After Six Years The Alpha Begs For My Return Chapter 43
He took a small velvet box from his inner pocket but didn’t open it.
“It’s not a marking token, and it’s not a mate ring. Don’t panic.” He let out a soft laugh and pressed the box into my hand. “Open it.”
I did.
Inside was a platinum brooch shaped like a blooming gardenia. Tiny moonstones formed the petals, catching the light in shattered glints. It looked exactly like the gardenia on the windowsill of my old room, the one that had survived four repottings.
“All those years in Paris, you solved a lot of problems for Tidewatch. This isn’t a reward, and it’s not a token of ownership.” He paused. “It’s just… welcome back. We can take the rest of the road slowly.”
I looked down at the gardenia in my palm and suddenly remembered that winter in Paris six years ago.
I was huddled in a drafty apartment in the Thirteenth Arrondissement. The heater was broken, snow was falling, and I had just left White Ash River. My wolf hadn’t adjusted to losing the pack link, and when I ran a fever, I healed with painful slowness.
Wrapped in a blanket, I’d scrolled through my contacts and realized there was only one person I could call.
So I called him.