The office is empty, but it doesn’t feel that way.
It’s been six months since Siena left, and yet I can feel her presence in every corner of this room. Her scent lingers faintly, a mix of lavender and something distinctly hers, though it’s fading with time.
The desk, still meticulously ordered, holds the remnants of her leadership–organized documents, handwritten notes, carefully laid–out plans for Windhowl and its future.
I stand at the center of the room, staring at it all.
I don’t belong here, not really. This was her space, her sanctuary, the place where she poured herself into this pack with a dedication I never appreciated until it was too late.
My hands rest on the back of the chair she used to sit in, my fingers tightening around the wood as I try to reconcile the weight of her absence.
The papers on the desk catch my eye. I’m drawn to them despite myself, like a man compelled to pick at a wound even though he knows it’ll hurt. The first thing I see is her handwriting, neat and deliberate.
I reach out, hesitating for a moment before lifting the top document: Youth Mentorship Initiative.
The binder is thick, filled with pages of detailed plans. Recruitment strategies. Training schedules. Goals for the program. She thought of everything, down to the finest details.
Even now, even gone, she’s still building.
It’s not just this project–there are others. Succession plans. Pack development initiatives. Notes for alliances and trade agreements.
She left Windhowl not only prepared to move forward without her but poised to thrive. She didn’t just walk away she made sure the pack wouldn’t fall apart in her absence.
I sit down in her chair, running my hand along the smooth surface of the desk, and try to imagine what it must have been like for her in those final days.
Did she know she wouldn’t be coming back?
Did she sit here, in this very spot, penning these notes with the knowledge that she was leaving everything behind?
Did she hesitate?
The thought twists in my chest, sharp and unforgiving.
I failed her.
Not just once, but over and over again. I let her fight alone. I let her carry the weight of my rejection while I convinced myself it was her fault, that she wasn’t enough.
And now, she’s thriving without me.
Chapter 128
+25 BONUS
“She’s building medical clinics in Thailand now.”
The voice startles me, though I don’t show it. I glance up to see Rairity standing in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest. Her expression is hard, her eyes are sharp, watching me closely.
“She’s teaching werewolf children in rural areas,” Rairity continues, stepping further into the room. “Kids who’ve never had formal education. She’s been there for few weeks now.”
“She sends updates about Windhowl,” Rairity replies flatly. “She still cares about this pack. She always has.”
“Youwouldn’t know it,” i snoted.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Rarity snapped in a sudden fury, that if I wasn’t Alpha King, I might’ve found a slight itimiataing.
The unspoken accusation in her words is impossible to ignore. Siena still cares. Siena always cared. I’m the one who didn’t.
But that’s no excuse. She didn’t have to leave. I swallow hard, my gaze dropping back to the desk. “And she refuses all my communications. It doesn’t bode well to be in absscene and run a pack byporxy. I don’t care who you think you are.
”
Rairity raises an eyebrow, her expression hardening. “You rejected her for ten years, Raiden. She’s respecting your example of how mates should treat each other.”
The words are brutal, cutting through me like a blade. Horace growls softly in the back of my mind, restless and agitated, but I can’t argue with her. She’s right.
What did I expect she’d do?
I turn my attention back to the papers on the desk, desperate to focus on something–anything–other than the truth in Rairity voice, or the fury in her eyes. “I never wanted this,” I say quietly, though I’m not sure if I’m talking to her or myself.
Rairity doesn’t respond immediately. When she does, her tone is cold. “You didn’t want this? What did you want, Raiden? Because it sure as hell wasn’t her.”
The question is unanswerable as it is unbearable.
I don’t know what I wanted.
I only know what I’ve lost.
“She’s not looking back,” Rairity says after a long pause. “She’s building something without you. And honestly? I think she’s better off.”
The words are a slap to the face, but they’re not meant to be cruel. They’re meant to be honest. And they are.
7 LA
+25 BC
Chapter
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
