“El, this is Jeremy,” Audrey said, gesturing to the man at the wheel, who gave me a small nod without taking his eyes off the road. “And Jonathan,” she added, pointing to the man in the passenger seat, who glanced back and offered a polite smile.
“Have you eaten, Miss Rollin?” Jonathan asked kindly, his voice deeper than I expected, edged with concern.
Miss Rollin…? It was the first time someone call me like that.
1 shook my head, offering a faint smile. “I’m fine.”
Before either could respond, a dark–haired man walked up to the side window and handed Jonathan a paper bag through the open crack..
“Luckily we picked something up on the way here,” Jonathan said, handing it back into the cabin. Audrey accepted it and immediately opened the top, rummaging through until she pulled out a sandwich wrapped in brown paper.
Without hesitation, she extended it to me. “Here. Eat something. You haven’t touched a thing since we left.”
1 blinked, hesitating. “I–uh–it’s tuna.” I gave an awkward, apologetic smile, looking between her and Jonathan. “Sorry, I can’t. I’m allergic to fish. Like, really allergic.”
Their reactions were instant and dramatic.
Audrey’s eyes widened in horror, and Jonathan’s head snapped back toward me with alarm. The casual warmth vanished from his face.
Without another word, Jonathan snatched the paper bag and immediately threw it out the open window.
My eyes flew open. “Hey! You didn’t need to do that!” I half–laughed, startled. “You guys could’ve eaten it yourselves. It’s not radioactive.”
But Jonathan was already shaking his head firmly. “If it’s dangerous for you, we’re not keeping it near you. Ever. That’s protocol.”
I blinked again. Protocol?
Audrey gave me a look I couldn’t quite read–equal parts amusement and something softer. “Guess that’s one note for your file.”
“My… file?” I echoed, confused.
Before I could press further, Jonathan handed me a cup of steaming coffee, the aroma rich and comforting. “Safe dunk,” he said with a smile. “No fish in this one, I promise.”
I laughed, the tension easing from my shoulders. “Thanks. That, I can accept.”
We drove in silence for a while.
I leaned against the window, letting the movement of the car lull me into a haze. But just as the quiet settled, Audrey and the other suddenly stiffened in
their seat.
“What is it?” I asked.
“There’s a scent,” she muttered, then nodded to Jeremy. “Slow down.”
The car eased as we reached the turnoff toward Monica’s temporary safe house. But before we could get far, two shapes darted across the road ahead- dark, fast, and feral.
“Rogues,” Jonathan growled, already reaching for the weapon at his side.
Adrenaline shot through me like lightning. Audrey shoved open her door just as the warriors from the second car pulled up behind us. The team moved fast, coordinated like a dance.
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Chapter 14
The rogues didn’t stand a chance.
123
I stayed in the car, heart pounding, watching the fight through the window. It was over in minutes. The wolves were taken down, restrained, and hauled away by the warriors, who murmured something about them being spotted heading toward the Alpha mansion area.
“Their trail leads straight to the Alpha summit,” Audrey confirmed grimly. “They were after the Alphas”
“Yeah, but they will be meet with dead end” Jonathan said calmly before order the other in another car to go after them,
“Let’s go and pick Monica then head back” Jeremy added and make the other two nodded their head
Audrey nodded “Let’s go.”
The rest of the drive felt surreal.
The city of Bologna passed in a blur; the tension still thick in the air when we passed the border, which have their own border guards from other pack.
I watch Audrey, Jonathan, Jeremy and the other talk with the guards from Bologna pack before they went to pick Monica.
What am I doing here if they do everything, I thought in solemn.
The trip back went faster, with Monica sleeping form on the back with Audrey while I am taking Jonathan seat beside the driver, trying hard not to fall asleep and just focus on the journey.
“We’ll be there in five minutes,” Jeremy finally said after a while.
The estate gates loomed into view, and I recognized them immediately–the Alpha estate.
But this time, it looked different. Dozens of warriors stood guard along the perimeter, a clear sign that the Alpha meeting had just taken place–or perhaps just ended.
I truly hope the later.
As we rolled through, I saw unfamiliar luxury cars pulling out of the drive. One by one, the Alphas and their entourages were leaving–without incident, it seemed. Whatever trap the rogues had planned never made it past the mansion’s defenses.
Alpha Francesco’s protection was absolute.
As our car stopped in front of the main entrance, Audrey turned to me. “We’ll check on Monica first, then talk with Louis and Patricia.”
I nodded, unbuckling my seatbelt—only to freeze halfway out the door.
Because standing a few feet from the steps… were two people I hadn’t expected to see.
Alpha Gregor. And Ruben.
My breath caught in my throat. I stood frozen beside the car, unable to move.
Ruben’s eyes landed on me almost instantly. His expression shifted from neutral to unreadable. I saw the flicker of recognition, the way his jaw clenched,
the hesitation in his stance.
Alpha Gregor raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
“Ellaine,” he greeted me with a cool nod and small smile, as if we were nothing more than acquaintances.
I managed a stiff bow in return. “Alpha Gregor.”
Ruben said nothing.
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Chapter 14
His silence spoke louder than any insult. And yet, his eyes never left mine.
For a moment, the world stopped spinning. All the memories came rushing back–the rejection, the threat, the cruel way he looked at me when he said! wasn’t enough. That I never would be.
I wanted to look away. I wanted to scream. But I didn’t.
I stood there, unmoving, refusing to give him that power.
Audrey stepped beside me, a hand lightly brushing my arm in silent support. Like she knows something.
Ruben’s gaze flicked to her, then back to me. His lips parted slightly, like he wanted to say something–but didn’t. Instead, he gave a short nod to Audrey, Jonathan and Jeremy, and turned his eyes on me.
“I see you doing well” Alpha Gregor greet me and I nod politely.
“I am, Alpha. Thank you” I answer softly with a small smile.
He nodded “been a year, I hope you could come to celebrate”
I raise my eyebrow in wonder.
What?
“What do you mean, Alpha?” I asked.
“Kaithlin pregnancy, we have pack celebration for that” He smile in happiness and I just froze on my place.
What? She’s.. Pregnant? I stunned.
Another crack across my already fractured heart.
“Father…” A voice.. It was his voice who snap the Alpha when it’s time for them to leave.
“oh yeah, farewell Ellaine” I keep nodding my head in polite when I see Alpha Gregor leaving, even though my tears almost fall again.
The two men walked toward their awaiting car in silence.
I swallowed the lump in my throat, willing the tears not to come. Not here. Not now.
“They’re gone,” Audrey whispered once the car disappeared down the driveway. “You okay?”
I can’t speak, I just stood there frozen like a statue, don’t know what to do.
Just when I was starting to feel better. Stronger. The news hit like a storm, tearing it all down. Again. Why does fate keep denying me peace?
“Ellaine?” I snap from my mind and turn my gaze to the worry Audrey.
I nodded once, trying hard to smile “Let’s go”
She knows something has happened but she just nodded with a look of quiet respect in her eyes.
We turned and walked into the mansion. The front doors closed behind us, sealing off the past I was trying to leave behind.
But even as I stepped forward, I could still feel Ruben’s gaze on me. The shadow of what we could’ve been.
I was no longer the same girl he left behind.
But today, it feels like I am the same broken girl like one ye
