Chapter 15

Ella's POV

Alpha Carson might have found the hospital records I never bothered to bring with me. Not that it was a secret worth hiding. He was just too late to figure it out, and I had no intention of telling him.

I couldn't help but chuckle bitterly. "Yes, we did. And why are you calling now? They're gone, so are you reaching out because of that?"

"Why didn't you tell me?" His voice was tight, strained, as if he could barely breathe. My wolf stirred uneasily, sensing his turmoil. "If… you'd told me, Ella…"

"And why should I have told you?" I shot back, the anger bubbling up. "What would it have changed? You were never one for commitment. Let me remind you, you chose your secretary over me." My voice cut through the air, raw with emotion. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to hold back the tears. Liam's hand rested gently over mine, grounding me. "While I was bleeding, in pain. If you'd saved me that day, maybe, just maybe, they'd still be alive."

The memory of losing my twins cut deep, a wound that still hadn't healed.

"I..." Carson's voice faltered, barely above a whisper.

I waited, expecting him to say more. But all I heard was static, then the faint buzz of the line going dead. He'd hung up. No protests. No excuses. Just silence.

That was the last time I heard from Alpha Carson.

As the days passed, he faded from my mind, slipping into the past. My life carried on, somehow smoother, like a weight had been lifted. I threw myself into work and helped my brother manage the pack. I thought I was content. But deep down, there was still an ache, a loneliness I couldn't ignore. Watching the other wolves with their families, the children playing... there was a void inside me, one that even my wolf could feel.

"A penny for your thoughts?" Liam asked, sitting beside me on a log as we watched the pack's children play.

"Nothing." I forced a smile, taking the ice cream he handed me.

"You don't plan to love again?" he asked gently.

"I'm not ready to love again," I replied, my eyes fixed on the ice cream. "I don't even believe in love, not after the pain it brings."

"After what you went through…" he muttered, his voice understanding. "I get it. You're not ready."

"No plans, none at all, if love can be that painful," I corrected him, which made him chuckle. I couldn't help but grin. "Why are we even talking about this?"

"Because…" He trailed off, his cheeks turning red as he avoided my gaze. Suddenly, my breath caught in my throat, a realization hitting me. I had a feeling I knew what he was about to say, though part of me thought I could be wrong.

"Ella, I've had feelings for you since seven years ago," he said, looking straight into my eyes. "Back then, I knew you wanted your mate. But now, I'm taking a chance, hoping you might give me one."

His gaze held mine, and I saw the truth there, his silver wolf meeting mine with a depth Alpha Carson had never given me.

I was speechless, my mouth slightly open, caught off guard.

"I'll pursue you, Ella, until you're ready to let me into your life. To let me be your mate."

I wasn't ready, not yet. But Liam was patient, always there when I needed someone. He listened. He did everything I asked, without begging, without excuses. It was refreshing, he wasn't insensitive, he wasn't heartless. He felt... right.

My family and the pack favored him, even Asher, who wanted me to choose his best friend as my mate. During the Werewolf King's birthday celebration, as the first snow began to fall, Liam gave me a moon necklace. We shared the cake I'd baked that night.

It was then that I accepted him as my mate. My heart overflowed with happiness. Liam kissed me, and it was nothing like Carson's kiss. It was gentle, sweet, and made me want him even more, no rush, just something real and new.

A year passed, and as I scrolled through my phone, my finger paused over an old message from Ava, one I hadn't noticed before. It was sent eight months ago.