03

I had spent the entire morning convincing myself that avoiding Jacques Rogen was the smartest decision I could make. Alpha Manor was large enough for dozens of guests, yet somehow our paths kept crossing.

Every time I heard his voice somewhere nearby, I quietly chose another hallway or another room. It felt ridiculous, especially because he had done nothing wrong. If anything, he had been nothing but kind since picking me up at the airport.

That only made everything worse. Kindness is easy to ignore until it begins making you feel safe. Safe makes people forget the lessons life has already taught them. I refused to become that woman again. I came back to celebrate Willow’s happiness, not to lose my common sense.

Even so, memories of our accidental touches refused to leave me alone. I could still feel the strange warmth that spread through me at the airport and again in the sitting room.

I told myself there had to be a logical explanation. Perhaps returning home had stirred emotions I buried years ago. Perhaps I was simply overwhelmed by memories. Whatever the reason, it could not have anything to do with Jacques. It simply could not.

I was deep in my thoughts, adjusting a bundle of white hydrangeas near the terrace glass doors, when a shadow fell over the table.

"Hey," William said, his voice startling me. He cleared his throat, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "Do you have a minute? I was hoping we could talk. Privately."

My first instinct was to refuse. Seven years ago, I would have followed him anywhere with a light heart and a smile. Today, the thought filled me with exhaustion rather than excitement. Still, I owed it to myself to put the past where it belonged. Running away once was enough.

"William, I don't think there's really much left for us to say." I said.

"Please, Elsie," he pressed, gesturing toward the quieter garden paths. "Just five minutes. I just want to clear the air. Seven years is a long time to carry this around."

"Alright, William," I said, setting the pruning shears down on the table with a soft click. "Let's go. I have a few minutes before Willow needs me for the seating charts."

I followed him out onto the stone path, the afternoon breeze rustling the flowering hedges around us. Time had changed him. He looked older, more filled-out, but there was something restless and anxious behind his eyes that I didn't remember the old William having. We walked in a tense silence until we reached the edge of the fountain.

Finally, he stopped and turned to face me. "Elsie, I don't even know where to start. Seeing you back here... it hit me harder than I thought it would. I need to apologize. For everything."

"William, you don't have to do this," I said quietly, crossing my arms.

"No, I do," he insisted, stepping closer, his voice cracking slightly. "Rejecting you before the whole pack was the greatest mistake of my life. I was young, I was terrified of the responsibility, and I thought I wanted something else. But I was wrong. No woman has ever made me feel the way you did. When you left, it created this hole in my life, and I've spent seven years trying to fill it. None of it mattered. It’s always been you."

A younger version of me would have cried hearing those words. She would have thanked fate for giving her a second chance. But that girl no longer existed. I listened without interrupting until he finished, looking at him not with anger, but with a profound, quiet calm.

"I forgave you years ago, William," I told him, keeping my voice steady. "But I didn't do it for you. I did it because carrying that kind of bitterness was destroying me, and I refused to let what happened define my future."

"Then we can try again," he said, a sudden spark of hope lighting up his face as he reached out. "We can rebuild this, Elsie. I know we can."

"No, we can't," I said, shaking my head gently. "Forgiveness doesn't mean a reset button. The relationship we had died the day you rejected me. Some things can't be rebuilt just because one person finally regrets tearing them down. Pain changes people, William. It changed me. I'm not that girl anymore."

"Elsie, please," he breathed, searching my face as though hoping to find a glimmer of the teenager who used to worship him. "Just give me one chance to show you."

Before I fully understood what he intended, he reached out, his hands grabbing my upper arms as he leaned down, his eyes locked on my lips.

"William, stop," I said firmly, placing my hands flat against his chest and pushing back. I stepped out of his slackened grip before his lips could touch mine.

The disappointment that flashed across his face almost made me feel guilty, until another thought suddenly appeared where it had absolutely no business being. If anyone kissed me right now, the face I wanted to see wasn't William’s. It was Jacques’s.

The realization hit me so hard that I actually took a physical step backward. Heat rushed into my cheeks as I silently scolded myself.

What is wrong with me?

Jacques was my best friend’s father. He was the Alpha. He was a widower who had loved his mate fiercely. Every logical reason told me those thoughts should never exist, yet they did. They frightened me almost as much as they excited me.

"I have to go," I said, clearing my throat and backing away from a stunned William. "Willow is waiting. I’ll see you at dinner."

I left the gardens feeling lighter than I had in years. For the first time since returning to Moonridge, I realized I was finally, truly free of the man who once broke my heart.

The evening meal gathered everyone around the enormous mahogany dining table inside Alpha Manor. Laughter and the clinking of silverware filled the room as relatives exchanged old stories and Willow happily dominated the conversation.

"And then the baker told me they couldn't guarantee the tiered fondant wouldn't melt if we kept the pavilion doors open!" Willow exclaimed, gesturing wildly with her fork. "I told him he clearly doesn't understand the willpower of a determined bride."

"I think the baker was just trying to survive the meeting, sweetie," Zach chuckled from down the table, earning a round of laughter from the family.

I did my best to focus on her excitement, but I soon noticed that William, sitting across from me, had become unusually quiet. Every so often, I caught him staring.

The moment our eyes met, he looked down at his plate as though he had been caught doing something forbidden. I ignored him, taking a sip of my wine.

Then, Willow leaned back, looking toward the head of the table with a bright, teasing smile. "You know, Dad, you seem in an exceptionally good mood lately. You've actually smiled more in the last twenty-four hours than you have all month. I think Elsie being back is bringing some life back into this old house."

The table erupted into playful murmurs and agreement.

"She's right, Alpha, you do look less severe today," one of the pack Elders joked, raising a glass. "Maybe we need to keep Elsie around permanently."

I instinctively glanced toward the head of the table, my heart hammering against my ribs. Unlike everyone else, Jacques didn't laugh. He didn't even smile.

His expression became completely unreadable for the briefest moment, his dark eyes locking onto mine across the expanse of the table.

The intensity in his gaze made the breath catch in my throat. Then, without a word, he quietly lowered his eyes to his plate, cutting his steak with precise, measured movements.

"Let's focus on the bride's logistics, shall we?" Jacques said, his deep voice slicing through the laughter and instantly silencing the teasing. "We have a rehearsal to run tomorrow."

Something about his sudden silence sent an unexpected shiver straight down my spine. The atmosphere at the table shifted, and suddenly, finishing my dinner became far more difficult than it should have been.