---- "Kaelen! What do you think you're doing?" Elder Thomas stood angrily before my tent, followed by several other Blackrock elders. They were dusty and tired, clearly having rushed here overnight. "I'm atoning," I said, still kneeling, facing the gate. "Until Lyra forgives me." "Forgives you?" Elder Thomas roared. "You're the Alpha of Blackrock! Your duty is to protect the tribe, not kneel here begging some woman for forgiveness!" "She's not just some woman." I turned my head, a stubborn fire burning in my eyes. "She's my destined mate, and I owe her more than I can say." "The tribe needs you!" another elder said urgently. "Since you left, there have already been three small skirmishes on the border!" "Let the Beta handle it." I turned back to face the ---- gate. "I'm not going back." "You're insane!" Elder Thomas bellowed. "You'd abandon the entire tribe for a woman who's already left you? She's even made our whole tribe a target for the rest of the werewolves, bringing us endless trouble, just to get back at you!" "T abandoned her," my voice was low and pained. "Ninety-nine times. I let her down ninety-nine times. Now I have to spend the rest of my life making it up to her." The elders looked at each other, then left in a fury. In the following days, I prepared gifts and letters every day, asking the guards to pass them to Lyra. Precious gems, rare herbs, flower crowns I wove myself - every single one was filled with all my regret. Each time I handed over a gift, my heart fluttered with nervous hope. ---- Maybe she'd remember how sweet we used to be, maybe she'd forgive me... leven started imagining her accepting the gifts, picturing the tears she might cry reading my letters, imagining her gentle smile when she finally forgave me. But every single thing was returned, untouched. "Her Highness says she doesn't need anything from you," the guard said coldly, tossing the gifts at my feet. Every rejection was like a hammer blow to my heart. The first time, I told myself she needed time. The second time, I told myself to be patient. The third, the fourth... This time, I silently gathered up these rejected tokens of my heart and started writing another letter.