The once–mighty Alpha was now so cautious, even in the scent he emitted, a faint aura of shame clinging to him.
He said, “I don’t expect you to ever forgive me. As long as you can live a happy and fulfilling life, that’s more than enough for
me.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, a violent cough wracked his weakened body, and dark red blood seeped from the corner of
his chapped lips. I could faintly sense the unmistakable scent of decay clinging to him.
But he acted as if he felt nothing, quickly wiping away the blood with the back of his hand before speaking lightly, “I caught the
wolfsbane in prison. Maybe this is just my deserved punishment for hurting you so deeply.”
He didn’t dare step any closer, maintaining a respectful distance. Instead, he placed the rune–inscribed stone into the mailbox by
my door.
“I have one last, selfish request, Irene. Can you… can you bury me with the baby after I die?”
But I remained silent. He had shattered my trust beyond repair long ago. Seeing my resolute response, he finally understood my
unspoken answer.
A few heavy tears escaped his eye and fell silently to the ground. He limped away with a hunched back, his thin, towering figure
stretched long and distorted by the harsh streetlights as if he would vanish from this world at any moment.
I turned and entered my warm, secure home, casually tossing the moonstone into the nearest trash bin. My baby didn’t need love
that arrived tragically too late.
Three months later, I successfully completed an important and lucrative healing commission for a distant pack.
At the celebratory banquet held in my honor, a call came in on my private line.
“We found Anderson’s remains in the wilderness, Irene. Do you… do you want to take care of them?”
Outside the large window, the nearby lake shimmered with pale silver ripples under the soft moonlight. Nothing could disturb its
serene surface, just like the peace within my heart.
“Do whatever you deem necessary,” I said.
Ending the call, I stretched lazily. A stain from the painful past had finally been erased for good. I felt truly light and free.
