Chapter Sixty-One: Matthias Crowe

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• Once His Mate, Now His Regret   Chapter Eighty-Five: Aurielle Duvall

  There’s nothing quite like coming home.The second I crossed the boundary line into my town, something in my chest loosened. My shoulders dropped. My grip on the steering wheel softened. I rolled the window down just enough to let in the familiar scent of pine and open road—clean air and distant woodsmoke. The land here smelled different. More honest. More mine.And gods, how I’d missed it.Being near Moonveil had felt like living inside a bruised ribcage. Tight, fragile, sore in ways that didn’t always make sense. No matter how composed I looked on the outside, I’d been walking on land where pieces of me had broken apart, piece by piece. There were ghosts in the walls, memories in every hallway, and a mirror in every pair of eyes that saw me only as “Matthias’s ex-wife” or “the she-wolf who lost a Luna’s child.” I wasn’t Aurielle there. I was a shadow of the woman I used to be.But here?Here, I could breathe again.The town was as sleepy and warm as ever—modest buildings with brick

• Once His Mate, Now His Regret   Chapter Eighty-Four: Aurielle Duvall

  Monday morning came with a heaviness I couldn’t quite name.Maybe it was the knowledge that I’d be wrapping up this whirlwind visit. Maybe it was knowing I’d have to sit across from Matthias one last time. Or maybe it was just the accumulated ache of being near so many ghosts—ghosts of dreams, love, hope. Whatever the cause, I pushed through it. I had a job to finish.I woke early, checked and double-checked my notes, packed my things, and checked out of the hotel. My bags were in the car, ready to be taken back home as soon as I was done. This wasn’t an emotional goodbye. Just a task crossed off the list.By midmorning, I made my final rounds to each foundation—three in total. One for abandoned or recovering women, one for adolescent girls at risk of exploitation or displacement, and one for struggling single mothers who were still adjusting to pack life and survival.Each visit was filled with a bittersweet energy. The staff were so kind. They offered hugs, tearful smiles, and more

• Once His Mate, Now His Regret   Chapter Eighty-Three: Matthias Crowe

  After nerissa's leap and show of excitement for our date, she spent an hour getting ready while i researched the best date places, and ideas. Something guaranteed to form love. To get the hearts and blood pumping.Dates were supposed to feel different.Dates—real ones—were meant to be filled with warmth, laughter, soft glances and the kind of comfort that made you feel more like yourself than you ever had before. I knew that. I’d had it once. A long time ago. And even though I’d buried it somewhere deep, I still remembered what it was like to hold someone’s hand and mean it.But today? Today felt like a performance.I took Nerissa to the nicest restaurant within range of the Moonveil territory. A three-course outdoor dining experience on a patio surrounded by white lanterns and climbing ivy. She wore a stunning lilac dress, her dark hair in an elegant braid over one shoulder. She looked radiant—every inch the Luna she’d always dreamed of becoming.I played the part too. I held out her

• Once His Mate, Now His Regret   Chapter Eighty-Two: Matthias Crowe

  I didn't sleep well after what happened the night before. My wolf was feeling even more discomfort. Like he wanted to crawl out of me and run to-I woke up to the sound of soft knocking.At first, I thought it was in my dream. A hollow thudding echo that had nothing to do with the waking world. But it didn’t stop. Just three gentle taps—pause. Then three again. Almost cautious.I sat up, rubbing my eyes and trying to blink away the fog of restless sleep. I hadn’t slept well—not with everything running through my mind. Aurielle’s email, Nerissa showing up at that goddamn hotel like some wild card in a game that was no longer hers to play. My mind was a mess, a twisted jungle of emotion and responsibility. Guilt. Confusion. Longing.The knocking came again.I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood, stretching slightly before padding across the room and unlocking the door.It creaked open.Nerissa stood there in one of her silk robes, eyes wide and watery, like she’d been pract

• Once His Mate, Now His Regret   Chapter Eighty-One: Nerissa DuVall

  Matthias, whom I had expected to get angry on my behalf, had turned into a reasonable fool. Then, even worse, when I stormed off and locked myself in my room, he stood on the other side. Not knocking, he didn't even try to get in. Eventually, I heard his footsteps retreat. The sound of his door locking echoed down the hallway like a gunshot.Click.I froze mid-step, fingers clenched in the hem of my silk robe.No. No, no, no.Did he seriously just lock me out? He locked his room door like he didn't want me to come in there at night?!!! HOW DARE HE?I stood there, stunned, staring down the hallway as if willing the door to swing back open.It didn’t.My nails bit into my palms.What the hell is wrong with him?What changed?He never used to treat me like this. He never used to question me. I’d cry, and he’d crumble. That was our rhythm. Our balance. He needed me to break for him to fix me. It made him feel important. In control.Now?Now he was cold. Flat. Like a wall I couldn’t climb

• Once His Mate, Now His Regret   Chapter Eighty: Matthias Crowe

  After a long day of dealing with the pack stress, and many many more issues, I was at home. Laying in bed, doing what men my age usually do.I wasn’t asleep.Not really.It was one of those nights where I just lay there—staring at the ceiling, arm thrown over my eyes, mind looping over a thousand thoughts I couldn’t outrun.Aurielle’s report had come in just before midnight. A neat, brutal breakdown of every area Nerissa had mismanaged. It wasn’t even harsh—just factual, precise, and painfully true. The line that stuck with me most wasn’t even about funding or welfare oversight. It was the one that said: “Neglect is often louder than abuse. Women and children know when they’ve been forgotten.”She hadn't even hid who she was talking about. She brought up nerissa without a care in the world. Like i needed to deal with it. And it burned.I hadn’t even responded. I couldn’t. I’d stared at the screen until my vision blurred, then tossed my phone on the nightstand and dragged myself under