Chapter 31

Dominic’s POV

I shouldn’t have come.

The thought hit me like a gut punch as I pressed my back against the cold wall outside my mother’s sitting room. Her voice floated through the partially open door, soft and warm, a tone I had not heard in years.

And then there was Samantha’s voice.

It was not the sharp, defensive tone she used whenever we crossed paths recently. This voice was softer, more vulnerable. It caught me off guard, the way it threaded through me, stirring memories I had no right to hold on to.

I clenched my fists, forcing myself to stay rooted to the spot even though every instinct screamed at me to burst through the door. My wolf was restless, clawing at the edges of my mind, demanding to see her, to speak to her. But I couldn’t. Not yet.

“I’ve managed,” she said, her voice was quiet but firm. “The Moonstone Pack has been good to me. It’s peaceful there.”

Peaceful.

The word stung. Was she happy without me? Had she found a life so free of the chaos I brought into hers tha