I yanked my arms free from the wolfguards and stood tall, meeting Scott’s cold gaze. “You’ve made your choice, Scott,” I said, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. “So have I.”
I knelt by the grave one last time, retrieving my mother’s discarded urn. The warmth of her memory steadied me as I turned my back on them all.
As I walked away, Winona’s laughter rang out behind me, shrill and triumphant. “Poor Ariana,” she cooed mockingly. “Always so dramatic.”
Scott didn’t defend me. He didn’t stop me.
I didn’t look back.
This time, I wouldn’t break.
“Don’t forget,” Scott growled, his voice a low and menacing rumble, “your mother still needs the medication from my company. I told you there’s only one cure for her heart disease.”
The words sent a chill down my spine. This wasn’t the Scott I had once loved, the alpha who had promised to protect and cherish me. This was a man consumed by power and manipulated by Winona, the woman who had come between us.
“Are you saying you would abandon my mother for her?” My voice cracked as I stared at him in disbelief.
My mother had treated Scott like her own son, embracing him into our pack when he had no one. She had believed in his potential to become a strong alpha and a loving mate. She had trusted him, saved his life once, and nurtured him when others had turned away. He had promised her, over and over, that he would cure her illness and that she would live to see her grandchildren leading the next generation of our pack.
And now, that promise was crumbling before me.
Scott pulled out his phone, his dark eyes narrowing. “That’s right. So, are you going to apologize or not?”
The threat in his words was sharper than any blade. My wolf, trapped inside me. Tears streamed down my face, but I stood my ground, even as the weight of his betrayal crushed me.
For a fleeting moment, Scott’s expression softened.
Was his wolf sensing my pain? Did some part of him still recognize me as his mate?
Before the moment could stretch, Winona’s voice pierced the silence. “Why are you faking tears again, Ariana? I don’t understand this manipulation.” Her words dripped with disdain. “I didn’t dig up your pack’s grave. Stop being dramatic.”
She turned to the wolfguards with a flick of her wrist. “Continue your work. My baby deserves peace.”