Chapter 8
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Aidan turned slowly, his eyes
filled with icy contempt.
“I’ve always known,” he said
coolly.
“Come on–who hasn’t run into
a few assholes when they were
young?”
“You betrayed her. Your own child died because of you.
And now you’ve got the nerve
to show up here and make a
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a few assholes when they were
young?”
“You betrayed her. Your own child died because of you.
And now you’ve got the nerve
to show up here and make a
scene?”
“What happened back then
wasn’t Isolde’s fault. It was
yours.”
Every word hit Lucas like a blow
to the chest.
His head dropped, defeat carved
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“What happened back then
wasn’t Isolde’s fault. It was
yours.
Every word hit Lucas like a blow
to the chest.
His head dropped, defeat carved
into every line of his face. He
stepped toward Emily, reaching
down to help her up.
“Let’s go,” he murmured.
But Emily shoved him away, her
voice trembling with fury.
“This is all your fault! All of it!”
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Pack, and then you strung me
along for three damn years!”
“If you’d just given me a little more money back then–do you seriously think I would’ve cared
about those hundred–thousand-
dollar shoes?”
Lucas stood frozen, confusion
flickering across his face.
“You told me money didn’t
matter to you,” he said, stunned.
Emily exploded, her anger
flaring like wildfire.
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B
I’d had enough of their drama. I
gently looped my arm through
Aidan’s and walked out of the
VIP lounge.
Outside, it was chaos. The
lounge manager and a few furi-
ous staff were tearing into the
team on duty.
Whatever happened inside had already spread through the air-
port like wildfire. Everyone was
scrambling, trying—and failing
-to contain the mess.
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-to contain the mess.
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The staffer responsible spotted
me, panic all over her bruised
face. She ran over, fell to her
knees, and begged me for
forgiveness.
I didn’t even look at her.
I walked right past, unmoved.
Forgiveness over resentment?
No. I believe in accountability.
She didn’t deserve my grace.
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I owed her nothing.
My injuries weren’t serious. A
quick visit to the pack hospital
and I was nearly good as new.
Still, Aidan insisted I stay for a
full exam.
His eyes were still rimmed with red–clearly, the whole thing
had hit him hard.
Inside the quiet hospital room,
with just the two of us, he pulled
me into his arms. His gaze was
soft, but heavy with worry.
< Chapter 8
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B
me into his arms. His gaze was
soft, but heavy with worry.
“Honey,” he whispered, “I’m
never letting you go pick
someone up again. Not ever.”
Warmth spread through my
chest like sunlight through a
window. I smiled and nodded
without hesitation.
“Okay.”
But then his expression dark-
ened. A shadow passed over
his face–quick, intense, and
unreadable.
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I blinked, confused. He’s such a
contradiction sometimes.
I shifted gears, a teasing note in
my voice.
“But Honey,” I said with a smirk,
“I still want to pick you up.
As long as you don’t mind me showing up a little late.”
The cloud in his eyes vanished
instantly, replaced by a slow, genuine smile.
“From now on,” he said, “I’ll
wait for you at the airport. No
how lata I’ll hathana “”
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wait for you at the airport. No matter how late. I’ll be there.”
Joy bubbled in my chest. With- out even thinking, I gave him a little thumbs–up behind my
back.
Of course, Aidan caught it in the
mirror.
Busted.
Flustered, I blurted, “Why
doesn’t this room even have a
single flower?”
Without missing a beat, he said,
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Witnout missing a beat, ne said,
“I’ll go get some right now.”
Watching him rush out the door.
I couldn’t help but smile. My lips
curled into something warm
and helplessly sweet.
The days at the pack hospital
dragged on.
Truth be told, I wasn’t really
sick–just waiting on a few test results. I’d be out by tomorrow.
That night, after Aidan fell into a deep, peaceful sleep, I quietly slipped downstairs to get some
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That night, after Aidan fell into
a deep, peaceful sleep, I quietly
slipped downstairs to get some
air.
Suddenly, someone called my
name from behind.
I jumped, heart pounding.
At first, I thought it was Aidan.
But to my shock, it was Lucas.
I tensed immediately, eyes
narrowing, ready to scream for help if he so much as twitched
the wrong way.
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But what he did next completely
threw me.
Lucas dropped to his knees in
front of me.
His eyes were wild, burning with an intensity that teetered on the edge of desperation. He
stared into mine like I was the
only thing anchoring him to this
world.
“Isolde,” he said, voice hoarse
and raw, “do you know why I
never held a Mating Ceremony with Emily? Why I never made
her Luma of the Golden Crescent
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never neia a Mating Ceremony
with Emily? Why I never made
her Luna of the Golden Crescent
Pack?”
“Because I never stopped think- ing about you. I’ve been waiting for you to come back.”
Tears welled in his eyes.
I let out a bitter, humorless
laugh–sharp enough to cut
glass.
“Funny. That’s not what you said
at the airport.”
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