Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Winnie turned to face her , their eyes meeting . After a long silence , Winnie asked softly , " Have you really ? " " I have . " Calista met her gaze with a sincere nod , her expression carrying the quiet certainty of one who had walked this painful path . Winnie flinched under Calista's resolute gaze . She looked away , staring at her trembling hands . " But I can't , " she choked out , tears streaming hot down her cheeks . " He's taken up eight years of my life . Without him , what do I have left ? " Calista watched her for a long moment , then sighed wearily . " I'll stop trying to persuade you . You'll come around when you've hit that wall enough times . " She understood this all too well - back then , her parents had urged her to leave that toxic mate bond , but she'd threatened to cut ties with the family entirely . That's how these things went . Until someone woke up on their own , all the good advice in the world was just wasted breath . Winnie cried until her eyes burned , then grabbed her phone to call Garrett . When he blocked her , she snatched Calista's phone to keep trying . Half an hour later , Garrett finally answered , his tone irritable . " God , Winnie ! When are you going to give it a rest ? Can't you just leave me alone for a while ? " Winnie had barely spoken one word before he continued impatiently , " We're done talking . I'm going to sleep . " The line died with a final click . Winnie immediately redialed , but now only got his voicemail . Her tears fell like raindrops onto the darkened screen . Calista watched the scene as if seeing her past self - once , she too had clung desperately to hollow love . She said nothing , only gripped Winnie's trembling hand tightly , offering silent comfort . After finally calming Winnie down , Calista didn't get home until the early hours . She grabbed what little sleep she could . At 5 AM , Calista rose early to head to the grocery store to pick out herbs for roast chicken . The morning passed in a flurry of preparation - Calista peeling potatoes , chopping vegetables . Poppy , home for the weekend , helped at the dining table arranging silverware and folding napkins , occasionally sneaking a cherry tomato from the salad bowl into her mouth . The house hummed with morning activity as the others went about their day . Harlan and Jasper rushed off to the office after breakfast , while Lucy , working as a model , departed for her spring collection shoot . Even Maggie had slipped out early , determined to get the first pick of the bakery's famous double - layer chocolate cake before it sold out . That evening , Calista prepared a generous spread : herb - roasted chicken with garlic and rosemary , creamy mashed potatoes , steamed broccoli and carrots , and a garden salad with cherry tomatoes . When the family gathered , they were amazed by the hearty meal . Jasper's eyes unconsciously went to Calista . 11:27 Rejected by the Alpha , I Became the Pack's Queen 45.2 % Chapter 15 She stood by the table with her apron strings pulled tight around her waist , her bare face a stark contrast to the pampered younger sister he remembered . The Grays had changed her , taking away that polished look and leaving behind a tired shadow . Just then , Jasper handed his briefcase to the maid Betty and roughly wiped his hands with the towel she offered . " Since when does our lady need to cook ? " he snapped . " We have staff for this . And half the restaurants in town serve better food . " His words were harsh , but Calista heard the old protective edge in his voice . Calista knew Jasper was right - the Shadowvale pack might not be as super - wealthy as the Silvermoon pack , but they were certainly rich enough to dine out regularly . Tonight's cooking came from her guilt . For five years , she'd meticulously prepared birthday dinners for Maximus's father , Old Alpha Zeke Gray , yet had never made even a simple salad for her own father . The shame of that neglect burned hotter than any stove flame . Lucy elbowed Jasper under the table when he kept making sharp comments . He winced and finally stopped talking . Later , the dinner was full of laughter . Lucy made everyone take pictures between dishes . After dinner , Poppy laughingly smeared cake on Calista's face , and Lucy did the same to Jasper . Soon everyone was singing the birthday song together as they blew out the candles . Amid the laughter and joy , Calista remembered how she used to spend this day , and her chest tightened- But those days were over now . For the first time in five years , she opened social media and posted nine photos from tonight , with a simple caption : [ This day is yours now , Dad . Happy birthday . ] ( 0 ) ( 0 ) 11:27