Episode 5:Ethan's First Regret
934 Words
For the first time in three years, Ethan Blackwood couldn't focus on work.
The reports on his desk remained untouched.
His inbox overflowed.
His phone rang constantly.
None of it mattered.
Because every time he looked up, he remembered Ava walking away.
He remembered the look in her eyes.
Not heartbreak.
Not anger.
Disappointment.
And somehow that bothered him more.
A knock sounded on his office door.
"Come in."
Sophia entered with a bright smile.
She looked exactly like the future Luna everyone expected.
Beautiful.
Elegant.
Perfect.
The woman he'd chosen.
So why did the victory feel hollow?
Sophia crossed the room and wrapped her arms around him.
"The engagement announcement is trending."
Ethan forced a smile.
"That's good."
"It is good."
Her expression darkened slightly.
"Then why do you look miserable?"
Ethan pulled away.
"I'm not miserable."
The lie sounded weak even to him.
Sophia studied him carefully.
Then her voice sharpened.
"You're thinking about Ava."
He didn't answer.
That answer was enough.
Sophia's jaw tightened.
"Ethan, you made the right choice."
The words felt rehearsed.
Like she'd said them many times before.
Maybe she had.
"You needed a Luna who strengthens your position."
Silence.
"Ava never fit this world."
Silence.
Sophia crossed her arms.
"You know I'm right."
Was she?
Logically, yes.
Politically, yes.
Strategically, yes.
Everything about Sophia made sense.
Everything about Ava complicated things.
Then why did his wolf feel restless?
Why had it been growling since the rejection?
Why couldn't he stop replaying the moment Ava accepted?
Most rejected mates begged.
Cried.
Pleaded.
Ava hadn't.
She simply looked at him.
Accepted his decision.
And walked away.
Something about that felt wrong.
Dangerously wrong.
Another knock interrupted the tension.
His assistant hurried inside.
"Alpha Blackwood."
Ethan frowned.
"What is it?"
The assistant looked unusually nervous.
"There's been a development."
Sophia rolled her eyes.
"If it's another article about Ava, ignore it."
"It's not."
The assistant swallowed.
"It's Sterling-related."
That got Ethan's attention.
Every major Alpha family paid attention when the Sterlings were involved.
"What happened?"
The assistant hesitated.
Then handed over a tablet.
Ethan took it.
His eyes narrowed.
A headline filled the screen.
DAMIEN STERLING CANCELS PRIVATE INVESTOR MEETING TO HANDLE PERSONAL FAMILY MATTER
Ethan frowned.
"So?"
The assistant shifted uncomfortably.
"The meeting was scheduled months ago."
"And?"
"Damien Sterling has never canceled one before."
Now Ethan understood.
That was unusual.
Very unusual.
Damien Sterling wasn't known for wasting time.
He certainly wasn't known for prioritizing personal matters over business.
Sophia looked unconcerned.
"What does that have to do with us?"
The assistant remained silent.
Then handed Ethan another file.
This time there was no headline.
Just a photograph.
The moment Ethan saw it, his stomach tightened.
Ava.
The picture had been taken earlier that morning.
She was entering a private hospital.
Ethan's wolf immediately stirred.
Concern.
Relief.
Possessiveness.
Emotions he had no right to feel anymore.
"Why are you showing me this?"
His voice sounded colder than intended.
The assistant cleared his throat.
"Because Damien Sterling's security team was also spotted there."
The room fell silent.
Sophia's expression changed instantly.
Ethan stared at the photograph.
Then at the report.
Then back at the photograph.
"No."
The word escaped before he could stop it.
The possibility sounded ridiculous.
Ava and Damien moved in completely different worlds.
Their paths should never cross.
Yet the report sat directly in front of him.
Evidence.
Questions.
Possibilities.
His wolf growled.
A deep, unhappy sound.
Sophia immediately noticed.
"Ethan."
He ignored her.
His eyes remained fixed on Ava's photograph.
A strange feeling settled in his chest.
Not jealousy.
Certainly not jealousy.
Just curiosity.
That's all.
At least that's what he told himself.
Across the city, another meeting was taking place.
A black luxury vehicle stopped outside Ava's apartment building.
Richard Hale stepped out.
The elderly attorney adjusted his suit before entering the building.
Twenty minutes later, he sat across from Ava.
The DNA report rested between them.
Neither had spoken for several seconds.
Finally, Ava broke the silence.
"So you're telling me I'm a Sterling?"
Richard nodded.
"Yes."
"And Alpha Alexander Sterling is my grandfather?"
"Yes."
Ava laughed softly.
Not because it was funny.
Because reality had become absurd.
Only days ago, she'd been worrying about Ethan's engagement.
Now she was being told she belonged to the most powerful family in the werewolf world.
Nothing made sense anymore.
Richard reached into his briefcase.
"There is one more thing."
Ava frowned.
"What now?"
He handed her a sealed envelope.
"The family would like you to come home."
Home.
The word felt unfamiliar.
Foreign.
Dangerous.
Slowly, Ava opened the envelope.
Inside was a formal invitation.
A private jet ticket.
And a handwritten note.
Her hands trembled as she read it.
Ava,
If you're reading this, then we've finally found you.
Please come home.
I've waited nineteen years to meet my granddaughter.
— Alexander Sterling
Tears blurred her vision.
Not because she knew the man.
She didn't.
But because someone had been looking for her all this time.
While Ethan had been trying to erase her...
Someone else had never stopped searching.
Richard quietly stood.
"The jet leaves tomorrow morning."
Ava stared at the note.
Then at the invitation.
Then at the life she was about to leave behind.
For the first time since the rejection, she felt something unfamiliar.
Hope.
And hundreds of miles away, Ethan Blackwood had no idea that by tomorrow evening, the woman he discarded would be standing at the center of a world far more powerful than his own.
The first regret had already taken root.
He just didn't recognize it yet.
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