ELENA'S POV,“It has nothing to do with you. I just want to meet my daughter. I have the right to see her.”The way Julian said that made me angrier than I already was with him. Suddenly, he remembered he had a daughter and wanted to meet her. Where was this fatherly love when she died in a hospital bed? Where was he when she asked for him right after waking up from a coma?There were so many things I wanted to tell him, to scream at him for being a heartless monster, but I knew it wasn't the right place or the time. There were many people around, watching us, and I knew he wouldn't think twice before declaring me crazy if that served his purpose.“W-why?” I managed to ask when I sensed the tension between him and Ryan rising. “Why do you want to meet her, now?”“Because she's my daughter,” he tried to sound obvious, but I heard the shadow of something else under his breath. “I deserve to know where she's resting. I have that right as her dad.”I would have laughed if I weren't so cru
RYAN'S POV,I watched her from a distance, feeling proud of the growth she had shown over the last few weeks.My feelings for her weren't out of pity; they were true and meaningful. Elena neither deserved my pity nor did she need it. What she needed was love, support, and someone who wouldn’t look away when the truth got uncomfortable.Julian was exactly that person. He was trying to hide what happened with their daughter, and I could see the pain it was causing Elena. She was in disbelief when he tried to downplay Molly's death, and that made me a little jealous. Because the look of disbelief meant she still had hopes for him, and hope often leads back to reconnection.’He is not worthy of your love, time, hopes, or thoughts,’ I mumbled to myself when tears rolled down her face. ’I will take care of you, Elena, as long as I live.’She stood in the center of the small council, like a burning flame that refused to die out. She spoke of her pain without flinching, of her loss without be
ELENA'S POV,Julian was standing in the center of the room, holding his head high and jaws clenched like he was preparing for a war. He was looking down at everyone inside, like he owned the place, and his hands were balled into tight fists at his sides. He was loud, and his words echoed across the walls as he claimed—without any shame—that he had never betrayed me.“I did nothing wrong!” He was breathing heavily, trying to convince himself of the lies he was screaming. “I never lay with another woman, never lifted a hand against her. This is all unnecessary and ridiculous! By the law, she should return to the pack... to me.”I didn't look away from him when he turned, and our eyes met. I kept on staring because he didn't scare me anymore, neither his anger-filled voice nor the hatred in his words. However, I felt the tension shifting in the room after he was done. The old man looked conflicted and turned towards the other committee members for help. Ryan's representative leaned forw
ELENA'S POV,The air felt suffocating as I walked down the long corridor of the Lunar Palace. Every step I took echoed in my ears, as if the sound was bouncing off the high, marble walls. I could feel my nerves tightening with each stride, but I kept my head high and looked forward confidently. Ryan was walking beside me, and his presence was giving me the strength I needed at that moment. I was terrified when I got the letter summoning me to the Palace, before the Wolf Committee. Ryan calmed me down and helped me practice how I should present myself in front of the Committee. As we turned a corridor I noticed that his hands were shoved deep in his pockets, and his jaw was clenched. I know what was going through his head, and how much he disagreed with the laws of the nation. However, he was powerless in the situation, and the best he could do was support me from the sidelines. “Remember, you’re strong, and even if I'm not allowed to speak, to defend you, to shield you from whateve
RYAN’S POV,I just entered my office after having a heavy lunch—prepared by Elena—when my phone started ringing.I checked the caller ID to find out it was William, an old friend and my representative in the Wolf's Committee. We rarely used to get the opportunity to converse, like in old times. We only had our scheduled meetings that happened twice each month.And in those meetings, we discussed the matters related to the nation and my opinions about the committee's decisions on several matters. So, I thought he called to catch up and started the conversation in a jolly voice. Asking him how he was doing, and if he was calling to invite me for a drink.It kind of was our ritual to meet in a nice bar and talk about our problems. Since hanging out with him wasn't a regular occurrence because of our work, I treasured those little moments we got. I was expecting him to name the new bar he saw while driving, or heard about from someone in the Committee.Instead, when William spoke, I notic
JULIAN'S POV,“It could have been an email, but I wanted to bring it in front of the committee myself,” I said, and just like I hoped, I finally had their attention.“And why's that?” Jasper asked, despite already knowing the entire thing.He was playing into it a little too much, and the others had already started to see through his act. One of them, a young man to the right with copper hair, scoffed, seeing the fake curiosity in Jasper's words. His eyes were telling me that he wasn't interested in hearing anything more.“I needed to be heard properly.” I further added, as practiced yesterday. “The emotions... my emotions, they couldn't be translated properly via an email. And today I don't just want you to hear me, but also to understand the gravity of my situation.”“What urgent matter requires the full attention of the committee?” the man with the copper hair asked. He looked barely older than me, and I saw disdain in his eyes towards me. “We have other important matters to handle