Chapter 16: The Last Chance
1532 Words
Carter's POV
The whiskey burned on the way down, but it wasn’t enough.
I slammed the empty glass on the counter and signaled for another.
The bartender: one of the lower-ranked wolves,hesitated before pouring. He’d seen me down three already. Maybe four. Hell, I’d lost count.
But it didn’t matter.
Nothing mattered.
Because by the time the moon reached its peak, Ruby would belong to someone else.
The thought made my stomach turn, but I pushed it down with another swallow of alcohol.
Kale growled in my mind, restless, furious. Weak.
I ignored him.
I had spent the last few hours trying to forget. Trying to drown out the image of Ruby standing beside Jake, her head bowed, her voice whispering vows that weren’t meant for him.
But no matter how much I drank, it wasn’t working.
Because the truth was still there, gnawing at the edges of my mind.
I had let her go.
And now, someone else was claiming her.
The bar was nearly empty, the dim lanterns casting long shadows against the wooden walls. A few warriors sat in the corner, murmuring amongst themselves, but no one approached me.
No one dared.
They all knew better than to bother a future Alpha with a death wish.
I swirled the whiskey in my glass, watching the amber liquid catch the light. My vision was starting to blur around the edges, my limbs heavy, my thoughts slower.
Good.
Maybe if I drank enough, I could pretend I didn’t care.
That she wasn’t in that packhouse right now, preparing for a future that should have been ours.
That she wasn’t slipping away with every second I wasted here.
Kale snarled, his presence pressing against my mind. Coward.
Shut up.
Get up.
I gritted my teeth, pressing my fingers into my temples.
I was too far gone for this. Too drunk. Too broken.
But Kale wouldn’t stop.
This isn’t how it ends.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
It already has.
A chair scraped against the floor beside me.
I didn’t have to look to know who it was.
Chloe.
She didn’t speak right away. Just waved at the bartender, ordering herself a drink.
Then, finally, she turned to me.
“You look like shit.”
I exhaled a rough laugh. “Thanks for noticing.”
Chloe rolled her eyes. “Drinking yourself to death isn’t going to make this easier.”
I took another slow sip, letting the alcohol burn. “Wasn’t trying to make it easier.”
She let out a sharp breath, studying me. “So this is it, then? You’re just going to sit here and let it happen?”
I didn’t respond.
Because what the hell was I supposed to say?
That I hated myself for letting her go?
That I had spent every second since walking away from Ruby regretting it?
That I had tried so hard to convince myself she wasn’t mine
Only to realize too late that she always had been?
Chloe scoffed. “You’re pathetic.”
I finally looked at her, my vision slightly unfocused. “I know.”
She leaned forward, her hazel eyes burning. “Then do something about it.”
I laughed, bitter and cold. “And do what, Chloe? Stop the ceremony? Claim her in front of the whole pack?”
She didn’t even hesitate. “Yes.”
I blinked.
Chloe sighed, rubbing her temples. “Carter, I don’t know if Ruby will take you back. I don’t know if she still wants you. But what I do know is that if you sit here and let her go without fighting for her, you’re going to regret it for the rest of your damn life.”
The words hit something deep inside me.
Something raw.
Something terrifying.
Kale stilled, waiting.
I swallowed hard, my throat tight. “It’s too late.”
Chloe slammed her glass down. “The hell it is.”
I flinched slightly, but she didn’t back down.
“You’re the strongest wolf I know,” she said, her voice softer now, but just as firm. “But you’re acting like you have no power here.”
I let out a breath. “I don’t.”
Her expression darkened. “Because you gave it up. But Carter, you’re still breathing. That means you still have a choice.”
My hands curled into fists against the bar.
A choice.
Did I still have one?
Could I still stop this?
Kale stirred again, his voice low, steady. Yes.
But how?
Ruby had already made her decision. The pack had already accepted her as Jake's. The ceremony was happening right now.
What the hell was I supposed to do?
barge in, grab her, and claim her in front of the entire pack?
My father would tear me apart.
Jake would challenge me.
Ruby…
Ruby might never forgive me.
My stomach twisted, and I shook my head. “She hates me.”
Chloe arched a brow, unimpressed. “Then prove her wrong.”
The room suddenly felt too small, the air thick with the scent of whiskey and regret.
The weight in my chest,the one I’d been carrying for so long,pressed harder, crushing me.
I had convinced myself that this was the only way.
That I had to let her go.
That I had to be the Alpha my father expected me to be.
But what had that gotten me?
A bottle of whiskey.
A heart full of regret.
A life without her.
Kale snarled. We’re going.
But my body wouldn’t move.
Because what if I was too late?
What if Ruby had already accepted him?
What if I went there, drunk and desperate, and she chose him anyway?
A sharp, seething pain tore through my chest, the very idea making my throat tighten.
Chloe must have seen it, must have sensed that last shred of doubt still clawing at me, because she let out a frustrated growl and slammed her hand on the bar.
"Carter,” she snapped, her voice sharp as a blade. “Stop thinking and do something.”
I swallowed hard, my pulse pounding in my ears.
Chloe leaned in, her voice quieter but deadly serious. “You love her?”
My throat felt tight. “You know I do.”
“Then fight for her,” she said simply.
I let out a harsh breath, dragging a hand through my hair. “It’s not that simple.”
“Why?” she challenged. “Because Dad said so? Because the pack expects you to just let her go?”
I clenched my jaw.
Chloe exhaled, shaking her head. “You’re acting like you don’t have a choice, but that’s bullshit. You do. You always have.”
I wanted to argue.
Wanted to tell her she didn’t understand, that it wasn’t that easy, that walking away had been the only way to keep Mia safe.
But all the words felt hollow.
Because Chloe was right.
I had spent my whole life doing what was expected of me.
What my father demanded.
What the pack needed.
And it had left me with nothing.
Kale let out a deep, guttural growl. We are not losing her.
I squeezed my eyes shut, my breath coming in short, uneven gasps.
Ruby.
The girl who had always been there.
The girl who had seen me before I ever became the Alpha-in-training.
The girl who had loved me even when I had been too blind, too stubborn, too afraid to love her back.
She had waited for me.
And I had let her down.
Kale's fury mixed with my own, his energy pressing against my skin, urging me to move.
Get up. Go to her. Don’t let her go.
But fear still clawed at me.
What if I had already lost?
Chloe suddenly grabbed my wrist, forcing my attention back to her.
Her hazel eyes burned with frustration, with urgency, with something I hadn’t seen in a long time.
Belief.
“You are Carter Blackwood,” she said fiercely. “You are our future Alpha. You are the strongest, most stubborn wolf I know. And you are not going to sit here and let someone else take the girl you love.”
I exhaled sharply. “Chloe—”
“No,” she snapped. “Stop making excuses. Stop hesitating. Stop thinking about all the ways this could go wrong. You love her. So go get her.”
Something inside me snapped.
Something broke free.
The doubt, the fear, the voice telling me I wasn’t enough
Gone.
Replaced by something raw, something wild, something primal.
Kale roared.
And I finally
Finally
Moved.
I pushed away from the bar so fast my chair tipped over and crashed to the floor.
Chloe smirked. “Took you long enough.”
But I barely heard her.
Because my heart was pounding, my body thrumming with new purpose.
With certainty.
I was done waiting.
Done watching from the sidelines.
I didn’t care what the pack thought.
I didn’t care what my father wanted.
I didn’t care if I had to fight Jake in front of the entire pack.
Because Ruby was mine.
And I was going to get her back.
- Writer
