Gabriel's POV
I couldn't stand these feelings inside of me. I felt as though I had let her down, that I should have acted sooner or found her sooner. Maybe even taken both her and her foster mother into a safe house, but I knew, deep down, that all of that would have only made her resent me more.
It didn't make me feel any better about it though.
"Look, me disappearing...it gave you time to build up your empire without any outside interference. You've built a pack to be proud of, and you know how your reputation precedes you now." she said, her expression softening slightly, "And it gave me time to learn how to stand on my own two feet without you hovering over my shoulder and scaring everyone into submission. I've made a name for myself. On my own terms. And there's not a singl
