Chapter 9
Grandpa was already covered with a white sheet. He wasn’t breathing anymore.
The scent of death lingered in the room- sterile, final, suffocating. My wolf whimpered in my head, pacing anxiously, but I could only stand frozen, staring at the still form on the bed.
The doctor looked at me, sympathy etched across his face.
“Alpha Rowena, you’re too late. But your grandfather passed away with a smile on his face. As doctors, it’s rare for us to see a patient leave this world so peacefully.”
Too late.
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The words sliced through me like claws.
I numbly reached out and touched Grandpa’s hand. It was cold–too cold.
Yvonne pulled me into a tight hug, her wolf brushing against mine in silent comfort.
“Rowena, don’t be sad. You helped fulfill your grandpa’s final wish. Even the doctor said he left this world happy.”
I wiped at the endless tears pooling at the corner of my eyes and gently ran my fingers over the white sheet, tracing the shape of Grandpa’s face.
“Yeah… he must’ve been really happy.”
My voice was steady, but my wolf howled in mourning.
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At Grandpa’s funeral, the sky opened up, sending down a slow, relentless drizzle. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth. and mourning wolves.
Yvonne held an umbrella over me, standing quietly by my side.
Alpha Zachary,organized the burial of Grandpa’s ashes.
“Don’t be so heartbroken, Rowena. I’m sure your grandpa wouldn’t want to see you like this.”
“He got to witness your wedding before he left. That must’ve made him very happy.”
I nodded, swallowing against the lump in my throat.
Yes… Grandpa should be happy.
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He left without regrets.
Even the husband I found at the last minute -Grandpa liked him.
I glanced at Zachary, who stood in the rain, scattering the last handful of dirt with slow, deliberate movements.
To say I wasn’t touched would be a lie.
It was thanks to him and Yvonne that I wasn’t alone at the very end.
I took a deep breath and turned to him. “Zachary, thank you for helping me fulfill Grandpa’s final wish. We can go file for divorce tomorrow.”
Zachary flicked wet strands of hair out of his face, completely unfazed.
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“What’s the rush? Yourpaalt’s done, but mine isn’t. Let’s leave it for noww I’ll contact you in a few days.”
And just like that, he walked a away.
I blinked. “Wait, what?”
I turned to Yvonne, but she quickdyla avoided my eyes, pretending to adjust the entatorella.
Suspicious.
“My brother’s still being pressured to getet married, and he can’t find anyone. Justshelelp him for a bit longer–at least until we calam my parents down.”
Something felt off. My wolf lifted her head,d, sniffing out the lie, but I couldn’t quite putit my finger on it.
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Still, Zachary had helped me. It wouldn’t feel right to burn the bridge now.
We were walking down from the cemetery hill when I caught a familiar scent–one I used to crave but now made my stomach turn.
Beta Malcolm.
He stood at the base of the hill, a bouquet of chrysanthemums in hand. His hair was unkempt, his clothes wrinkled, and the dark circles under his eyes were deep.
“Rowena, where is Grandpa buried? I should pay my respects too.”
I clenched my jaw.
Still, since it involved Grandpa, I kept my
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voice polite. “Thanks, Malcolm. But there’s no need. Given the relationship between you and Grandpa, I don’t think it’s appropriate.”
Malcolm’s face crumpled, and–to my utter shock–his eyes welled up with tears.
“I swear, I had no idea how bad his condition was that day! If I had known–Rowena, I would’ve let you go, I would have-”
Lies. My wolf snarled.
He ran a shaky hand through his hair, voice breaking. “I only stopped you at the hospital because I love you too much. 1-1 just wanted a chance to fix things!”
I scoffed.
“Fix things? Malcolm, the only thing you ever fixed was your hair before running off to your
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childhood sweetheart.“.
His face paled, but I wasn’t done.
“You had seven chances, Malcolm. Seven. If you had held onto even one of them, I wouldn’t be standing here now, married to another man.”
His lip trembled. “But–but your grandfather, he liked me! We visited him together before, remember? I’m sure he would’ve wanted us to be happy!”
Oh. He did not just try to use my dead grandfather to guilt me.
My wolf let out a low, threatening growl.
“Malcolm, let me be very clear,” I said, voice sharp as a clawed strike. “You are not a part of my life anymore. You are not my mate.
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You are not my anything.”
“I,Rowena Norman,reject you, Malcolm Covington,as my mate.”
His scent flared–desperation, sorrow, regret. It used to make my heart ache for him. Now, it only made me sick.
Malcolm took a shaky step forward, reaching for me.”‘no,please.”
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