Chapter 65
Chapter 65
+25 BONUS
“Nod if you understand.”
After a moment of rigid resistance, Gabriel jerked his head stiffly.
“Good.” I turned away from him just as Lilith came hurrying back down the stairs, now dressed in a simple but elegant navy blue cocktail dress with her silver hair pulled back into a neat bun. She looked beautiful, as always.
“Ready,” she said, slightly out of breath. Then she noticed Gabriel’s thunderous expression. Is everything alright?”
“Everything’s fine,” I assured her with a grin. “Gabriel has kindly offered to drive us to Stormhollow and act as our chaperone for the evening. Isn’t that right, Gabriel?”
Gabriel glared at me but nodded again.
I beamed and turned back to Lilith, holding my arm out for her. “Shall we go, then?”
The drive to Stormhollow was long and silent. Gabriel white-knuckled the steering wheel the entire way, his jaw clenched so tight I thought he might crack a tooth. Lilith sat beside me in the backseat, occasionally chatting about inconsequential things to fill the awkward silence, but she was silent and tense most of the time as well.
As we crossed into Stormhollow territory, a wave of nostalgia washed over me. The landscape was achingly familiar-the rolling hills, the dense forests, the winding river that cut through the heart of the pack land. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed it until now.
“It’s beautiful here,” Lilith remarked almost wistfully. “I’d almost forgotten…”
I shot her a sidelong glance. “You’ve been to Stormhollow before?”
Lilith’s cheeks reddened, and she waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, you know. Just passing through here and there.”
“I see. Well, it is a beautiful territory,” I said softly. “I used to run through these woods as a child. It was my escape.”
The memories almost made me tear up. Those were the days before everything went to shit. Before my father remarried. Before my half-brother was born. Before I was forced to marry a fated mate who didn’t want me.
Before my one-year death sentence.
Lilith noticed my shift in mood. She didn’t say anything-just reached over and squeezed my hand. I held onto her fingers like a lifeline. We stayed like that, silent, until the car wound its way up the long, tree-lined driveway that led to the Stormhollow mansion.
It looked exactly as I remembered. Sprawling and elegant, gray stone and dark wood, tall
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Chapter 65
+25 BONUS
windows glowing golden from within. The gardens were in full bloom even at nighttime, a riot of color and fragrance that brought back memories of playing hide-and-seek among the rosebushes.
That was back before I realized that cherry blossoms smelled far sweeter than roses.
Gabriel parked the car, and immediately a small crowd of paparazzi who had been waiting by the driveway surged forward, cameras flashing. News of my return to Stormhollow after five years had clearly spread.
I wondered how many of them had been tipped off specifically to catch me arriving with Alexander. Well, they would be sorely disappointed. Perhaps Alexander would regret his decision to run to Sophia in the morning when the tabloids showed pictures of me arriving by myself.
Gabriel opened the car door for us. We stepped out into the flashing lights, Lilith and I arm in arm, Gabriel trailing sullenly behind.
The photographers immediately caught onto the fact that Alexander wasn’t with us, but I kept my head high and my expression neutral as we made our way to the entrance. I didn’t bother answering any of the questions as to where my husband was. I also didn’t try to quell the
rumors.
Maybe it was time for him to face the consequences. It wasn’t my fault that he chose Sophia over me. I figured he could see how his actions in pacted his campaign and maybe, just maybe, he would learn his lesson.
Finally, the massive oak doors swung open, revealing the grand foyer I’d known so well as a child. Crystal chandeliers. Wooden parquet floors that still creaked in all the places I remembered. A sweeping staircase led to the upper floors where my old bedroom was located.
But the familiar space did little to soothe my frayed nerves as we entered the main ballroom. The moment we stepped through the archway, a hush fell over the crowd. Heads turned, conversations faltered, eyes widened.
I could practically hear their thoughts. The Alpha’s daughter, returned at last. But where was her mate? Why had she come alone? And dear Goddess, what was she wearing?
Across the room, I spotted my father in deep conversation with some officials from the pack. When someone whispered in his car and gestured in my direction, his head snapped up.
Our eyes met across the crowded ballroom. His expression immediately turned icy, and he made a beeline for me.
“Ella,” he said stiffly when he reached us, barely acknowledging Lilith and Gabriel with a nod. He grabbed my arm and roughly pulled me closer “Where is Alexander?”
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