All Chapters of The One He Chose: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

The Blackwood Academy grounds were teased, as though the whole world was holding its breath. Tomorrow would bring the graduation ceremony—the final rite of passage for the senior class, and for Henry, the culmination of years spent under exile, and whispers.Yet beyond the freshly decorated hall stood Elias, the newly restored Alpha, hunched over a desk in his quarters. His council had retired for the night, his warriors stationed beyond the walls. The weight of his title sat upon his shoulders—but tonight, he was not preparing to speak as Alpha. Tonight, he was preparing to speak as a man in love.He ran his hands through his hair and stared at the parchment before him. Dozens of drafts scattered around the table, testimony to hours of restless struggle. He was a leader, a warrior, a commander of men—but when it came to Henry, words seemed too fragile.“Long lost love,” he murmured to himself, repeating the phrase he had whispered a hundred times. It was more than a theme. It was the

The school was quiet.The halls, usually alive with chatter, stood hushed under the light of evening. Graduation banners hung proudly across the rafters of the auditorium, the stage already prepared with polished wood and gleaming microphones. The podium waited, empty, as though daring the future to begin.Principal Adrian sat at his desk, a single lamp casting its circle of light over papers and drafts. He had read through them a dozen times already, but still the words did not feel complete.Speeches were not new to him. Over the years, he had stood before countless classes, congratulating them, sending them into the world with words of wisdom. He had memorized quotes from philosophers, stitched together advice from poets, and wrapped it all in stories of resilience.But this speech was different.This year’s ceremony was not just about students leaving. It was about Henry.Adrian set down his pen and rubbed his temples. He could feel the other two men circling already—the Alpha wit

A Mother’s CrownThe dawn of graduation day came with a trembling beauty. Gold light spilled around the campus, dew glittered like diamonds on the grass, and bells rang in the chapel tower as though announcing the birth of a new chapter.But for Henry, the day wasn’t about his gown or the speeches of men who loved him. It wasn’t about the Alpha, the CEO, the Principal, or even the whispers of the town. It was about the woman who sat in the dormitory window with her hands folded, watching the sunrise as though it belonged only to her.His mother, Evelyn.The woman who had walked with him through exile, who had bent but never broken, who had turned silence into sanctuary.Henry had been asked—almost begged—to prepare a speech for the ceremony. The student body wanted it, the teachers wanted it, even the suitors wanted it. But Henry didn’t want to speak about himself. He wanted to speak about her.And so, on the morning of the most important day of his life, Henry sat at his desk with a

Elias arrived at the school early, his pack warriors trailing behind him. He had barely slept after the ceremony. Too much had been at stake, and Henry’s silence had haunted him through the night. He had expected—no, believed—that Henry would seek him out before the dawn. That he would step into his arms and accept the place that was rightfully his at the side of an Alpha.Instead, he found silence.Now the campus was empty, the echoes of yesterday’s graduation fading into the hum of ordinary life. Students had gone home with their families. Cars that had once filled the lot were gone. Only scraps of ribbon clung to the grass.“Where is he?” Elias demanded, his eyes scanning the grounds.His Beta, Marcus, cleared his throat from behind. “We checked his apartment this morning, Alpha. He and his mother weren’t there. The door was locked, but the neighbors said they left with bags before sunrise.”Elias froze. The words hit him like a physical blow. Left?“What do you mean, left?” His to

The city stretched before Damien like a kingdom he owned, yet tonight it mocked him. The glitter of skyscrapers reflected in his office as if reminding him that power meant nothing when the one person he wanted had slipped through his fingers.“Gone,” he whispered, his voice murmur. The word tasted bitter, heavier than any business loss he’d ever endured.Henry. Evelyn. Both vanished.Damien’s office was silent, only the clips of his system and the city traffic outside. He stood at the center of his living room, still dressed in the tailored suit he had worn to the graduation, his tie discarded, the first two buttons of his shirt undone. His fists clenched at his sides as he tried to steady his breathing.He had walked into the ceremony that morning with his usual confidence, sure that his presence alone would remind Henry who truly held the power to change his life. He thought his declaration—bold, unapologetic, filled with promises of a life of wealth and influence—would be the turn