Chapter 73

Xavier My chest tightened painfully as I watched Cecilia's face. My wolf, Kael, whined pitifully inside me, sensing our mate slipping away forever. "I won't marry again," I said, the words scraping out of my throat like broken glass. "I won't be with anyone else..." Cecilia didn't even blink. She cut in smoothly, her voice calm and steady—way too steady, considering everything we'd been through. "Whether you decide to stay single forever, Xavier, that's not my business anymore. You're free now. And so am I. I honestly hope we both find peace." "Peace?" I repeated, the word catching like a splinter in my chest. It tasted off—dry and bitter. "With who, Cecilia? Who's supposed to give you that peace?" And then, like some cruel reflex, his face came to mind—Alpha Sebastian Black. The Alpha of Silver Peak Pack. Always around her. Always watching. Cecilia exhaled softly. Not annoyed. Not angry. Just... tired. And somehow, that one quiet sound broke something in me more than if she'd screamed