My Guardian Married My Sister But I’m His Alpha Chapter 02
The moment the announcement was made, the glass slipped from Chiara’s hand.
It shattered on the floor, water splashing the hem of her black dress.
Every head in the room turned toward her.
The Pack Elders, whose approval was required to confirm an acting Alpha, remained silent. Their acquiescence was a verdict.
She looked only at Griffin.
He sat at her grandfather’s left, his suit immaculate, his Alpha presence contained, his expression perfectly calm.
He didn’t look at her.
He offered no explanation.
Francesca sat beside him, one hand resting on his arm. She turned and gave Chiara a soft, gentle smile.
A smile that felt like a knife in the ribs.
After dinner, Chiara found him on the terrace.
She asked him only one question.
“When you rejected me, you said it was because you were my guardian. That you couldn’t be with me. So what is this? Francesca is my father’s daughter, too.”
Griffin stared out into the night, his back to her.
“It’s different.”
“How is it different?”
“Chiara.” His voice was thin, carried away by the wind. “You’re stronger than she is. Your wolf is steadier. You can survive without me.”
Chiara stood there, a bitter laugh escaping her lips.
That word again. *Strong*.
It was the word people had always used to define her.
She fell and didn’t cry? She was strong.
She was ignored and didn’t make a scene? So strong.
Now, the man she loved was marrying her sister, and she was expected to be strong about that, too.
But she hadn’t been born strong.
She had simply learned, very early on, that some burdens had to be carried alone.
When she fell and didn’t cry, it wasn’t because it didn’t hurt. It was because her mother would complain that her tears were upsetting Francesca’s fragile wolf.
When she got sick and said nothing, it wasn’t because she was fine. It was because no one would have noticed anyway.
Griffin was the only one who had ever seen through the facade.
He had seen her delirious with fever.
He had found her crying in secret after being bullied by higher-ranking pack members.
He had seen her standing alone and lost in the empty Pack House, clutching the corner of his shirt for comfort.
He knew. He knew all of it.
And now he was using that same word—*strong*—to drive her away.
“Griffin DeLuca.” It was the last time she ever said his full name. “If this is how you’re rejecting me, I swear, I will never look back.”
He didn’t answer.
He didn’t even ask her to stay.
The next day, Chiara was a no-show at the alliance ceremony.
She bought the first flight to Paris, arranged a leave of absence from her classes, and left.
As the plane taxied on the runway, Griffin’s messages lit up her screen.
*This isn’t what you think. Come back. I’ll explain.*
*Don’t do anything rash.*
*Answer me. Please.*
Chiara stared at the words, then turned off her phone.
She stayed in France for three years.
She finished her degree, found a job at a small gallery affiliated with a neutral Pack, moved three times, and saved a little money—not much, but enough to get by.
She refused to touch her Moretti family accounts and made a point of never following news from the New York packs.
The Morettis couldn’t find her. Her old college friends couldn’t find her.
Most people assumed she had simply vanished.
Until three months ago, when her father’s former Beta tracked her down through an old, forgotten email address.
It was the third anniversary of her father’s death. Nightfall Pack was holding a formal memorial service. According to Pack law, both of the Alpha’s registered daughters were required to attend.
Chiara had to go back.
“Where are you going?”
Griffin’s voice pulled her from her thoughts.
“Not your way,” she said.
“You know where I’m going?”
“Wherever you’re going, it’s not my way.”
He studied her for a few seconds, then let go of her wrist and turned to retrieve a bouquet from the car.
White lilies.
They were wrapped in simple paper, fresh water droplets clinging to the petals. He must have just picked them up.
He held them out to her.
“You’re going to St. Michael’s Cemetery,” he said. “Is that on the way now?”
Chiara stared at the flowers, a knot tightening in her throat.
He knew.
He knew the first thing she would do after landing was visit her father.
After three years, he still knew her.