Chapter 170
I opened my eyes, expecting to see him there, beside because I don’t understand what could be so important that he couldn’t even come to welcome me back after 6 months of me away but the bed was empty.
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The space beside me was cold just like my heart, which dropped like a stone, shattering into a million pieces.
My wolf let out a deep, mournful whine inside my head. It wasn’t just a sound; it was a feeling, a crushing weight of rejection that made my own chest ache.
He’s not here, Faith. He didn’t come. Her voice was raw with pain, mirroring mine.
ere
I tried to push away the thought, to tell her he was just busy, that he’l any minute. But the silence in the room screamed louder. It felt like a punch to the gut, stealing my breath.
A wave of cold dread washed over me. This wasn’t right. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. My wolf whimpered again, curling into a tight ball of hurt, her spirit crashing.
But I couldn’t just lie there and let the pain consume us. I have to know. I have to see him. I swung my legs out of bed, the silk sheets feeling strangely heavy against my skin, like a shroud.
“No” I whispered, not just to my wolf, but to the empty room. We won’t let this happen. I’m going to him.
I dressed quickly and every step through the packhouse felt heavy, each one dragging me further into an unsettling silence.
The familiar hallways, usually bustling with happy chatter, seemed quiet, almost hushed, as if holding their breath. I passed a few pack members, their
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heads down, busy with their duties.
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“Good morning, Luna.” one of them said, a young boy I recognized. He gave a small, polite nod, his eyes not quite meeting mine. Another, an older woman who just offered a quick, almost forced smile. “Welcome back, Luna.” Their voices were cordial, yes. Polite. But there was no warmth. No joy. No spark of happiness in their eyes. Nobody seemed genuinely happy to see me. It was like I was a stranger, or worse, a ghost they were obligated to acknowledge.
A cold knot tightened in my stomach, twisting painfully. My wolf was on edge, her senses rising, sensing the strange, unsettling atmosphere. This wasn’t my home. This wasn’t the pack I remembered. Fear, cold and sharp, began to prickle at my skin, raising goosebumps. What was going o
I reached the office wing, my heart pounding a frantic rhythm against my
ribs.
Astor’s office door stood imposing and closed. I hesitated, my hand hovering over the polished wood, my breath catching. Taking a deep, shaky breath, I
pushed it open.
He was there. Sitting behind his large desk, his back to the window, the morning light framing his dark hair. He looked up, and my breath caught in
my
throat. His face was a mask, unreadable. There was no sudden rush, no leap from his chair, no wide smile, no open arms. Nothing. Just a cold, steady gaze that met mine, devoid of any recognition of the joyful reunion I’d
dreamed of.
My wolf on the other hand was just growing crazy wanting to touch him and just feel him but I managed to keep her at Bay.
This wasn’t the Astor I knew. This wasn’t the man who promised me that the distance was never going to separate us, whose eyes would light up like a thousand stars just seeing me across a room.
Chapter 170
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This wasn’t an alpha seeing his Luna after six long, agonizing months apart.
He was a stranger, distant and cold, sitting in the very place where we had
once shared so much warmth, so much love.
“Astor?” My voice was barely a whisper, thick with confusion and a growing
terror that made my stomach churn.
He didn’t move. His eyes, though, they were a different story. They burned with something I couldn’t quite place – a flicker of suppressed love, yes, but also a raw, searing agony that mirrored the pain in my own wolf.
It was like looking into a deep, dark fire, hidden beneath a layer of ice, struggling to break free. I wanted to know what secret he was hiding behind
them
“Faith.“he said, his voice flat, devoid of emotion, a chilling contrast t in his eyes. “You’re back.”
My heart shattered a little more. “Yes. I’m back. I… I came to see you since you didn’t bother showing up.”
e
(D
He finally stood up slowly, deliberately, but he didn’t come around the desk. He stayed behind it, a barrier between us. “I’m happy you’re back” he said, his gaze unwavering, his words carefully chosen carefully. He paused, and the air in the room grew heavy, thick with unspoken words, with a tension that choked me. “But if you feel like leaving again, you probably will. And this time, I’m not going to beg you for anything.”
His words were like daggers, each one twisting deeper into my soul, leaving a gaping wound. My wolf cried out, a silent scream of agony, her spirit bleeding.
“Astor, what are you saying? What’s wrong?” My voice cracked, tears stinging my eyes and threatening to spill over.
I know Astor when he’s being mean and stupid and this is not it. “Please, talk
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to me. There’s something wrong, I can feel it. Just tell me what’s happening.”
I took a step forward, wanting to bridge the distance between us, to touch
him and to feel his warmth and break through the ice.
But he just shook his head stopping me from my tracks.
“Faith” he said, his voice now a low, dangerous rumble, a sound that sent shivers down my spine. “Close the door behind yourself when you leave my
office”
The air left my lungs in a ragged gasp. He was dismissing me. Just like that. After six months. After everything. My mate. My Astor.
He didn’t want me. He didn’t want to talk. He just wanted me gone.
My vision blurred with tears, but I refused to let them fall. Not here
front of him.
I turned, my legs and stumbled out of his office, the heavy door shut behind me, sealing me out, sealing away the last shred of hope.
I walked blindly, my mind reeling, my wolf howling in despair, a raw, primal
grief. I didn’t know where I was going, only that I had to get away from that crushing silence, that icy rejection.
I turned a corner trying to hold myself together and to keep the broken pieces from scattering.
And then I stopped dead.
Standing right in front of me, blocking my path, was a woman.
Ovelia.
