Chapter 157

Lucian’s POV

Jasper’s punch caught me by surprised. I stumbled back, nearly into the elevator again as the doors started to close. He definitely broke my nose. Holding it, I stepped forward again, back off the elevator. Blood dripped down onto my shirt.

Jasper had several different reasons to be pissed at me, so it wasn’t immediately clear just what I had done this time.

“What the hell, Jasper?” I demanded. My nose was already beginning to heal, thanks to my werewolf healing factor, but it had stung for a good minute there. Jasper hadn’t held back at all.

“What the hell, me? What the hell, you!” he snapped.

“What does that even mean?” I asked.

“Aria’s plane leaves today, doesn’t it?” Jasper said incredulously.

“Yes.”

“Then what the hell are you doing here?”

So many times over the past few days, I thought about what I should do in that moment. The mature thing for me to do was to go and see her and the kids off in a polite and friendly way, to show there was no hard feelings and that we could continue to co-parent as adults.

The problem was that I didn’t trust myself around Aria. If I was there, watching her leave me, I would certainly embarrass myself, making promises to get her to stay.

She had so many reasons for wanting to leave the pack. I had to respect that.

“For the same reason you aren’t there,” I told Jasper. As someone who had also been rejected by Aria, he more than anyone should understand what I’ve been going through.

His hands curled into fists again, but he didn’t swing a second time. “We aren’t the same.”

“We were both rejected.”

“She loves you,” Jasper said. “She never saw me as anything more than a friend.”

“In the end, it didn’t matter, did it?” I asked. “She might love me, and I love her. But there are too many other things standing in our way.”

“Like what?” he asked bitterly.

“Her career, for one, and –”

“I’m not talking about her. I’m talking about you,” Jasper said. “What is standing in your way? You love her, but you want her to give up her career for you. Have you ever considered doing the same?”

His words startled me. Had I ever considered that?

“I’m Alpha…” I said, somewhat stunned.

“Yeah. And when was the last time that ever made you happy?” Jasper asked.

Our argument had gained the attention of others working on the same floor. Heads popped up over cubicles and around doorways, everyone trying to catch a peek of our argument.

More than the embarrassment of being called out like this though, I was weighted down by the humiliation that Jasper was right.

Jasper didn’t rub it in though. The look on my face must have been enough. Instead, with an annoyed huff, he turned around and walked right back to his office. He didn’t seem to pay any attention to the people looking at us. I tried to do the same as I continued walking into my own office.

“Can I get you anything, Alpha?” Ben asked at the door. “An ice pack?”

“It’s almost healed,” I said. “I just want to be alone for a few minutes.”

“I’ll guard the door,” Ben said.

I entered my office and closed the door. But I didn’t move to my desk. I just kind of… stood there.

Thinking about Aria. The kids.

What Jasper said.

What he hadn’t said.

In proposing to Aria, I had expected her to be the one to stay, to give up her career, at least in Moonglow, and to stay in this pack by my side.

I hadn’t once considered that I could be the one to give up my career here and follow her.

I was Alpha. That was generally not a job someone gave up willingly, unless they had reached a certain age. Though I’d already achieved much more than I had set out to do, I had a lot of good years of leadership left.

But Jasper’s words still rang true. When was the last time, as Alpha, I had ever been happy?

The job made me miserable, even before Aria had left me. Constant pressure, constant responsibility, constant ridicule, limited thanks. Years and years of it had worn me down, eroded like a rock in the water.

Nowadays I felt more like I was going through the motions than actually excited to achieve anything. I had no passion for the job anymore. During my brief stint as Aria’s assistant, I had felt more alive than I had in years as Alpha.

And my day to day life? Without Aria, everything had grown numb.

Did I really want to go back to that? Days upon days of gray? Especially when I knew where Aria was, and that my kids were with her.

How could I possibly stay here for the next forever and pretend that I didn’t want to be where they were instead?

I was a fool twenty times over for making such terrible mistakes in the past, and here I was about to make another one.

Turning, I immediately opened the door to the office again. True to his word, Ben was guarding it, with his back to it. He startled when he realized I’d opened it.

“Alpha?”

“I need your help, Ben,” I said. “I’ve almost made the worst mistake of my life.”

Cara’s POV

We waited to board the airplane, but the flight crew was starting to get antsy. If we continued to hold them up any longer, the whole schedule for the rest of the day would be behind.

“He’s not coming,” I said to Cathy, who gave me a sympathetic, tight-lipped smile in return. “I don’t know why I thought he’d want to see us off.”

“He promised to visit soon, right?” Cathy asked.

“In a few months, when he was done licking his wounds.”

“Well, I guess he’s still licking them then.”

I knew I had hurt him, but I had thought our friendship meant enough to him that he’d be willing to put that aside for the sake of a proper goodbye.

He had come to see Dr. A, after all, when he didn’t know she was me. But now he couldn’t see me off as myself?

Was it sensible to be jealous of myself?

“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but we need to take off now,” the head of the flight crew said.

“Right, sorry.” I gave Cathy a quick hug, said goodbye, and then ushered the kids toward the plane.

“Wait!” called a voice from behind me. My heart leapt into my throat. Turning, I saw Lucian rushing towards us, carrying a suitcase.

A suitcase?!

He didn’t slow. He came right up and kissed me on the mouth. In my surprise, I gasped, enough for him to slip his cheeky tongue into my mouth. When he pulled away, I was properly breathless.

His smile was bright as the sun and glorious.

“Please allow me to travel with you,” he said, and lifted his suitcase a little. “I intend to win you back, and recognize that I cannot do that from an office here, while you are in Moonglow.”

“But you are Alpha,” I said, dumbfounded.

“I resigned,” he said.

I almost couldn’t believe it, but the joy in his face couldn’t be faked. Lucian could only be telling the truth.

He’d been willing to give that up… that title, that lifestyle… for me? For our family?

My own happiness sparked to life within me. Smirking at him, I teased, “I’m not easy to win over, you know? It’s going to take real effort.”

“I’m up for the challenge,” he replied, grinning.

“Daddy’s coming with us?” Jean asked.

“Daddy’s coming with us!” Luke cheered.

As the children laughed, Lucian and I held onto each other.

Suddenly, the future looked so bright.

“What do you say?” Lucian asked. “Ready to set off?”

“Together?” I asked. He nodded. “Yes.”