Too Late For The Alpha's Regret

t for saving my fated mate's life. My family called

my life like a stolen dress. She had my parents' love and my mate's d

serve champagne at the party celebratin

me and bond with her in front of the entire pac

it a noble sacrifice. He looked at my broke

for him. The truth came out at the altar, right as Ryker was about to bond with

pte

stop, the engine cutting o

here. G

rough as the gravel drive. He spoke to her like she was a sack of potato

ilitation Outpost had carved the softness from her, leaving a thin, wiry frame clad in the coarse, grey fa

dark wood, its windows glittering like cold, judgmental eye

stirred weakly. It didn't recognize the scent of home. It smelled only of cl

the family's butler for as long as she could remember, stood silhouetted in the entrance. His posture was ramrod straight, his face a mask

evoid of warmth. "And try not to

ent on the marble floor. The house was exactly as she remembered it, yet entirely d

she s

es, with her family-used to be, there were now landscapes. Anodyne, imp

htened in

round a chaise lounge in the sunroom. They were laughing, their faces soft with affection.

e was the picture of innocence and light. No one looked toward the foyer. No one acknowledged t

e brown eyes held no surprise, no pity. Only a flash of pure, unadulterated victory before

ara's stomach

ond-floor landing, Elara's feet stopped automatic

's dressing room now. Has been for years." He gestured down

nic. Her fingernails bit into her palms, the small, sharp pain a we

r and opened it, revealing a cramped storage space. Dust motes danced in the single beam of light from a

floor. "The Alpha has requested your presence be... discreet. Briar's co

nging the room into shadow. The lock

in, just in a slightly

dresses-the kind the junior house staff wore. Her fa

She made her way downstairs to the ki

rossed, her chin jutted out in defiance. "Criminals don't eat with the staff," she said, her voice dri

kitchen made Elara's mouth water. She

turned and walked away, not dignifying the

er fingers found the notch, and she pried up the board. Beneath, nestled in a waterproof oilcloth wrapping, was her emergency plan: a small, outdated satellite messenger. It was a relic, a device she

it had a simple, encrypted text function that bounced a signal off a commercial satellite network she'd paid a three-year subscription for a lifetime ago. A su

read m

The Ar

of Position - J

r work-detail access to the laundry service to smuggle out letters, sending out dozens of applications to neutral organizations, academic i

the Northern Neutral Territories, a place far from any pac

d to the bottom

o weeks from receipt. We look forward

days. It wasn't a perfect match, bu

lifetime, touched Elara's lips. It was

the first time in years, roare

un

this

y. The words were precise, reflecting the

position. I will report to the