Chapter 26: In This Life, I Choose Myself

The council chamber was silent when Chloe entered.

She no longer looked like the spoiled daughter who had once clung to Nolan's arm.

Her face was pale, and her eyes were swollen from crying.

Nolan stood several steps behind her.

He didn't try to defend her.

Chloe stopped in front of me.

“Laurel, I owe you the truth.”

I said nothing.

She took a shaky breath.

“That night at the engagement dinner wasn't an accident.”

My fingers tightened.

“What do you mean?”

Chloe lowered her head.

“I knew Nolan had been drinking. I knew you were going to check on him. I also knew everyone would assume the worst if they found you together.”

The room became deathly quiet.

“I didn't expect the situation to go that far,” she whispered. “But when I saw you leave his room, I understood that I could use it.”

Nolan's face turned ashen.

“Chloe…”

She looked at him with tears in her eyes.

“I wanted you so badly that I was willing to destroy her life.”

I stared at her.

For years, I had wondered why no one had ever asked what truly happened that night.

Now I finally knew.

Chloe continued.

“Adrian contacted me after the wedding arrangement changed. He promised that if I helped keep Laurel away from the royal court, he would make sure Nolan and I could stay together.”

Nolan closed his eyes.

“And you agreed.”

“Yes.”

Her voice broke.

“I poisoned myself on the wedding day because I thought everyone would blame Laurel after I died.”

I felt no satisfaction hearing her confession.

Only exhaustion.

Thirty years of hatred.

Thirty years of loneliness.

All because people had chosen lies over truth.

King Dominic ordered the confession recorded and announced that the Jennings family would be stripped of its privileges for their involvement in the conspiracy.

Robert, once he recovered, confessed everything he knew.

Diana was placed under royal protection until the investigation was complete.

Adrian and Eveline were sentenced for their crimes.

Marcus Hale disappeared before he could be captured, but the royal council issued a warrant throughout Aldwyn.

As for Nolan, he surrendered his position in Riverbend.

He came to me one final time before leaving the capital.

“I don't expect forgiveness,” he said.

I looked at him calmly.

“Good.”

His eyes lowered.

“But I want you to know that I'm sorry.”

I believed him.

That didn't mean I wanted him back.

“Live a better life, Nolan.”

He nodded.

“You too.”

Then he walked away.

I watched him disappear through the palace gates without feeling the ache I once would have felt.

That was when I realized I was finally free.

***

Three months later, spring arrived in Aldwyn.

The Royal Council formally recognized Elias, Mira, and me as descendants of the original royal bloodline.

We refused separate titles.

Instead, we established a council that would represent every pack equally.

Riverbend and Ironwood became close allies.

And the old rumors about Ironwood's “dying Alpha” became a story everyone laughed about.

One evening, I stood on the balcony of the Ironwood estate.

The mountains stretched beneath the sunset.

Emmett walked up behind me.

“Thinking about the past?”

I smiled.

“Not anymore.”

He wrapped an arm around my waist.

“Good.”

I leaned against him.

For the first time, I understood what it meant to be chosen.

Not because I was useful.

Not because someone needed a replacement.

Not because a family wanted an alliance.

Emmett had chosen me because he saw me.

The woman I was.

The life I wanted.

The scars I carried.

Everything.

He lowered his forehead against mine.

“If you could return to that dinner one more time, would you change anything?”

I thought about the broken wineglass.

Nolan choosing Chloe.

My family turning away from me.

The marriage that had once felt like a sentence.

Then I smiled.

“No.”

Emmett raised an eyebrow.

“No?”

“Every terrible thing led me here.”

I looked toward the horizon.

“I lost a life where I begged people to love me.”

I turned back to him.

“And I gained a life where I learned to love myself.”

Emmett kissed my forehead.

Below us, Elias and Mira were arguing over dinner preparations.

Their voices carried through the open windows.

I laughed.

For twenty-four years, I had believed I had no family.

Now I had two siblings who stood beside me.

A pack that welcomed me.

And a mate who never made me question my worth.

The past could no longer reach me.

I had survived the life they gave me.

But this life?

This one belonged to me.

I slipped my fingers through Emmett's.

And together, we watched the sun disappear beyond the mountains.

I didn't need revenge anymore.

I didn't need their regret.

I didn't need Nolan to understand what he had lost.

Because in the end, he chose my sister.

And I chose the fated Alpha.

More importantly, I chose myself.

And that was the life I had been waiting for all along.

**THE END**