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Jillian opened her mouth, her lips curling into a bitter, hollow smile.
“Didn’t you two push me down the stairs?” Her voice trembled with quiet pain. “Didn’t you accuse me of feeding you mangoes on purpose, even though I knew Leon was allergic?”
She knelt down, eye–level with the pups she had once cradled to sleep. Her voice, though soft, cut like silver–edged claws.
“You said you didn’t want me to be your mom.
That you wanted Monica instead. You looked. me in the eye and said it, like I was nothing to
you.”
“I know I wasn’t perfect,” she continued, her voice breaking. “But I tried. I loved you, event when no one else did. I gave you everything I
had.”
She looked from Leon to Yolanda, her wolf stirring inside her, aching with the old wounds.
“But in the end… I still don’t understand why it
turned out like this.”
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Both children lowered their heads, cheeks
burning with shame. The sting of truth left them speechless. Leon, however, wasn’t ready to give
- up.
“We were wrong…” he choked out, tears sliding down his cheeks. “I know that now. Please,
Mom… please forgive us…
Before Jillian could answer, a soft voice
interrupted.
“Sister Jillian…”
Cecilia had been quietly watching, her small hand clutching the edge of Jillian’s sleeve. Her big, luminous eyes brimmed with tears.
“Are you going to leave me too?”
Alpha George gently picked up his niece, cradling her against his chest. “Shhh, Cecilia. Don’t be scared,” he murmured. “Jillian’s not leaving you. Wherever she goes, we’ll respect. her choice. Even if she’s not with us all the time, she’ll still come visit. She’ll always care about
you.”
Alpha Floyd’s jaw clenched as he watched the
scene. Fury roared in his chest. Who was this
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scene. Fury roared in his chest. Who was this
male, standing so close to Jillian? Holding that child like they belonged together–like they were a pack?
His voice dropped into a low growl.
“Jillian,” he said sharply, stepping forward,
“Stop this nonsense. The children need you.”
He gestured at Leon and Yolanda, still crying at Jillian’s feet. “Don’t you want to raise your own pups? Why waste your time raising someone
else’s?”
Jillian rose slowly, Her gaze locked on him, ice–cold and unwavering.
“Unreasonable?” Her voice was no louder than
a whisper, but the fury in it was unmistakable. “They need me?”
Her voice rose with every word, every question a claw to Floyd’s chest.
“When they pushed me down the stairs… did. they need me?”
“When they stood in front of the whole pack and called me ‘horrible‘… did they need me?”
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“When they looked at Monica and called her. ‘Mom‘… did they need me?”
Floyd couldn’t answer. Each word slammed into him like a blow. The pups cried harder
now, clinging to Jillian’s clothes as if they could
anchor her heart.
“We were wrong!” Yolanda sobbed. “We’ll only love you now… we promise!”
Jillian’s eyes glistened, but her spine stayed straight.
Alpha George silently handed her a tissue. She took it without looking at him, but the small gesture sparked a fresh wave of rage in Floyd.
“Who the hell do you think you are?” he barked. “This is between my mate and me. You have no right to interfere.”
Alpha George calmly adjusted his glasses. “I’m Jillian’s friend,” he replied coolly. “And as for rights…”
He looked at the two tear–streaked children.
“Maybe the ones who hurt her the most should.
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Floyd’s fists curled. His wolf snarled beneath his skin. The air thickened with tension, dominance. sparking against dominance.
Then–softly–Cecilia tugged on Jillian’s hand.
“sister Jillian… we haven’t finished our bowls
yet.”
That tiny voice–so innocent–seemed to steady.
Jillian more than any argument could. She inhaled deeply and turned back to Floyd, her
tone resolute.
“Take them and go,” she said. “There’s nothing
left for us to say.”
“Mommy!” the pups cried out together, sobbing as they wrapped their arms around her legs.
“Please don’t leave us!”
The studio broke into chaos. Customers froze
mid–motion. Someone near the door pulled out. a phone to record the scene. The pottery owner hovered nervously near the counter, wondering
if he needed to call the local patrol.
Jillian stood at the heart of it all, her expression
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white as moonlight, her hands shaking.
And Alpha Floyd… finally saw the truth.
He had made a fatal miscalculation.
He thought bringing the children would melt her heart. That their tears would be enough to pull her back.
But he’d never once stopped to consider her
pain.
Some wounds couldn’t be healed with
apologies. Some hearts, once cracked, held fractures that never fully closed. Like broken. porcelain–glued back together, but never the
same.
“Leon, Yolanda,” he said at last, his voice tight. “We’re leaving.”
“NO!” Leon screamed, clutching tighter to Jillian’s clothes. “You said–You said you’d bring
Mommy back! You promised!”
Jillian closed her eyes. Silent tears slipped
down her cheeks.
Alpha George stepped forward and gently.
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Alpha George stepped forward and gently reached out Cecilia’s hand. The little girl
grasped Jillian’s fingers as if anchoring her in place.
Jillian drew in one last breath and spoke with finality.
“Floyd,” she said, each word cutting clean. “I meant what I said. I can’t forgive what happened. Not now. Maybe not ever.”
“If this visit was about the children’s support, I’ll transfer the funds by next week. But if you came for anything else…” Her gaze narrowed. “Don’t come again. Next time, I will call the patrol. Or the Council.”
The words hit like a punch to Floyd’s gut.
He had come thinking she’d waver. That her heart still lived in the past. But what stood before him now was not the woman he’d once overlooked.
She was stronger. Colder. And she was done.
Silently, he bent down and scooped up the children, ignoring their cries and kicking feet Tears streamed down their faces at
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feet. Tears streamed down their faces as they screamed for their mother, their wails echoing through the studio.
At the door, Floyd paused and looked back one
last time.
Jillian was crouched beside Cecilia, gently stroking the girl’s hair. Alpha George stood behind them, solid and calm.
The three of them stood together like a true family.
One he no longer belonged to.
