The Regretful Alpha
592 Words
The gates of Blackwood Castle opened at dawn. A small delegation from Ember Ridge waited outside four guards, a messenger, and him.
Kai.
He looked different. Taller than I remembered, but somehow smaller. The confidence that once filled his frame had cracked. His eyes found mine across the courtyard, and for a moment, something raw flashed in them, regret, perhaps. Or desperation.
Thorne stood beside me, arms crossed, face unreadable. Seraphina flanked my other side. The air was thick with tension.
Kai stepped forward. The guards behind him stayed back, heads lowered.
"Elara," he said. His voice cracked on my name.
I lifted my chin. "Alpha Kai."
He flinched at the formality.
"I... I made a mistake." He swallowed. "I was wrong. I should never have rejected you. I should never have banished you."
The words hung between us. I waited.
"The pack is suffering," he continued. "The bond I broke... it weakened us. Our borders are threatened. Our strength is fading. I need you back. The pack needs its Luna."
I laughed, short, sharp, without humor. "You need a Luna. Not me."
His eyes darkened. "You are my mate. The Moon Goddess chose you for me."
"The Moon Goddess chose again," Thorne said quietly. His voice carried across the courtyard like thunder rolling in the distance.
Kai's gaze snapped to him. "You. The Lycan King. You have no claim here."
Thorne stepped forward. "She is in my territory. Under my protection. And the bond between us is stronger than any you ever offered."
Kai looked back at me. "Is that true?"
I met his eyes. "Yes."
Pain crossed his face. "Then why am I here?"
"Because you regret it," I said. "Because you see what you threw away. And because you are afraid."
He took a step closer. "Elara, please. Come home. We can fix this. I will make it right."
The bond with Thorne hummed, steady and warm. The flame in my chest stirred, not with anger, but with clarity.
"I am home," I said.
Kai's expression shattered. "You cannot mean that."
"I do."
He looked at Thorne. "You took her from me."
"I did not take her," Thorne replied. "She chose to stay."
Kai's hands clenched. "She was mine."
"She was never yours," I said. "You made sure of that the night you rejected me in front of the pack."
Silence fell. The wind moved through the courtyard, carrying the scent of pine and distant snow.
Kai looked at me one last time. "If you change your mind... the pack will always be open to you."
He turned. The guards followed. They disappeared through the gates.
The doors closed behind them.
Thorne turned to me. "You did not waver."
"I did not."
He studied me. "You could have gone back."
"I could have." I looked up at him. "But I did not want to."
Something shifted in his eyes—relief, perhaps. Or hope.
Seraphina placed a hand on my arm. "You have made your choice clear. The packs will know."
I nodded. "Let them."
Thorne reached out slowly, palm up. An invitation.
I placed my hand in his.
The contact was immediate. The flame surged, warm and bright, filling the space between us.
He closed his fingers around mine. "You are stronger than you know."
I looked at him. "I am beginning to believe it."
He smiled, small, genuine. "Good."
We stood there, hands joined, the bond humming between us.
The flame inside me burned steady, no longer waiting.
It knew what it wanted.
And so did I.
- Writer
