After Six Years The Alpha Begs For My Return Chapter 24
Her words were cold, hard facts.
Gideon’s pupils contracted, but he still said nothing.
Ophelia let go of his sleeve and stepped back. Fresh tears welled, streaking through the ruins of her makeup.
Then she turned to me, her gaze filled with a raw hatred.
“You win, Avery,” she said. “You don’t have to do anything. You just have to stand here, and his wolf remembers you. There’s no room in his eyes for anyone else. But what does it matter? It took you six years to dare come back. You’re afraid of Gray Harbor, afraid of the White Ash River pack link, afraid to face the elders—you’re even afraid to take Mom’s calls. How are you any better off than I am?”
“Are you finished?” I looked at her.
Her chest heaved, her lips trembling.
I stepped in front of her and lowered my voice so only she could hear. “Ophelia, the reason you hate me is because you’ve spent your whole life comparing yourself to me. Grandfather praised my training scores, so you practiced all night until you came in first. Gideon protected me, so you tried every possible way to make him notice you.”
“You didn’t fight for the Luna title because you loved White Ash River. You fought for it because you couldn’t stand that the person Gideon chose wasn’t you.”