Chapter 12 Mom, I Miss You So Much

Angel’s POV

My last day of clearing at work felt strangely peaceful. No dramatic farewell, just… quiet acceptance. 

I was clearing out the last drawer when Lily approached me.

She was new, soft-spoken, ambitious, the kind of girl who went speechless when Bastien walked by. Plain as day, she had a big time crush on Bastien. She clutched a notebook to her chest, hesitating at my desk as if she feared I might bark.

“Angel… Can I ask you something?”

I blinked. “Sure.”

Her cheeks flushed. “I…I heard you used to help Bastien with his day-to-day preferences. You know, his schedule, meals…habits… I was wondering if you could show me? I want to… help him. I’m trying to do well here.”

I reached into my drawer and pulled out the thick folder I’d built over years of observing every detail of Bastien’s life. His favorite tea temperatures. The exact number of minutes he preferred his shirts steamed. Which pasta he liked.

They were basically the things I had memorized out of love, out of devotion, out of foolish hope that if I understood him deeply enough, he might one day understand me too.

As I handed over the neatly labeled documents, my expression remained calm, almost detached. Somewhere along the way, I had finally understood something I’d been too stubborn to accept before—love cannot be forced.

 Bastien didn’t love me. And no matter how carefully I adjusted myself to his habits, how perfectly I played the role of his wife, it would never change that fact.

 I remembered how I once felt irrational jealousy toward every woman who dared look at him with admiration, as if guarding him would somehow make him mine. Now, looking at Lily’s eager eyes, I felt nothing. Just indifference. 

Lily’s eyes widened. “All of this? Are you sure?”

“Have at it,” I said. 

She accepted them like sacred artifacts. “Thank you. Really. This is…this is amazing.”

I shrugged, grabbing my bag. Letting the files go gave me a sense of relief.

As I walked away, I didn’t look back at my desk. The moment I stepped out of the building, my phone rang. It was Finn.

“…Mom?” his voice lightly trembled. “Can you come home now? I want spaghetti. The one you always make.”

I closed my eyes, adjusting my bag. For a brief moment, the familiar image rose in my mind, Finn sitting at the table, legs swinging, waiting impatiently, counting on me the way he always had. My heart wavered as I wondered if he was eating properly. Old habits were hard to kill.

But I also knew that if I turned back now, everything I had forced myself to learn would collapse. I had spent too long living as someone’s wife, someone’s mother, forgetting that before all of that, I was a person of my own. Loving them did not mean losing myself.

“I’m busy, Finn,” I said at last, my voice calm despite the ache in my chest. The words hurt more than I expected, but I didn’t take them back.

“Again?” His voice cracked. “But… but I’m hungry. I waited. I waited so long…”

“Let Gamma do it for you, Finn.” I responded

Silence.

Then a small, wounded sniff.

“Okay.”

The call ended.

I lingered on the same spot for a long moment. For years, my entire existence had revolved around Bastien and Finn. I had given them everything and made them a priority in my life. This was the second time I had refused Finn’s request and even now, it felt new to me.

After a short while, I drove away.

Bastien’s POV

The Gamma  called near evening, her voice was hesitant.

“Alpha Bastien… Finn is crying. He refuses to eat anything except Angel’s cooking.”

I exhaled hard. “Put him on the phone.”

Finn sniffled through the receiver. “Dad… I asked Mom for spaghetti but she said no. She said she’s… busy.”

My jaw tightened. “Finn. Just eat your dinner first.”

“No.” His breathing shook. “If Mom doesn’t come, I don’t want anything.”

His crying grew louder.

I stared at the city lights outside my office window and felt a pinch of frustration. Angel had never refused Finn before. Ever. What had gotten into her? Was it still about Dana’s injury? I’d already said enough to settle that.

“Finn,” I said more gently, “I’ll take you out this weekend. Anywhere you want. Alright?”

The crying slowly faded.

“…really?”

“Yes. Anywhere.”

“…okay.”

His voice grew small. “I’ll eat.”

I handed the phone back to the Gamma and rubbed my face. This day never seemed to end.

As I exited my office, I realized something. Angel’s desk was empty. Earlier on, my beta wanted to tell me something about Angel but I hadn’t really listened.

The new colleague, the one who usually  took over her duties when she wasn’t available, nearly jumped when I called him over.

“Where is Angel?”

He stammered. “S-she… she left, Alpha.”

“Why?”

His throat bobbed. “S-she said to say, if anyone asked, that she resigned. And no one should… contact her.”

The hallway air turned cold. Even my wolf stirred.

Resigned? And didn’t want contact? What kind of childish tantrum was she throwing now?

It was almost nine when I finally drove home. Finn was curled up on the couch, eyes fixed on the door. The moment he saw me, disappointment washed across his face.

“Oh…” he whispered. “I…I thought it was Mom.”

He looked down at his hands. “I was waiting for her, I thought she’d come. She always comes when I cry.”

I swallowed. “She must have been busy. You’ll see her tomorrow morning when I drive you to school.”

“…okay.”

Finn’s small shoulders drooped. He lowered his head, curls falling forward to hide his expression, but the quiet glistening in his eyes betrayed him. He rubbed at them with the back of his hand, pretending nothing was wrong. He had never been ignored like this before.

After a brief pause, I crouched and pulled Finn into my arms, wiping the dampness from the child’s face with my thumb. “Dad will carry you upstairs,” I said. “Shall we tell the story of the little rabbit today?”

Finn sniffed, nodded and let out a small smile.

Hours later, I finally returned to my room. Angel still wasn’t home. I couldn’t even smell her scent lingering in the hallway.

I immediately called my beta.

“Check on Angel’s house and see if anything is wrong.”

He reported back half an hour later.

“Everything seems fine, Alpha. Nothing unusual.”

Nothing unusual.

Yet she didn’t return home once. I exhaled, irritated. “It’s probably still about Dana’s injury.”

Why couldn’t she just let that go? Dana was reckless, that wasn’t my fault. None of this was my fault.

I signaled Beta again. “Go and buy the latest luxury brand clothes and take it to her place. Angel will like it.”

In the past, whenever she got mad, I would buy her clothes and she would be happy. I believed that this time would hold no exception.

The next morning, my mother called me. After checking up on Finn, she went straight to her reason for calling.

“Bastien, bring Angel to the family gathering tonight.”

I dialed her number and she answered after several rings.

“There’s a gathering tonight, and my mom wants you there.” I said. “I’ll pick you up after work.”

Her voice was calm.  “Don’t bother, I’ll go on my own.”

“…You’re not coming to pick up Finn?”

“I have errands. Just bring him.”

Before I could ask anything else, she hung up.

I stared at my phone.

Angel never refused my requests. She always went out of her way to appear perfect in front of me. Always tried her hardest to meet expectations. But now… she didn’t even want to ride in the same car as me.

My wolf shifted uneasily.

Something about her tone felt different but I brushed it off. She’d come around. She always did. She was just upset, overwhelmed and emotional. I’d smooth it over later.