Chapter 18%
At the Black Hallow Pack Enforcers Headquarters wolves‘ own version of a police station–I sat across from Alpha Draven in a cold steel interngation room. The air between us was charged, thick with unshed emotions and the scent of bitter regret
I could feel his wolf. It was restless–I could feel it pulsing beneath his skin, just as mine sat quietly within me, no longer drawn to him.
After taking our statements regarding the previous incident, Pack Officer Aaron, a grizzled warrior of the Black Hallow Pack, gave us a curt nod and exited the room
Seth lingered for a moment before excusing himself, his golden eyes narrowing on Draven Blackthorn in a quiet warning only an Alpha wolf could deliver
Then we were alone!!
Just me and the man I used to call my mate
“Ella “Draven’s voice cracked, laced with exhaustion I could hear the tremor not just in his tone, but in his bond. Faint. Withered. Fading. “Can we talk? Properly this time?”
For the first time since I saw him again, I finally met his gaze and noticed the purpling bruise on his lip–a reminder of the scuffle–and the way his shirt hung askew like he’d thrown it on in a panic. His scent, once familiar and comforting, now felt off Like something rotten buried beneath pine needles
“There’s nothing left to talk about,” I said calmly, though my wolf stirred slightly, sensing the growing storm in his.%
His fingers twitched against the metal tabletop, unconsciously drawing small circles as if to ground himself.
“I know I was wrong,” he whispered. “I shouldn’t have treated you like that. I shouldn’t have–gods, Ella–I chose Freya. I let my wolf dveride everything we had ”
“And you think admitting that now changes anything?” I tilted my head, baring just enough dominance to remind him I was no longer the broken she wolf, the broken Luna he left behind #
He flinched Not because I raised my voice–I didn’t need to. It was the steel in my tone, the unshakable resolve of a she–wolf who had finally severed the tether
Alpha Draven stood abruptly, his chair scraping across the floor like claws on stone. “Then what do you want me to do, Ella? Fall to my knees? Hey like a mutt? I will”
I didn’t flinch “Sign the divorce papers Let’s officially sever our bond and everything that ties us together.“/
His wolf surged then I saw it in his eyes. The golden flare of primal pain and denial.
“You hate me that much?” he breathed B
“I don’t hate you,” I replied softly. “I just don’t love you anymore“)
The words struck harder than claws to the chest. I watched him reel from it, his face crumbling as his wolf receded like a tide pulling away from the shore.)
He collapsed back into the chair, burying his face in his hands. “Ella… please. Give me another chance. Let me prove to you–let me prove to your wolf that I’ve changed.”
“No.“N
My wolf growled inside me, not from anger, but finality. A bond, once sacred, had died. And I had mourned it long before this
conversation.
Draven lifted his head. Bloodshot eyes stared at me with something between agony and desperation.W
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“And if I refuse to sign? If I refuse to sever our bond?”
“Then I’ll take it to the High Council, your Pack’s High Council,” I said coolly. “And given your recent behavior–and your affair with an omega–do you really think they’ll rule in your favor?“N
He lunged too fast, too sudden.
His hand closed around my wrist, tight enough to make me wince. A flash of his wolf rippled under his skin. But the moment our eyes locked, he let go like he’d touched silver.
I watched him struggle to breathe. His wolf wanted to beg. His pride refused.M
“At least he rasped, his voice breaking. “Add me back on your contacts. Give me some time to think. I’ll give you an answer soon.“%
For a moment, I remembered the boy he once was–the boy who waited for me in the snow, offering me his coat and promising the moon. That version of him had long since died, but the memory still lingered.
“Fine,” I relented, pulling out my phone. “But only to finalize the divorce.“})
As I added him, I caught a glimpse of his wallpaper–our wedding photo. A snowy forest ceremony. I remembered the day he’d replaced it with one of him and Freya, smug and smiling
Now, this? Was it quilt? Nostalgia? Or just manipulation?
“Ella,” he murmured again, my name falling from his lips like a prayer.
“Don’t make me regret this, Draven.”
I turned and walked out, the door clicking shut behind me with finality.
Outside, sunlight pierced through the pine trees surrounding the Black Hallow Pack Headquarters, casting golden light onto the parking tet The moment I stepped into it, the tension in my chest eased
10 49 AM
As I agged nim, i caught a gimpse of nis walpaper–our wedding photo. A snowy Torest ceremony. I remembered the day ne a replaced it with one of him and Freya, smug and smiling
Now, this? Was it guilt? Nostalgia? Or just manipulation?
“Ella,” he murmured again, my name falling from his lips like a prayer.
“Don’t make me regret this, Draven.”
I turned and walked out, the door clicking shut behind me with finality.
Outside, sunlight pierced through the pine trees surrounding the Black Hallow Pack Headquarters, casting golden light onto the parking. lot. The moment I stepped into it, the tension in my chest eased.M
Seth Hallow stood by the pack’s armored vehicle, holding a trembling puppy in his arms.
“You okay?” Seth asked, his voice low and concerned.
“Yeah,” I whispered, stroking Solace’s warm fur. “I talked to him about finalizing the divorce, for him to sever our bond… He said he’ll think about it.“N
Seth’s gaze lingered on me a little longer than necessary, as if searching for fractures.}
When he found none, he nodded once and opened the car door. “Let’s go home.”
As I slid into the passenger seat, I glanced into the rearview mirror. Draven, the one powerful Alpha of the Blackthorn Pack, stood at the building’s entrance like a ghost of the past.
A man torn between guilt and pride, but no longer tethered to my future.
turned away and looked down at Solace, who sat contentedly in my lap.
My hands weren’t shaking.
It turns out, letting go doesn’t always come with rage or tears. Sometimes, it comes quietly.”
Like a bond severed beneath a winter moon.
And sometimes, it’s the first step toward freedom.N
10:49 AM J
