Chapter 17%
It had taken him and his men three days of relentless tracking–his senses sharpened beyond that of a mere man–to find her. The scent of ash, paint, and lingering heartbreak had led him here. The source? A simple comic on a social website–one that bore the truth of his sins, drawn and laid bare like a curse.
Now, Alpha Draven of the Blackthorn Pack stood at the edge of the Black Hallow Pack’s territory, across from the apartment complex where she lived, his powerful frame cloaked in a dark wool coat. He looked too pristine for the storm that brewed inside him. In his hand, a freshly folded paper rose–pathetic, considering what he’d lost.”
“She might not even want to see you,” his wolf warned, pacing inside his chest.
Draven ignored it. He adjusted his tie and swallowed thickly. “This time, I will apologize properly.“}
Just then, the bell above the café door jingled, and the air shifted.
He smelled her before he could even see her.
He felt her presence growing stronger.
Ella…
Her scent hit him like a drug–honeysuckle, wild lavender, wild mint, and something undeniably hers. His heart stuttered as she stepped out wearing a white T–shirt and jeans, her hair cropped shorter than he remembered. Stronger. Lighter.}
She was smiling.
To someone else.
Then he appeared.
A tall man stepped out behind her, taking an art supply bag from her hand. The moment felt like claws raked across Alpha Draven’s chest. The stranger said something that made Ella laugh, really laugh- the sound twisting something wild inside him. And when that man brushed invisible lint off her shoulder like it belonged to him?}
Alpah Dravaen’s grip automatically tightened.”
The paper rose crumpled in his hand.
“A man?“&
His wolf snarled.
She’s ours.
“You moved on this fast?” he growled.”
The two figures began walking across the street, chatting, their steps in rhythm. The man pulled out a key–he lived there–and Daphne stood beside him, the tiny, fluffy dog cradled in her arms like a child.
Draven’s breath fogged in the cold air.
His last thread of restraint snapped.}
“ELLA MOONFALL!”
The roar that ripped from his throat wasn’t human. It echoed down the street like a beast in agony. Pigeons scattered. People turned.>
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-2
2
Ella’s POV
2
That loud growl echoed through the quiet streets of the Black Hallow Pack.
I froze.2
That voice–I hadn’t heard it in months, but I’d know it anywhere. Deep. Unmistakable. Terrifying.”
My smile vanished, my heart slamming into my ribs. The dog in my arms growled, its ears puffed up in warning.§
Seth immediately stepped in front of me, his jaw tense. “Is there a problem?“}
“Get lost!” Draven’s voice thundered as he shoved Seth aside like he weighed nothing. His eyes glowed faintly gold. “Who is he? What is your relationship?”
I stared.%
Even with his rage simmering just beneath the surface, Alpha Draven Blackthorn was heartbreakingly beautiful–an alpha in turmoil. But I was done being prey.
“Draven,” I said coldly. “This isn’t the place for your tantrums.”
His eyes blazed. “You were mine! We’ve only been separated for a few months and now you’re… what? Shacking up with another wolf?“1⁄2 Seth stood tall, calm. “My Ella doesn’t want to see you right now. Please leave.”
“My Ella?“%
Draven’s face contorted. His nostrils flared. The veins in his neck bulged.”
“You don’t get to call her that,” he snarled, grabbing Seth’s collar. “You think you can take what’s mine? She was mine first!”
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yrwww.y
་པས སས་ ་པ་ པས་་ ་སའ་ ་་་པ་པ་་་་་་
“Draven, stop it!” I shouted $
But it was too late.
Seth twisted free with a snarl and drove a brutal uppercut into Draven’s gut. The sharp thud of impact echoed like bone on stone, the force enough to rattle the ground beneath them. A nearby trash can crumpled as the two werewolves collided–muscle, fury, and dominance crashing together. This wasn’t just a fight. It was a challenge.
“Stop!” I screamed, trying to wedge myself between them.”
Draven’s elbow jerked as he shoved me aside, not harshly, but enough to make me stumble. The dog leapt from my arms in fright.
The shove broke something in Seth.”
His fist collided with Draven’s cheek, and blood trickled down the corner of the alpha’s mouth.
“You shoved her?” Seth growled. “You don’t get to go feral here! Do you even know what happened at the hospital? The miscarriage? Do you know how she lay there alone, sobbing while you were off with-“}
“Seth!” I snapped. “That’s enough.”
My voice rang like steel through the air.
Without second thought, I pulled out my phone, calm and cold. “Hello, yes, I’d like to report a disturbance. There’s someone causing a scene–yes, he’s threatening people.”
Draven froze, his chest heaving.
“Ella… you’re calling the pack guards on me?”
His voice cracked.
The sound of sirens grew nearer.}
I bent down to pick up my trembling dog, holding her close.
“Draven,” I said, my eyes hard as silver.
“We’re divorced.”
And I hoped that word–divorced–will be like a silver bullet he could never heal from.}
