All Chapters of Once His Mate, Now His Regret: Chapter 201 - Chapter 210

Cassiel and I stayed in that hug for what must have been an hour. We got home well past midnight, the house quiet and smelling faintly of the night outside. My stomach had been sinking all evening, a low, relentless ache that kept me from relaxing. As I poured the story out, line by line, Cassiel listened with a growing shadow in his eyes. Each new detail seemed to tighten his jaw.“Why do we not just do it my way?” he asked suddenly, cold and hard. “I can have her taken and killed.” I shook my head before he could go further. If he was caught, the fallout would be catastrophic, not only for us but for everything he had built. I did not want his life or career turned to ash because of my broken family.“We cannot keep having this conversation,” I said. “She is the only lead we have to find the rogue alpha, and I want justice, then bloodlust. I want her exposed, and yes, I would love for her to be held accountable in public. I really want her to look at me in the eyes before everyon

I couldn't believe my ears. Dachery had killed a young girl. An innocent over something he could have spent a few minutes confirming?“I've talked to Dachery. I have been in the same room with him, shared conversations with him. And you are telling me he has the blood of an innocent child on his hands? Why is he still a council member?” My voice rose before I could stop it, tight with disbelief.Cassiel grimaced as if the question itself scraped against something raw inside him. “It was a mess. Dachery didn't even apologize. And council members told me they found out that alpha Dachery had the girl taxidermied, still in her wolf form and sent to her father. They said he meant well, that he was trying to apologise without admitting fault." "The alpha confronted Dachery after what happened. The confrontation turned into a fight. It was brutal. Bloody. The other council members had to pull them apart. They urged him to forgive Dachery, to let it go, so that his application could move fo

After that conversation, Cassiel and I decided to shower and go to bed. I thought some sleep would push all the horrible things I'd learned today out of my mind. It didn't work. Throughout the night, my mind kept circling back to Nerissa. The box. The wolf. The letters. Every time I shut my eyes, the pieces rearranged themselves into shapes that refused to make sense. By the time the clock on the wall blinked 3AM, I could not take it anymore. I pushed myself upright, my blanket slipping into my lap. “Damn this all,” I muttered under my breath. Cassiel’s low laughter rumbled across the room, sharp enough to make me glare at him. He lounged on his side, eyes glinting gold even in the faint light. He wasn't sleeping either. I guess both of our nights have been ruined. I stared at him, waiting for him to decide if he wanted to get up with me. I could have asked but I had a feeling he already knew the reason why I was cursing everything to hell. “Alright then,” he said wit

I leaned closer, my eyes straining to make sense of what was wedged inside the wolf’s mouth. The object glinted faintly when the light hit it, but the angle made it nearly impossible to grab with my fingers. My patience frayed as I searched the basket beside me, eventually spotting a small pair of tweezers tucked near the bottom. I snatched them up and carefully guided the tips into the stiff jaw of the taxidermied wolf. It was harder than I expected. The thing was jammed deep, and every time I thought I had a grip, it slipped away. I gritted my teeth, ignoring the faint tremor of irritation crawling up my spine. After several long minutes of fidgeting and adjusting, the tweezers finally clamped down on the object. I tugged, slow and steady, until it came free. My breath caught when I saw it clearly. Resting in my palm was a smooth, black stone that gleamed under the dim light. It was shaped like a half moon, polished to a mirrorlike shine. Its presence felt wrong, heavy in a way t

I barely slept that night. The house itself felt restless, too heavy with shadows and tension. Nerissa stayed curled in the master bedroom as though she had claimed it by force, while I lay in Aurielle’s old room, staring at the ceiling. The sheets smelled faintly of lavender, faded from years, and that only made the memories worse. Sleep came in pieces, broken and sharp, interrupted by small nightmares that jolted me awake. For the first time in my life, I knew what it was like to dread closing my eyes.What had I gotten myself into?No, I knew. I knew exactly how I ended up here. Every mistake I had ever made, every selfish choice, every cruelty I told myself was justified—it had all piled up and brought me to this point. I had made every wrong decision one man could possibly make in a lifetime. I couldn’t even recall the last time I had made a good one. The shame sat on my chest like a stone.Morning came slow, and I dragged myself from the bed before the sun was fully awake. When