I picked up.

The voice on the other end made my stomach drop. It was Carson, slurred, barely coherent, and clearly drunk.

"Did… did we have a twin?" His words were barely understandable, and I frowned, trying to make sense of it. His breathing was heavy, and there was static on the line, like he was calling from somewhere far away, maybe out in the cold.

Liam's expression shifted to concern as he glanced over at me. "Who was that?" he asked, clearly worried.

I didn't respond right away. Carson's voice echoed in my mind, but I couldn't figure out what he was trying to say.