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Grant looked up in surprise at my back. That strange feeling washed over him again. But Wanda whimpered his name, pulling his attention back to her. He comforted her, his focus entirely on her.
I paid my respects to alpha Miller, bowed three times, and greeted his distraught wife.
“Mrs. Miller, I’m so sorry for your loss.”
Mrs. Miller nodded, taking my hand.“You’re Grant’s partner, right? Thank you for coming. I heard
you two were about to get married. He’s a good kid, and he told me he wouldn’t get married in six months. I feel really sorry.”
I listened silently, without mentioning Grant and Wanda’s plan. Mrs. Miller saw my pain and sighed.
“Grant is like a son to us. He’s been my mate’s student from eighteen to twenty seven, and he really cares about us. That’s why he made this decision. Please don’t blame him.”
I already had a new werewolf partner, of course I wouldn’t blame him.“I understand.”
Seeing this, Mrs. Miller confided, “Don’t hate Wanda. She’s clingy, but Grant doesn’t like her. He… really likes you.”
I stiffened. Really? I hadn’t noticed. My wolf howled inside, agreeing that she felt nothing.
Seeing my disbelief, Mrs. Miller continued, “Honey, I’m not lying. We thought he put his research before everything else until you came along. He kept mentioning you without even realizing it. He talked about how he ran into you again, what you cooked for him and how you asked him to be your partner… He sounded like he was complaining, but we know that was not true. His wolf loves you. It cannot lie.”
Mrs. Miller told me how much Grant cared about me, but I just found it ironic.
Perhaps the past me would be overjoyed to hear that.
If Grant truly loved me, why couldn’t I feel it? Why he never stopped to wait for me? Why was he instead sacrificing everything–me, his own desired, for a duty to Wanda, a duty dictated by his pack? If he loved me, why would he think about having a child with someone else? The moment he said yes to Wanda, we were done.
It was over.
I could feel the wolf inside me stirring, recognizing the distance growing between us. I had always been Grant’s partner in some sense, but now I felt something else in my heart. My wolf howled quietly, a warning. HE’S NOT YOUR TRUE MATE.
For the rest of the memorial, Grant stayed with Wanda. Only after it ended, in the pouring rain, did he drive up to me. His words couldn’t be colder.“Get in.”
I walked to him, but the window rolled down. Wanda was in the passenger seat, Mrs. Miller in the back.
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Before I could speak, Wanda’s choked voice cut through the air.“Grant, I want to visit Dad’s grave. Just me, you, and Mom, okay?”
Mrs. Miller frowned.“Wanda, be polite.”
Her words somehow triggered Wanda, who burst into tears.“It’s Dad’s funeral! Can’t she take a cab?”
Mrs. Miller tried to intervene, but Grant had already made a decision.
“I’ll pick you up later,” he said, his tone brooking no argument. Then he drove off.
Left behind, I wasn’t surprised at all. I saw it coming at the moment Wanda spoke. My wolf stirred inside, growling in annoyance, but I was numb. HE WILL NEVER BE YOUR ALPHA. I felt nothing, not even sadness. I waited for hours in the rain. He never came back.
This place was remote and I had no umbrella. I walked for two hours before reaching somewhere I could take a cab.
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