---- pulling up outside. Isabella's face crumpled. She looked desperately at her father, but Marcus could only stare at the ground. "Please," Isabella begged, falling to her knees. "I didn't mean for things to go that far. I was just scared of losing my place in the family-" "Anyone who pleads for them," Alpha Winters said coldly, "can get out of the Winters Pack and never come back." When the Wolf Council investigators took Isabella away, she was still crying and begging. But no one in the room moved to help her. Three months later, on a day when spring flowers bloomed everywhere, I walked slowly toward my groom. My birth parents flanked me on either side. Mrs. Winters kept dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief, while Alpha Winters walked with ---- the pride of a man giving away his most precious treasure. "Are you nervous?" Mrs. Winters whispered. "Happy nervous," I whispered back. At the altar, Sebastian waited for me in a perfectly tailored suit. His eyes never left my face, and the smile on his lips was pure joy. When I reached him, he took my hands gently. "you look breathtaking," he said softly. "You look pretty good yourself," I replied, trying not to cry from happiness. The ceremony passed in a blur of vows and rings and promises. When the mating ritual finished, Sebastian cupped my face in his hands. "T love you, Evelyn Winters Cross," he said. "T love you too," I whispered back. We kissed as bells rang across the pack territory. ---- At thirty, Sebastian had finally married the girl who captured his heart at first sight. At thirty, I had loving parents, a devoted husband, and a future bright with possibility. As we walked back down the aisle together, I caught sight of guests wiping their eyes and smiling. Later, I learned what had become of the others. Scarlett had been found dead in a remote area, apparently killed by rogue wolves. Some said she'd been exiled and couldn't survive on her own. Others whispered that Seth had grown tired of her and disposed of her himself. Kieran had died just weeks after my wedding. They said he'd simply stopped eating, stopped caring for himself. He'd wasted away until his heart finally gave out. I felt a complex mix of emotions when I heard. Sadness for the man he could have been. Relief that he could no longer hurt anyone. And finally, peace that this chapter was truly closed. ---- That evening, as Sebastian and I sat on our balcony watching the sunset, a gentle breeze stirred the garden. Dandelions drifted past like tiny wishes taking flight. I remembered something Kieran had said once, long ago-that if he died first, he would become Moonflower every spring to visit me. I reached out to catch one of the floating seeds, then gently blew it away. "I'm very happy now," I whispered to the wind. "I no longer hate you. Please remember to fly freely." Sebastian pulled me closer, not asking what I was thinking. He simply held me as we watched the Moonflower disappear into the sky. "No regrets?" he asked softly. "None," I said, and meant it completely. For the first time in my life, I was exactly where I belonged.