Xavier's POV
Guilt twisted in my gut. "She was an incredible woman. I owe her everything."
"You owe her nothing," Elizabeth said sharply. Then, softer: "Sorry. I didn't mean to snap. It's just... I never blamed you for what happened to her. She made her choice, and she never regretted it. But I did wonder sometimes, over the years, if you ever thought about us. About the promise you made."
"Of course I did," I said, and it was true. Even if I hadn't thought about it as much as I should have. "Life just... got complicated. Becoming alpha so young, dealing with pack politics, and then..." I trailed off, unsure how much to say.
"And then you found your mate," Elizabeth finished. There was something in her voice I couldn't quite identify. "I heard about that. Thelma Silvermoon. The alpha w
