JAKE
The next day, I returned to the Moon Crest mansion, my thoughts swirling. I didn’t expect to find my father, Alpha Jerry, sitting alone in the living room, his gaze fixed on the doorway as though he’d been waiting for me. The weariness on his face was new, a heaviness that struck me with its intensity. I sighed, feeling an all-too-familiar tension knotting in my chest.
"Jake," he began, his voice thin but firm. "Please, let's talk. Just once, and for all."
I steeled myself, ready to give him the same response I’d repeated so many times. "Dad, I already told you, I won’t marry—" But my words cut off as he did something I never thought I’d witness. Alpha Jerry, the strong, respected leader of our pack—my father—sank down onto his knees right there in front of me.
The sight of him
