Chapter 114

Ella POV

My father was staring at me expectantly. I felt silly for how nervous I was, I knew that I had done nothing wrong. Facing his anger wasn’t something I was used to. I took a deep breath to calm myself.

“Alexander and I spent the afternoon figuring out a use for the land we gained from David,” I said. “That’s why we had the maps out.”

“What do you mean by that?” he asked. “It’s farmland; we’ll farm it.”

“David damaged the farmland,” I explained. “He salted the earth so we wouldn’t be able to plant there.”

The look of rage on his face only grew. “That rotten cheat,” he said in outrage. “So the land is useless to us? Why didn’t you call me immediately?”

“It’s not entirely useless,” I said. “We decided the best option is to create a solar farm. If we fill the space with solar panels, we can connect to the electrical grid, and with any luck, the pack could become energy-independent.”

I gestured vaguely, trying to gauge his reaction. “Alexander consulted his team, and they think it will work. The notes in the notebook were from their findings, and the map was a proposed layout for the panels.”

The anger drained from his face almost immediately. He sighed, running a hand over his jaw. “I’m sorry. I thought you were hiding something from me again. I was frustrated.”

“I’m not hiding anything,” I said, my voice softening. “I actually wanted to talk to you about it earlier, but you weren’t home from your meetings yet and I didn’t want to interrupt. I promised, after what happened last time, that I’d come to you when I needed help. I haven’t broken that promise.”

His expression shifted to one of remorse. “I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions,” he said, his voice quieter now. “I just worry about you.”

“I know you do,” I replied with a smile. “And I’m glad. I’m lucky to have parents who care so much about my well-being.”

He chuckled lightly and pulled me into a hug. “Of course I worry—you’re my little girl,” he said, pressing a kiss to my temple.

Tears stung my eyes, and I hugged him tightly in return. His frustration was completely understandable after everything we’d been through in the past few months, but the fact that he was willing to listen—and to apologize—reminded me of how fortunate I was to have him by my side.

Not everyone had that kind of support. Thinking of the way Diana treated Alexander, I realized how rare it truly was to have parents like mine. I would never take them for granted again.

“What had you in such a bad mood?” I asked as I pulled away from the hug.

“You haven’t seen the news then?” he said, sounding worried. I shook my head and my father sighed. “David and Amanda have announced their wedding date. It’s the same as yours and Alexanders.”

My eyes went wide as I stared at him. Of course that would upset my father. It was too late to change our date. If we did, he would have to issue a public apology for the inconvenience to the other alphas. We’d already mailed out save-the-date cards.

I shook off my surprise the best I could. “I see,” I said softly. “That’s unfortunate, but we’ll handle it.”

“I thought you would be hurt,” he said in surprise.

I shook my head. “No, just annoyed.”

That response made him laugh. He shook his head, then looked back towards the desk where the map lay. A smile spread across his face.

"I’m glad that Alexander was able to help you come up with the solution," my father said, his tone softening. "And I think it seems like a promising one."

I considered telling him that it was my idea, but I didn’t. This was one more reason for him to like Alexander, and that was important.

"Of course," I replied, "we’ll want our engineers to consult with his and make sure everything is accurate. All we’ve worked out so far are our best guesses based on the information we had on hand."

"If it’s all right with you, I’ll pass the map and notes on to them tomorrow," he said. "I have a meeting first thing in the morning."

"I think that’s a great idea," I said with a nod. "The sooner we can start putting the project together, the better. I want to make sure David knows he hasn’t gotten the best of us with this little stunt."

My father smiled, the kind of proud smile that always made me feel like I could take on anything. "That’s my girl," he said warmly. "Now, it seems to me you’ve had a very long day. Why don’t you go get some rest? You’ve got therapy in the morning, right?"

"That’s right," I confirmed. "My occupational therapy appointment. I’m still not used to going every week. I almost forgot."

"Well, don’t forget," he said with a chuckle. "You’re making progress, and that’s what matters."

I smiled, feeling a small flicker of pride at his words. "Thanks, Dad.”

The next day at my therapy appointment, my good mood persisted. Things went well, even though my usual therapist was out and a substitute was helping me.

She was a young, pretty woman with light brown hair and a kind smile. She looked vaguely familiar, but her name didn’t ring any bells, and I couldn’t place where I knew her from. She was talkative as we worked through the exercises, many of which involved stretching and breathing practices.

To my mild amusement, she had a lot of questions about Alexander, which wasn’t surprising. He was quite popular with the ladies, after all. It was only natural for people to be curious about him.

“I’d feel insecure being with someone as attractive and popular as that,” she said as we stood up from the exercise mats where we’d been stretching.

“I did feel a little insecure at first,” I admitted. “But Alexander isn’t what you’d imagine. He’s not full of himself or cocky because of his popularity.”

“No?” she said, sounding surprised. “It doesn’t affect him at all?”

“It affects him,” I replied, “just not in the way you’d expect. It doesn’t make him overconfident. If anything, it makes him hyper-aware of his role and the fact that he has to be careful to meet people’s expectations, especially when it comes to doing what’s best for his pack.”

“He sounds pretty incredible,” she said with an odd smile.

“He is,” I agreed.

She stared at me for a moment, then walked over to the nearby countertop and picked up her laptop. While she was focused on the screen, I studied her face, trying to place where I had seen her before. Then it clicked—she had been an intern at my doctor’s office years ago when she was still in school.

But there was something else. Her name was different.

“Are you married?” I asked suddenly, the question escaping before I could think it through.

She looked startled, glancing up at me. “No. Why do you ask?”

I hesitated, unsure how to respond. I was certain she was the same person I remembered, but the name difference threw me off. Maybe I was wrong, or maybe she just had one of those faces that was easy to mistake.

“Just curious, since we’re talking about relationships,” I said lightly, not wanting to offend her.

“Maybe one day,” she replied with a small smile, then turned her attention back to the screen. “You’re making good progress. I think we should continue the weekly meetings for now, but soon we’ll be able to move to twice a month.”

“I’m glad you feel I’m making progress,” I said. “But I don’t feel like I am. Shouldn’t I be feeling my wolf by now? Shouldn’t there be some signs that this is working?”

“The signs are subtle,” she said. “Sometimes you don’t even notice them.”

“Is there anything else I can do to speed up the process?”

“You said you’re exercising regularly, right?”

I nodded.

“Then you’re doing everything you can. There’s no reason to rush it. You’ll only make it harder on yourself if you’re impatient.”

Her reassurance eased some of my tension. “Thank you,” I said with a small smile.

“Of course. It looks like your regular therapist will be out again next week, so I’ll see you then. Have a great week, Miss Rowan.”

“And you,” I replied. I gathered my things and headed out.

As I stepped into the sunlight, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out, expecting something mundane.

But as my eyes scanned the screen, my breath hitched. My blood ran cold.

The text was from a contact I never thought I’d hear from again.

Amanda