Chapter 126
Nathan’s POV
felt Rachel’s forehead collide with my chest, the impact making her stumble backward.
“I’m sorry, Rachel!” The words left my mouth before I could think.
She rubbed her forehead, then instinctively protected her swollen belly. Her eyes widened in disbelief at hearing me apologize.
“Are you alright?” I asked, my voice uncharacteristically gentle,
Rachel lowered her hand from her forehead, studying me carefully as moonlight illuminated my features.
The Alpha pull between us was magnetic, like the pack calling her home. But I could see the wariness in her expression.
“I’m fine,” she answered curtly, then added, “not that you would care.
are you here, Nathan?”
When I stepped toward her, Rachel raised her hand and backed away. “Don‘
come any closer, Alpha. I don’t understand why you’re here. With your political marriage to Madison, I’m just a breeder to you. I mean nothing.”
“Everyone tried to convince me you were dead,” I explained. “Jason, the entire pack… they all said you died in that cliff fall. But the mate bond told me otherwise. I had to cross borders and risk everything to see for myself.”
Rachel crossed her arms. “Well, you’ve seen. We’re here. Not dead. You can go back and report to your pack and Madison
now.”
We’re here. Not dead. Those simple words filled me with more relief than she could possibly understand.
“You’ve changed,” I observed. “You’re not the same frightened girl who trembled at my presence.”
“You’re right. I’m not the same. I’m stronger now. No longer someone’s property to control.” Her heart was beating faster, betraying her emotions despite her cold demeanor.
“Now that you’ve completed your Alpha duty, please leave and let me continue
“Is that what you really want?” I asked, my voice uncharacteristically uncertain.
my new life.”
“Yes, it is,” she confirmed. “I have a new life here. A home, dignity, friends, and werewolves like Carter who are kind and
respect me.”
and just wanted At the mention of Carter, my eyes flashed dangerous red. Rachel continued, “If you’re not here to hari. confirmation I’m alive, you have it. You should go now. Our mate bond has been irreparably damaged. If you have other business on Phantom Island, handle it and leave. There’s no reason to see me again. Go back and finish your political marriage.”
Tears welled in her eyes, but she blinked them away, not wanting me to see her cry or detect her true feelings through my
enhanced senses.
I watched her for a long moment, my Alpha presence powerful but restrained. When I spoke, my voice remained calm and gentle, not the commanding tone she expected.
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“I can smell your lies, Rachel. You still have feelings for me. Th mate bond is still there. I took a deep breath. If you can honestly tell me through our mind link that you’re over me, that you don’t want to be with me, that you’d rather be with that Carter… I’ll respect your choice. But I don’t think you can
I am serious,” she argued, but her voice lacked conviction.
She didn’t even attempt to communicate through our mind link fearing I’d sense her true emotions.
1 offered a melancholy smile. “I heard you singing that lullaby when you were alone. I saw how your eyes scanned the bushes looking for me when you gazed out the window. And I see how you’re looking at me now with conflicted emotions.”
Taking a deep breath, I softened my Alpha presence. “I don’t blame you for hating me or fearing me. But if you give me another chance, I promise to prove to you that I truly am sorry for my mistake
and will spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”
Rachel stared at me for a long time, stunned by what she was hearing. “You’re sorry? The Alpha Nathan Blackwood is actually saying he’s sorry?!” Her voice trembled with intense emotion.
and
She shouted, “Since you’re sorry, I should just abandon everything here and continue being your breeder, doing whatever you want me to do as if your Alpha commands are the reason for my existence.”
“Rachel…” I tried to interrupt, but she continued venting her fury, her eyes turning deep green.
“I should just come back and be your property while you marry Madison and fulfill your political duties as Ironjaw’s Alpha, right?” she mocked.
“I’m here because I want to be with you,” I explained. “Madison means nothing to me. She’s just a political tool.”
“Would you really give up your responsibility to marry Madison as ordered by King Jason and your pack?” she challenged. “Would you abandon your alliance with Raymond? Your strategic advantage against Dylan?”
“Yes, I would,” I stated firmly.
“No, you wouldn’t!” she countered. “You would never abandon your responsibilities, Nathan. I know you. Alphas always put
the pack first.”
“It’s bad enough you’re sneaking around behind your dear fiancée’s back to find me,” she accused. “That’s not fair to
Madison.”
Confused, I asked, “I never accepted the engagement to Madison. What are you misunderstanding?”
“Your moon pendant,” she explained. “I know it was the last memento from your mother, yet she was wing it.”
I finally understood what Rachel meant. I pressed my hand to my forehead, still concerned but somewhat relieved.
“That was strategic,” I explained. “Madison has my ring, yes, but only for appearances to appease Raymond. In truth, my distaste for political marriages has only grown stronger since you left.”
Rachel hadn’t expected this answer. Her cheeks flushed at realizing she’d accused me based on a misunderstanding. Her scent turned sweeter.
She tried to remain aloof, saying it didn’t change anything, but could tell her wolf instincts were rejoicing, the mate
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Chapter 126
bond pull strengthening between us.
“Listen, Rachel,” I continued. “Your letter… do you remember what you wrote? You said you loved me… was that true?”
Rachel’s face heated up, her wolf scent revealing her emotional urmoil despite her efforts to suppress it.
I held her gaze, then pulled something from my pocket that gleamed silver in the moonlight.
Before I showed it to her, she recognized what it was myself.
her crescent moon pendant, the one I had placed around her neck
“I gave Madison that ring out of political necessity, not love,” I explained. “But I gave you this moon pendant hoping that when you wore it, you’d remember what you meant to me, remember the Moon Goddess’s blessing upon us. I wanted you to always carry a piece of me in your heart, just as my heart will always be yours.”
Rachel’s vision blurred with tears as her wolf scent shifted with powerful emotions.
“I can’t blame you for wanting to get rid of it,” I said. “But I’m asking you to take it back now. Rachel, may I place this moon pendant back where it belongs, next to my Luna’s heart?”
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