Chapter 8
Ethan’s POV
It had been days since Claire disappeared from my world, days that dragged into weeks filled with endless searching.
Every corner, every hidden path, I scoured it all, but there was no trace of her. Not even her scent lingered. I was her former Alpha, yet I couldn’t find her. I called on the Moon Goddess, pleading with every bit of pride I had left, but there was only silence.
Claire’s house had gone up for sale within days of her disappearance. I bought it immediately, desperate for any connection to her, even a broken one.
No one knew where she had gone, and her family, cold and indifferent, offered no answers.
Yet, I knew she hadn’t left alone. Her mentor, Mark, was gone as well, and the thought gnawed at me relentlessly. Mark was always encouraging Claire, pushing her to grow beyond what I thought she should be.
My mind imagined images of them together, the closeness they’d shared in those long hours. at the institute. I felt a deep bitterness unfurl in my chest at the idea of her developing feelings for him. How could I bear the thought of her in another man’s arms?
Yet, every night without Claire was agony. My once solid world unraveled thread by thread. I found myself learning the things I’d never cared to know, the things she used to do to
comfort me.
I taught myself to make her favorite soups and desserts that filled the kitchen with a sweetness I didn’t deserve. Claire was an incredible cook. She’d always poured herself into her meals, quietly seeking my approval, but instead of gratitude, I’d often given her
indifference.
I wanted her to care for me, but only on my terms. Her career, her friends–they’d always been distractions. I’d even pushed her to switch careers to something more “befitting” her as
my mate.
Chapter 8
But now, my Claire–the woman I had molded to suit my needs–was gone. All my choices, all the things I’d done to keep her close, had only driven her away.
The memories stung, especially one from years ago.
The landslide…
The look on her face when I chose Vanessa over her, leaving her behind in that storm. The avay her hope flickered, then died. “Vanessa… has a heart condition,” I’d told myself as I
climbed aboard the helicopter, as if that was reason enough.
When she’d returned to me, alive but distant, I convinced myself that she was simply playing hard to get. Vanessa assured me of it, weaving lies that I was all too willing to believe. “She’ll come around,” Vanessa would say, brushing her fingers along my shoulder, her eyes filled with calculation.
I buried my unease, but Claire and I only grew further and further apart, until, finally, she
was gone.
I searched, driven mad by her absence, but she was gone, leaving only a hollow, echoing silence in her wake. One evening, Vanessa, ever the opportunist, suggested, “You know, I could stay… for as long as you need. You don’t have to be alone.”
But I refused. Somehow, her presence only deepened the ache, a reminder of all the ways
I’d failed Claire.
One afternoon, after another fruitless day of searching, I retreated to the institute–her
institute. I began supplying wolves for their experiments, desperate to feel even the faintest
connection to her world.
Then, I heard rumors from other Alphas about a medicine she had developed. It was something revolutionary, something that had saved a pack on the verge of extinction along the border. They revered her, and even called her “Real Alpha.” My Claire had become a leader, a beacon of hope, shining in a place beyond my reach.
Unable to resist, I went to find her. When I arrived, I was greeted by the sight of her in a wedding dress, standing hand in hand with Mark.
Her hair was cut short, framing a face that glowed with a quiet, undeniable joy. I staggered
Chapter 8
back, hiding behind the trees, my mind refusing to accept the scene before me.
“Claire…” I whispered, but she didn’t hear me. I could feel the pain well up, raw and unyielding, as I watched them exchange vows, their voices low and tender. Claire wasn’t a vine, tangled and dependent on me; she was a star, blazing brightly in a sky I no longer belonged to.
As she turned, almost sensing my presence, our eyes met for a brief, agonizing moment. I
aw recognition flicker in her gaze–hurt, maybe even pity. Before she could truly see me, I shifted into wolf form, bolting into the shadows, my heart pounding painfully against my ribcage.
Back in my hollow, empty home, I ended things with Vanessa.
I confronted her, and she scoffed at me. “You really think she was ever going to come back?” She sneered, her voice filled with disdain. “She’s gone, but I’m here. Forget her and just be with me.”
Her words cut deep and I could feel my heart beat with anger and pain. Claire was gone because I’d never understood her dreams, her essence.
The revelation was both unbearable and humiliating. I’d sacrificed her love on the altar of my pride.
Months passed, each day bleeding into the next. One day, word reached me of her death–a rumor, nothing confirmed.
I forced myself to look at what they claimed was her body, and there was a faint, familiar scent that seemed to belong to Claire. I couldn’t tell if it was just my mind playing tricks on
- me.
Claire was lost to me forever.
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Chapter 5
