Chapter 341

AURELIA’S POV I looked at him — really looked at him. Derek stood there, silent, his expression shadowed by a guilt that almost looked like grief. His broad shoulders were drawn tight, his eyes weary, gold flickering faintly beneath the brown like fire struggling to stay lit. And for a fleeting moment, I wondered if this man — this Alpha who carried a thousand regrets in his silence — deserved to be my mate. But then again, did I even have a choice anymore? I had already declared it. In front of my father. In front of Draven. In front of the entire damned world. I’d shouted it like a weapon, wielded the truth to protect Derek and his pack, and in doing so, I’d sealed my own fate. Whether I trusted him or not, whether I even wanted him or not — it no longer mattered. Because the moment I claimed him as my mate, the game had changed. If Derek rejected me now, they would come again. My father, Draven, the others — all with blood on their hands and greed in their hearts. Two Alphas against