Returning from the cemetery to the pack house felt like walking through a graveyard of memories. Kieran’s laughter still echoed in my mind, his tiny hands pulling at my dress, begging for just one more bedtime story. Now, the silence was deafening. Each toy I packed away, each piece of clothing I folded, felt like I was erasing him from existence. My hands trembled as I clutched his belongings, tears falling unchecked.
But I couldn’t stay. Not in this house. Not in this pack. Not with the man who had never truly been mine.
Dragging my suitcase down the stairs, I halted when I saw Ronan carrying Adeline in his arms. She looked up at him, her hands curled around his neck as if she belonged there. And maybe, in his eyes, she did. He walked past me without so much as a glance, setting her down on the couch with the kind of tenderness I had never received.
"Anastasia Leclair," his voice was cold, indifferent. "Is this just another one of your dramatic stunts?"
Adeline, feigning innocence, sighed. "Anastasia, I twisted my ankle, and since Ronan said the Obsidian Howl Pack was close by, he brought me here to take care of it. You don’t mind, do you?"