Return... home?

Arabella's POV

This place is a damn time capsule. I stepped out of the car and inhaled the scent of pine and damp earth. It hit me like a punch to the gut, triggering memories I wasn’t ready to face. Some were sweet, others bittersweet, and the rest... unbearable.

Gerrard stretched beside me, slamming the car door shut. His toned muscles rippled under his shirt as he yawned. “Let’s see if the people here have gotten any less dramatic. I highly doubt it!” He winked, and I shot him a sideways glance.

The towering trees and rustic buildings of the pack's territory had not changed a bit. Everything looked just as it had when I left years ago. It was unsettling how familiar it all felt, like whispers from the woods were calling me back. Voices of people I had known in another life, trying to reveal secrets I wasn’t ready to hear.

“Arabella? Is that you?”

The sound yanked me out of my thoughts. The whispers disappeared as I turned to see an elderly woman approaching.

It was my homeless bestie woman,Sarah.Though we shared a huge age gap.

Her face lit up beneath the map of wrinkles time had drawn on her skin. Before I could brace myself, she pulled me into a tight hug.

“You have been gone too long, girl,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion. “Nobody ever helped comb my hair like you did. No one perfumed my dress. It’s good to see you back.”

I hugged her back, guilt clawing at my chest. I had fled, chasing my own sanity and leaving people like Sarah behind. People who might have needed me.“Good to be back, Sarah!” I lied, forcing a smile.

My eyes drifted to another figure walking toward me, arms wide open.

It was Veronica. My childhood friend. “Gosh! Babe, you are finally back. I thought I would never see you again. I missed you!”

We kissed each other’s cheeks, the familiarity of the gesture soothing and strange all at once.

“I missed you too. How is life treating you?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“Busy as always, trying to make ends meet, you know…” Her voice trailed off, but then she smiled brightly and rubbed my shoulder. “It is going to be better now that you are here. I heard you did great at university. The Pack is so excited to have you back.”

I nodded, even though I was not sure how to feel about it. Of course, I did great at university. I had to. There was no room for weakness at Med School. It was me and my dream against the world.

Before I could respond, a hush fell over the small crowd that had gathered. My heart dropped as I turned to see him.

Asher Darkheart. The Alpha of the Blood Crescent Pack. The man I had loved for as long as I could remember. The man who had broken my heart.

His dark blue eyes locked onto mine, and for a moment, time seemed to collapse. I felt stripped bare, exposed to the one person who had ruined me.

I forgot the strong, independent woman I had become. In that moment, I was the broken girl he had left behind.

My mind immediately went blank and I started having vivid flashbacks. Like I was sucked right into the past from which I had run away...

I was naive enough to confess my love openly, in front of everyone, while we played a game of truth or dare.

I had opened my heart to Asher, baring every ounce of emotion I had kept hidden, only to be met with icy disdain that pierced my soul and left me bleeding inside.

"You are not what I need, Bella," he said, his voice cold and cutting. "I need a mate who can stand by my side, not a girl with a schoolgirl crush. A woman with lineage...not an orphan by any chance."He left me standing there, surrounded by their laughter and giggles, my vulnerability on full display.

But I did not care.

My Ash had always been devoid of emotion, and maybe that was what drew me to him. His bitterness, his coldness...it fascinated me. Despite everything he was mine. Only my Ash!

He was everything I was not, and somehow, that contrast felt magnetic.

That night, I did not go back to my room. Instead, after hours of turmoil, I made a decision. I would confront him...privately.

But when I reached his room, I froze. From within, I heard muffled sounds. Moans.

Curiosity and dread clawed at me as I pushed the door slightly ajar, peering inside. My heart stopped at the sight before me.

Alpha Asher...my Ash...was entangled with Moana. Their bodies moved together in a rhythm that made the bile rise in my throat.

The sounds of their passion filled the room, each one like a knife twisting deeper into my chest.

"Ash?" I whispered, my voice trembling under the weight of my devastation. Tears streaked down my cheeks before I even realized I was crying.He barely flinched. His eyes flickered with something that wasn’t guilt but irritation.

He disentangled himself from Moana, who lay back with a lazy, satisfied smirk, not even bothering to cover herself.

"Oh, look who decided to show up," Asher sneered, grabbing his pants and pulling them on with maddening ease. "What do you want, Arabella?"

He did not call me Bella anymore.

I could barely speak. The betrayal was suffocating. "I came to talk to you. To understand why you rejected me. But now I see… you are nothing but a lying, cheating bastard!”

His laughter was cold and sharp. “Careful with your words, girl. You are talking to your future Alpha. Cheating? I never promised you anything!”

He stepped closer, towering over me, his voice dripping with scorn. "Grow up, Arabella. Did you really think you were special? That I would choose you over someone like Moana?”

She, lounging on the bed, stretched lazily, her smirk deepening,playing with her lady part. "Sweetheart, did you really think you stood a chance? Pathetic.” She glanced at Asher with a mock annoyance. " Asher, get rid of her already. I am not done with you yet."

My vision blurred with tears, my voice breaking as I looked at him, pleading for some semblance of the person I thought I knew. "I trusted you, Ash. I thought you cared."

His eyes turned colder, if that was even possible. His next words were like shards of glass. "You are pathetic. Get out of here, Arabella. You are not wanted."

And then he slammed the door in my face.

I ran. I did not know where I was going, but I could not stay. The memory of his words followed me like a shadow, haunting me for days, weeks, months, even after I left the pack and moved on to university.

"And don’t come crying to me when you realize no one else wants you either."

( end of flashback)

I could swear I wanted to turn around, get back in the car and drive away.

But then, something unexpected happened. His eyes softened.

“Bella,” he said, his voice barely a whisper. “Welcome back.”

Before I could process his words, he leaned forward and hugged me. A formal hug, but his warmth engulfed me, his breath hot against my neck.

“Thanks, Alpha,” I managed to say, my voice shaky.

I could not bring myself to call him Ash.

“I missed you,” he whispered into my ear before stepping back.

My eyes widened. What was he doing? Why was he being so… affectionate?

Before I could make sense of it, he gently took my arm. “Come with me. I need to discuss some serious matters. Let’s head to the packhouse.”

I followed him like a zombie, unable to react. But we didn’t make it to the packhouse.

After the first turn, Asher led me into a private cabin. The door clicked shut behind us, plunging the room into semi-darkness.

Fading sunlight streamed through the ventilators, casting a golden-orange glow over his hair. He looked... ethereal.

I froze as he closed the gap between us, pulling me into a tight, passionate hug.

“What the hell, Asher?” I finally pushed him away, my voice trembling with anger.

His eyes were intense, full of something I couldn’t decipher.

“I know I hurt you, Bella. I hurt you badly. But things have changed,” he said, his voice soft.

I scoffed, crossing my arms. “You dragged me here to tell me you have turned over a new leaf? I am not the naive girl you used to know, Alpha Asher.”

“No,” he admitted, stepping closer. “But I have my reasons. Reasons I want you to understand.”

I could feel my defenses cracking. I hated it.

“And what reasons would those be?” I asked, my voice dripping with skepticism.

“It is not something I can explain right away. It will take time.” His voice was raw, pleading.

I shook my head, anger bubbling up. “You want me to trust you after everything you have done to me? Forget it, Asher!”

“I was trying to protect you!” His voice rose, frustration evident.

“From what? Your own lies?”

He flinched but did not back down. “From the dangers of being with me. But I was wrong. Pushing you away only made things worse.”

“Protecting me? You rejected me, Alpha Asher. Made it clear I was not welcome.”

“I was an idiot!” His voice cracked, and for the first time, I saw something break in him. “I need you to forgive me, Bella. I need your help to protect our pack.”

Before I could respond, a knock on the door interrupted us.

Gerrard's voice came through, urgent. “Everything okay in there?”

The next moment, he burst in. His usual sunny demeanor was replaced with a grim expression.

“We have disturbance at the border, Alpha.”

His face darkened. “Damn it! It is worse than I thought.”The tension in the air was palpable as I looked between them.

“What disturbance?What is going on? ” I asked, my voice steadier than I felt.

Asher clenched his fists. “That is what we are about to find out.”