Bella’s POV
"I cannot say for certain. That decision belongs to them. But let share sothing with you, since we are speaking as friends now. You should know that I will always stand by you, even when you might not do the sa for ." His words carried a weight that made question his sudden openness.
Before I could respond, he pressed on.
"Serena spoke the truth earlier. Derek did fall for her after your departure. As for Parker, Bella, he chose to accept the children of an alpha’s daughter because he wanted the crown. His parents threatened to strip him of his inheritance otherwise. That is all I will reveal." His tone suggested finality.
I drew in a steadying breath, feeling pieces click into place. Straightening my shoulders, I reached for the bottle again, pouring myself another generous asure.
"And what about you? If your feelings for were so profound, why did you vanish imdiately after we were intimate? Were you upset that I had feelings for the others?" I held his gaze deliberately, determined to catch every micro-expression.
He studied intently for a long mont.
Then his eyes dropped in a way that felt deliberately intimate, as though he wanted to read between the lines of his silence.
"Perhaps we should leave the past where it belongs. I am more interested in discovering who has been sending those threatening ssages." He redirected smoothly, though I understood his evasion perfectly.
It had to be about my divided affections. He had cared for , and naturally it wounded him that the woman he desired had harbored feelings for his rivals too.
"I find myself rather tired," he murmured, setting his glass aside with deliberate care.
"Hardly surprising," I replied with a soft laugh. "You have been drinking steadily for quite so ti." I placed my own glass down. "Go get so rest."
"What about you?" His question ca with a sideways glance, his face angled away as though he did not want to appear too interested in my answer.
"I will keep watch and alert everyone when this storm passes." I attempted levity, earning a low chuckle from him.
"Very well. If you require anything at all, I will be upstairs," he said quietly before heading toward the stairs.
I watched his retreating form until he disappeared completely, then released the breath I had been unconsciously holding.
"He appears genuinely decent. I can see why your feelings for him ran deeper than for the others," Astra’s voice erged suddenly, making jump.
"You really must stop materializing like that. Eventually you are going to trigger actual cardiac arrest," I scolded my wolf, who found my startled reaction amusing.
"Please. You possess far more resilience than that. Cardiac arrest? How dramatic," she teased.
"Besides, it is not as though you harbored romantic feelings for all three simultaneously." I finally addressed the elephant in the room.
"What exactly do you an? Based on your interactions with them, it seems you had crushes on each of them," she pressed, either seeking clarification or trying to trap in so contradiction.
"Astra, Hugo was my first and strongest attachnt," I admitted. "My feelings for him developed before I ever considered the others romantically. I was genuinely in love with him. The way he would touch my hand during conversations, his fierce protectiveness, his jealous streak, all of it convinced we had a real future together. Until that mate ball his pack hosted, where he had invited as his guest. I witnessed how the powerful daughters of other alphas circled him like predators, how effortlessly they commanded his attention. Then his mother approached directly and made it crystal clear that soone of my status would never be acceptable."
That night shattered my confidence completely.
Afterward, I made myself a solemn promise to stop viewing him romantically.
I convinced myself that developing surface-level attractions to the others was harmless, since they were undeniably appealing n in my orbit.
I paused, closing my eyes as my mouth turned downward at the painful mory of that humiliating evening at his family estate.
After collecting myself, I rose and made my way downstairs.
When I reached the ground floor, distressed sobbing from my bedroom caught completely off guard.
Chloe was supposed to be elsewhere, so why was she crying? Could the storm really be affecting her this severely?
I hurried inside and found her huddled in the corner, tears streaming down her face.
Her knees were drawn tightly to her chest, arms wrapped around them defensively. When she looked up at , her eyes were wild and unreadable. I could not decipher her emotional state anymore.
Too many strange incidents involving her lately.
"Chloe, what is wrong?" I asked gently, kneeling before her and placing a comforting hand on her knee.
She continued staring at without speaking.
"I need to return ho," she whispered shakily, another large tear sliding down her cheek.
"Is this about the storm?" I wondered aloud, puzzled by her sudden hosickness.
She had seed perfectly fine just hours earlier. What could have triggered this?
"I just need to go ho," she repeated, sniffling miserably.
"Let consult with the guard and see what Vance recomnds," I offered, but she shook her head frantically and began breathing erratically.
"Just promise you will send back, then I will handle the guard myself," she insisted, her breathing becoming increasingly labored.
My eyes widened as I realized she was having so kind of panic attack.
"Chloe, you need to calm yourself before you beco ill. Try to breathe slowly," I urged, pulling her away from the wall and rubbing soothing circles on her back.
Her rapid, shallow breathing made fear she might lose consciousness.
She suddenly threw her arms around my waist and sobbed harder.
I held her like that for a while before helping her stand and guiding her toward the bathroom.
"Splash so cold water on your face and then co back out. Do not let the storm frighten you. I am here to protect you. We are completely safe in this place," I reassured her as I ushered her inside. She desperately needed to compose herself.
Once the door clicked shut, I massaged my neck tension and paced restlessly around the room. Her behavior was becoming increasingly erratic and concerning.
"Or perhaps she is desperate to return because she misses spending ti with your husband?"
Astra’s whispered suggestion materialized unexpectedly, sending chills down my spine even though her words themselves were what truly unsettled .
I froze mid-step, wondering if that explained her sudden desperation to leave.
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