Chapter 61

KAEL.

I had failed. As an Alpha, as a son, and worst of all, as a mate. The moment Ruby—my mate—revealed that Dawn had killed my father, I felt a crushing weight of regret. How could I have been so blind?

Instead of investigating my father's death, I had thrown Ruby and her father into the dungeon. I ordered my guards to beat and starve her for days, convinced she was guilty. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, I rejected her and banished her from the pack, not caring whether she had anywhere else to go. If I had known...

“I told you to find out what happened that night, but you didn’t,” Echo, my wolf, snarled in my mind.

“Everyone blames me, and now you too?” I snapped back, a bitter edge to my thoughts. “Well done... just well done.”

“If only you had listened to me, we wouldn’t be here.”

He was right, of course. But I couldn’t bear to hear it. I pushed him away, trying to focus on how to set things right. Carolina had warned me too, yet I’d ignored her advice. Now, the thought of f