เข้าสู่ระบบElena“It’d been so many years since Mom and I had talked like this,” I sighed, my voice quieter now, as if even saying it out loud made me realize just how much time had been stolen from us, “And I just realized, a lot of the things—we both could have avoided them. A lot of the distance between us wouldn’t have been created in the first place if we had both just let go of the ideas we had of each other.”“So guilt,” Ashton concluded the whole situation as quickly as ever, his eyes staying on me as though he had already pieced together everything I had been struggling to put into words, “That’s what’s been eating you up this whole time.”Another sigh slipped past my lips, heavier this time, and I looked at both of them, my fingers fumbling together in my lap because I didn’t know what else to do with all the emotions suddenly sitting so heavily inside me, “I know I shouldn’t feel guilty,” I admitted, my throat tightening around the words, “But I just can’t help it. All these years—I s
I laid my head against Ashton’s chest, my eyes fixed on the ceiling, unblinking.I had been staring at the same spot for so long that I could probably have memorized every tiny imperfection in the paint, but I couldn’t bring myself to look away. My mind was somewhere else entirely—running in circles, replaying conversations, picking apart words, expressions, silences. Every thought seemed to lead to another, and every answer only seemed to create another question.Jax’s fingers moved slowly through my hair, combing through the strands with an absentminded tenderness. His other hand rested against the side of my waist, drawing small, lazy circles over the fabric of my clothes.Neither of them had said much for the past hour.And somehow, that silence had been exactly what I needed.It had been a little over an hour since we had settled like this, tangled together on the bed. An hour of nothing but warmth, steady breathing, and the occasional soft touch.I didn’t know how Ashton’s arm h
ElenaI’d initially thought it was a bad idea because, knowing my mom, she’d never fucking side with the woman she believed had snatched her man. However, grief had a strange way of joining people in places where even years of conversations couldn’t. And so, as I stood in the corner of the room, watching Monica tell Mom everything that had happened so far, not leaving out even an ounce of information, a part of me started thinking that maybe—just maybe—Mom would be able to see the truth. Maybe, for once, she would do the right thing.My mother’s expression was unreadable. I couldn’t tell whether she was skeptical or genuinely listening without judgment.And a part of me was scared too.What if Monica was giving her everything she needed to understand the truth, only for Mom to use it against her later?It wouldn’t have been completely impossible. I knew my mother. I knew how bitter she could become. I knew how quickly she could make decisions when her emotions took over, without think
ElenaThe moment the words left my mouth, something in the air of the room cracked.Monica was the one who looked more shocked than everyone else.“What?!” The word burst from her mouth, loud—a gasp that echoed through the sudden silence of the room.“Yes.” I nodded. “He told me that, and he’s already told Mum. I don’t know what he is thinking, and I don’t know what his plans are, but from whatever I could make of it—he’s come to the realization that maybe, in his fucked-up world and with his fucked-up decisions, he’d never find anyone else the way Monica has stood beside him despite receiving nothing all these years.”I paused for a second, letting my thoughts wander before I found the words I was looking for.“And he just wants to live with the comfort she gives him. Knowing that while he destroys places, destroys people—she’d still be there to wipe his stains away, even though he was the one who stained her first.”Monica released a tight breath before slowly lowering herself onto
ElenaI heard the whole thing as I stood there before Monica’s door, tears gathering in my eyes as I watched them through the small opening. And strangely enough, I felt relieved. The strangest relief of my entire life. Seeing them like that—my brothers holding our sister as though all those lost years had suddenly disappeared—did something to me that I couldn’t explain.And in that moment, I thanked every god I could think of that I had chosen to see what Monica’s eyes had kept hidden all this time. I had chosen to notice the pain instead of listening to what everyone else said. I had chosen to look beyond what she showed us and see what she had been desperately trying to hide.“It took you guys so long to figure this out…” Monica’s sob broke through, her voice still trembling. “I kept waiting every day, thinking that someday you’d ask me these questions. I never thought it’d take this many years.”“We are sorry,” Jax whispered. “We were in pain, Mon. We didn’t have the capability of
Ashton“Gabrielle again…”The words left Monica’s mouth and seemed to echo through the space between us.And in that moment, even though a lot of things that had been left unsaid suddenly started making sense, I hated how easily they did. Framing Monica to get her back in his life—that would be a Gabrielle move. Calculated. Cruel. The kind of game he would play while making everyone else believe they were the ones pulling the strings.“And he gave me the comfort and support I needed.” A sob slipped past Monica’s lips, raw and broken. “And I fucking hated myself for accepting that. I felt disgusted with myself every moment I had to lean back into the arms of the man who’d abandoned me, but what the fuck could I do, huh? You guys had abandoned me. The whole pack hated me. And none of you bothered to fucking listen to me.”I had never felt even an ounce of guilt before, but in that moment, I felt a tremendous amount of it hit me from every side. Because I could see the tears in Monica’s
Elena I was trapped between two Alphas in the pool, their bodies pressed tight against mine, hands on me, their scents—dark cedar, sandalwood, and something uniquely male and powerful—filling the air until it was thick enough to taste. I could feel it—as if I could dart my tongue out and I’d ta
ElenaThe thought was exciting. I’d admit that.Two Alphas—both devastatingly handsome, bodies carved by power, scents thick enough to make you want to sin and beg forgiveness later.“It’s not happening, Princess,” Ashton said flatly. “Forget it.”He turned to walk away.I caught his hand, gripping
ElenaI stood on the rooftop, staring down at the borders.Guards patrolled in relentless formation, eyes sharp, movements precise. No lazy pauses. No fifteen-minute breaks. Every shift was replaced seamlessly by another team.Fuck.There was no escaping the borders anymore.I swept my gaze north,
ElenaI ran.Bare feet slapped against the rough earth, every stride slicing my skin open a little more. The ground was cold, cruel, and unyielding. My lungs burned; my heart felt like it was about to rupture. My wolf wanted to shift back—she was done, exhausted—but I couldn't stop. Not now. Not wh







