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Chapter 157
+15 BONUS
Chapter 157
Alexander’s POV
I stood on the balcony of the Blackwood Pack house, staring unseeingly at the sunset bleeding across the sky. It had been three weeks since Summer went over that cliff. Three weeks of searching, hoping, and slowly losing what little faith I had left.
We’d rescued Lyra and Thea from Lucien Cross’s stronghold in the Carpathians. The mission was a success on paper, but it meant nothing without Summer. My sister and niece were safe, recovering under the protection of the pack–but the so–called “victory” felt hollow.
The fallout had been brutal. The European Council of Alphas refused to sanction Lucien. They claimed there wasn’t enough evidence. And without more than Alpha Foster’s word–a convicted criminal’s testimony–I had nothing solid to bring Lucien to justice. 1
A soft knock broke through my thoughts.
“Alpha…” Ethan’s voice came from the doorway, hesitant and heavy with dread. He only ever sounded like that when it was bad. When it was final.
I didn’t turn. I already knew. Whatever he found–it wasn’t her alive.
“What is it?” I asked, barely recognizing my own voice. It sounded hollow. Dead.
Ethan stepped forward and held out a small plastic evidence bag. Inside was a tarnished silver bracelet.
I froze.
I knew that bracelet.
It had belonged to her father. Summer never took it off–not even in her sleep. It was the only thing she had left of him, and she protected it like it was sacred. She would never… never let it go.
“The search team found it tangled in rocks about fifteen miles downstream,” Ethan said quietly. “The dive
team combed the entire area. They also found pieces of fabric… consistent with what she was wearing that day.”
My fingers trembled as I took the bag from him. The bracelet was bent, scratched from the current, but
the engravings were still there. Her father’s initials. The little crescent moon charm.
She wouldn’t have dropped this. Not unless…
“This doesn’t mean she’s dead,” I said, but even to my own ears, the words sounded thin. Desperate.
“Alexander…” Ethan’s voice softened, dropping the formality. “It’s been three weeks. No wolf–no matter how strong–could survive injuries like that without immediate care. The water was near freezing. The cliff-”
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Chapter 157
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“Stop.” My voice came out sharp and low. Final.
He fell silent.
I kept staring at the bracelet, as if I could will it to mean something else. Anything else.
“She was afraid of heights,” I murmured, a hollow laugh catching in my throat. “Never told anyone but me. She used to take the stairs instead of elevators in tall buildings, said she didn’t trust the feeling of the ground vanishing. And that cliff… it was so high.“.
The words hit me hard. I was still speaking about her in the present tense. My chest constricted painfully,
and I closed my eyes.
“I keep thinking I’ll feel her,” I whispered. “Even though the bond broke–I keep waiting to sense her. Waiting for Orion to catch Aurora’s scent on the wind.”
Ethan laid a steady hand on my shoulder. “I know.”
“I failed her,” I breathed. “I swore I’d protect her. Always.”
“You did everything you could,” Ethan said firmly. “Foster and Natalia did this. Not you.”
I didn’t answer.
I couldn’t.
My hand curled tightly around the bracelet, the edges biting into my palm like penance. “Tell the search teams to stand down,” I said at last. The words clawed at my throat. “Start planning the memorial.”
It felt like betrayal. Like I was giving up. But I was Alpha. I couldn’t keep the pack locked in limbo forever. They needed closure. Even if I didn’t.
“You sure?” Ethan asked carefully.
“No.” My voice cracked. “But they need it.”
After he left, I remained on the balcony long after the sun had disappeared. The cold crept in, but I didn’t feel it. Not really.
Inside me, Orion howled–a sound so raw and full of grief, it would have brought any wolf to their knees if it had been voiced aloud.
She’s gone, he whimpered. Our mate is gone.
For the first time since the bond shattered, I allowed myself to believe it might be true.
I sank to my knees, clutching her father’s bracelet in my fist.
And I wept.
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Chapter 157
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The weeks that followed passed in a blur. I did my duty–sat through Council meetings, signed documents, made decisions–but I wasn’t there. The light in me had gone out. Everyone could see it, though no one dared to name it.
At night, I walked the perimeter of our lands alone, listening for a sound that never came. Hoping she might somehow come out of the dark. That I’d see her wolf form cresting the ridge. That I’d wake up from the nightmare.
