บททั้งหมดของ Once His Mate, Now His Regret: บทที่ 61 - บทที่ 70

Aurielle DuVall I hadn’t expected to see Matthias or Nerissa so soon. Honestly, a month felt too soon. Far too soon. But I was handling it… or at least convincing myself I was. The numbness had given way to purpose, and purpose had been good for me. Cassiel had officially given me the position of Inter-Pack Consultant on Female Health & Livelihood—a title I wore with pride. The former person in charge was an elderly omega woman who left me bundles of notes to follow on and made me promise to call her if I ever got overwhelmed. It wasn’t just a job. Cassiel had done his research on me so he could select the perfect job. It was something I’d earned through years of quiet work behind the scenes—drafting policies, creating programs, mentoring women both poor and privileged. Now, I had the platform to do it on a regional scale. Cassiel had backed me entirely. More than backed me. He claimed I was the best person for the job, even when I argued he was paying me too much. Every time I b

The event had been a success. A surprisingly smooth one, given the tension hanging in the air like smoke. Cassiel’s plan to prepare for a potential rogue attack was unanimously accepted by the council and other alphas. Measures were being drawn, assignments distributed, and protocols discussed well into the evening. Everyone knew the risks. And for once, they all agreed on something—prepare now, or suffer later.But that wasn’t what I chose to focus on.By the next morning, I’d locked away the memory of the event. The sound of Matthias’s voice. The way his presence had stirred unwanted things in my chest. Nerissa's look. I shoved it all into the darkest recess of my mind and sealed it shut with a chain of purpose.I had work to do.This life—this new path—I’d carved it out for myself with broken hands and bruised willpower. And now, I refused to let anything crack it. Not even the ghost of a man I used to cry over.So, I took the back roads to Cassiel’s pack territory. The drive wasn’

I dove headfirst into my work. Specifically, a case file that hit too close to home. It involved a Luna who had spent the past five years pouring her soul into rebuilding a part of her pack’s education system, only to have it completely overturned when her mate decided to remarry and assign his new partner to oversee the same sector. Everything the woman had worked on—discarded, undermined, or credited to someone else. She'd reported herself in asking for help and wanting to sue the alpha. It felt eerily familiar. Like staring into a funhouse mirror version of my old life. But she was braver than me. I didn’t realize I’d stopped breathing until the soft thumps came against my office door. I blinked back into the present and adjusted my posture. “Come in,” I called. The door creaked open, and Thalia stepped in, wearing her usual leather boots and a deliberately casual blazer. And that smile. That calculated, polite smile that didn’t quite reach her sharp eyes. “Hey,” she said, vo

For a while, we didn’t speak.The silence was full but not uncomfortable. Crickets chirped. The wind rustled the trees. The lake rippled in response to a distant breeze. She hugged her knees to her chest again, eyes distant. Files laying next to her with a pen and a journal she used to write down important things.“I got a call earlier,” she murmured eventually. “From Matthias. He got my number off one of my business cards.”I tensed. When I brought a bunch of her cards, it was to help her not to give that man another way to contact her. She noticed, of course. “Don’t worry. I blocked him. Told him to call the official line if he wants help. I'm not falling back into his web.”I didn’t say anything at first. I didn’t want to ruin the mood with my own anger. But she was opening up, and I owed her honesty.“I don’t like that he keeps finding ways to contact you. He was trying to talk to you throughout the entire meeting. I don't know what he wants.”She turned toward me. “Neither do I.

I got a text back from my grandmother's nurse telling me she was asleep but that she would tell her to text me back the next day. Which is good, but it bothers me knowing I have to sleep through the night with all the issues I'm having. I made myself leave get up, shaking the stupid thoughts filling my head and went straight into the bathroom. I stayed upstairs longer than I needed to, just standing there in front of the bathroom mirror. The water had long since gone cold in the shower, and my towel clung to my skin, damp and heavy. I stared at my reflection like I was searching for answers I already knew.I didn’t love Nerissa. Not the way I was supposed to. Not the way I tried to convince myself I did. Not the way I used to. And it was earth shattering. Call me a bastard for not feeling more grief or sadness over the lost fetus. Mentally I never believed she was pregnant. So for me the biggest turning point is my wolf's sudden change. Still, I got dressed.Still, I made my way d