15

Jaxon’s POV

I stood in front of the full-length mirror, dressed in a tuxedo that felt more like a prison uniform. The knot of the tie strangled me. My parents’ voices echoed in my head, demanding perfection, obedience, legacy. But all I saw staring back at me was a stranger—one being forced into a life he didn’t choose, into a marriage with a woman he didn’t love.

Nikki.

She was everything tradition demanded: strong lineage, pure blood, beautiful, poised. But she wasn’t Elena.

My chest tightened at the thought of her name.

Elena.

I hadn’t said it aloud in moons.

Everyone said she was dead. The moment I rejected her, that bond—our sacred thread—was supposed to snap. Supposed to free me. But I never felt free. Just… hollow.

Two moons had passed, and still, I saw her in dreams. Heard her laugh in crowds. I could never forget the look in her eyes the day I turned my back on her.

I pressed my fingers against my temple. No. I couldn’t do this. Not now. Not ever.

I turned toward the window where my best friend, Mateo, leaned against the wall, arms crossed. He didn’t say anything, but his eyes told me he’d been waiting for this moment.

“You sure?” he asked finally.

I nodded. “I’m not marrying Nikki. I’m not staying here. I need to get out of this place.”

Mateo’s lips lifted into a half-smile. “Then let’s go.”

That night, we disappeared.

No goodbyes. No explanations. I told Mateo to keep my destination secret—even from my parents. Especially from them. My only message to them was short: I’m gone. Don’t come looking.

We left with nothing but a bag, our loyalty to each other, and a silent mission written in the hollows of my chest—to find Elena. Even if the world thought she was dead, I didn’t believe it. I couldn’t. My heart refused.

I followed the only feeling that made sense anymore. It led me to the city.

In the city, I made a new life. A fast one.

I purchased a mansion with the inheritance I had tucked away. My company—one I had started in secret years ago—blossomed overnight. I worked as CEO by day, studied in the evenings. It kept me busy. Kept the ache distracted. I hired workers. I built walls. I made rules.

And still, nothing filled the space she left behind.

I never revealed I was an alpha. That part of me—wild and dominant—was buried beneath suits, fake smiles, and a CEO title. It was safer that way. The human world didn’t need to know what I was. Who I was. And I didn’t need more eyes on me while I searched for someone they thought no longer existed.

Months passed.

Some nights I’d sit in my car, gripping the wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white. Her image would flash in my head—soft lips, fierce eyes, that innocent laugh that drove me mad. I couldn’t erase it.

One evening, after leaving a long board meeting, I slumped into the back of the car. Rain pelted the windshield, dancing against the glass like a thousand whispers.

Mateo was busy on a call, and I sat quietly, watching the droplets chase each other.

I pulled out my phone.

Her picture stared back at me.

My fingers brushed across the screen.

“I miss you,” I said aloud. “I’ve never stopped.”

I swallowed hard, blinking away the burn in my eyes.

“People think you’re gone, Lena. But I know you’re not. I feel you… like a shadow under my skin. Step by step, I know I’m getting closer to you.”

I inhaled shakily.

“Please… come back to me.”

Suddenly, the car jerked.

Tires squealed. Mateo cursed from the front seat.

“What the hell was that?” I snapped, bolting upright.

The car had come to a hard stop in the middle of a slippery road.

Mateo was already stepping out. I followed.

Rain hit me like ice. I pulled my coat tighter and approached him.

“There were two women!” Mateo shouted, pointing at the sidewalk. “One of them just walked straight onto the road. Didn’t even look. The hell is wrong with people?”

I followed his gaze.

Two women were walking away under a shared umbrella. One of them walked slowly, holding her stomach.

She was… pregnant.

Something in me stilled. Froze.

That walk.

That shape.

My breath caught.

“What… what did you just say?” I asked, stepping forward.

“The pregnant one. She was standing right in the middle of the damn road! I almost hit her. You believe that?”

“You didn’t check if she was okay?” I asked, my voice rougher than I expected.

“They didn’t stop,” he muttered. “Got into a cab and left.”

I took another step toward the direction they’d vanished.

A pull.

A scent.

I couldn’t explain it. The air carried something faint, but familiar.

Lavender.

Wild roses.

The scent was weak, diluted by the rain… but I knew it.

My wolf stirred, pacing beneath my skin.

“Lena…”

Mateo turned to me. “What did you say?”

I didn’t answer.

My chest was rising and falling too quickly.

She was here. She had to be.

I stared into the street, heart pounding.

Why did my body react like this?

Why did I feel like if I didn’t run after that taxi, I’d regret it for the rest of my life?

Why did that one woman’s outline make my entire soul ache?

I reached for the car door, hesitating for a brief second.

“Did you see her face?” I asked.

“No,” Mateo replied. “Just the umbrella and her waddling pregnant belly. Why?”

I didn’t reply.

Instead, I stared out into the fogged distance as the rain picked up again.

My hand was shaking. I didn’t even realize it until I looked down.

She’s not dead.

I knew it now, more than ever.

She’s here.