Chapter 7: The Alpha at the Southern Gate

The next morning, I woke before sunrise.

For a few seconds, I forgot where I was.

Then I saw the unfamiliar ceiling, the half-unpacked suitcases beside the wall, and Leo sleeping peacefully in the bed across from me.

We were really here.

I quietly got out of bed and walked to the window.

The southern Sunstone Pack was nothing like our old home. The mountains surrounded the territory, and warm golden light spilled over the rooftops as the sun rose.

For the first time in a long while, I didn't wake up wondering whether Bruce had come home.

I didn't have to check my phone.

I didn't have to wonder if Fiona had called.

I didn't have to prepare myself for another excuse.

I thought that peace would feel wonderful.

Instead, it felt unfamiliar.

Almost frightening.

A knock came at the door.

It was the Sunstone Pack's Luna, Elena.

She smiled warmly. "Avril, the Elders have arranged temporary accommodation for you and Leo. If you need anything, you only have to ask."

I thanked her and followed her downstairs.

Leo came running after us a few minutes later, still rubbing his sleepy eyes.

"Mom, look!"

He pointed toward the courtyard.

A group of young pups were practicing archery under the supervision of a warrior.

Leo's eyes immediately lit up.

It was the first genuine excitement I'd seen in him since we left.

"Can I watch?"

I smiled.

"Of course."

He ran toward the courtyard.

I watched him carefully as he approached the other pups.

One of them handed him a wooden bow.

Within minutes, Leo was laughing again.

My heart softened.

Maybe leaving hadn't been the wrong decision.

Maybe my son didn't need a perfect family.

Maybe he simply needed a place where he didn't have to compete for his father's attention.

Around noon, a commotion erupted at the southern gate.

Several guards hurried past us.

Elena's expression changed.

"What's happening?" I asked.

She looked toward the entrance.

"Someone from the Lunaris Pack has arrived."

My stomach tightened.

I already knew who it was.

A few minutes later, Bruce walked through the gates.

He looked nothing like the confident Alpha who had left our home days earlier.

His clothes were dusty from the journey, his eyes were bloodshot, and exhaustion was written across his face.

But the moment he saw me, his gaze softened.

"Avril."

I stood still.

Leo had stopped practicing.

He was staring at Bruce from across the courtyard.

Bruce took one step forward.

"Leo."

My son didn't run to him.

That small detail seemed to break something inside Bruce.

He stopped several feet away.

"Can I talk to you?" he asked me.

"You already came all this way."

"I had to."

"Why?"

Bruce swallowed.

"Because I finally realized what I was doing."

I almost laughed.

"You realized it after we left?"

"Yes."

"After the family photo?"

"Yes."

"After you chose Fiona again?"

His face tightened.

"Yes."

I looked at him for a long moment.

"Bruce, you didn't lose us in one day. You lost us every time you made us wait for you."

His eyes turned red.

"I know."

"No, you don't."

My voice remained calm.

"You still think this is about Fiona. It isn't."

Bruce lowered his gaze.

"Then tell me what it's about."

"It's about Leo waiting by the window for you on his birthday. It's about him asking why Tony gets picked up from daycare while his own father can't make time for him. It's about me lying to our son because I didn't know how to explain why his father kept choosing someone else's child."

Bruce's face went pale.

"I never wanted him to feel that way."

"Intentions don't erase consequences."

Silence settled between us.

Then Leo slowly approached.

Bruce immediately knelt.

"Leo, I'm sorry."

Leo stared at him.

"For what?"

Bruce's lips trembled.

"For not being there when you needed me."

Leo thought for a long moment.

"Are you going back to Tony?"

Bruce froze.

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Leo looked at me.

I didn't answer for him this time.

He had to choose for himself.

Finally, he looked back at Bruce.

"I don't want you to promise things anymore."

Bruce's eyes filled with tears.

"Then what can I do?"

"I don't know."

Leo stepped backward and returned to my side.

Bruce remained kneeling in the courtyard.

For once, he didn't chase after him.

He simply accepted the distance.

That evening, the Sunstone Elders summoned us both.

The dissolution ceremony was scheduled for the next night.

Bruce was given one final opportunity to object.

He stood before the Elders in silence.

"Do you contest the severing of the mate bond?" the Head Elder asked.

Bruce looked at me.

I expected him to fight.

Instead, he slowly shook his head.

"No."

My heart unexpectedly ached.

The Elder nodded.

"Then the ceremony will proceed tomorrow under the full moon."

Bruce turned toward me.

"Avril, I won't ask you to stay."

He paused.

"But before the bond is gone, there's something I need to tell you."

I looked at him.

"What?"

"I loved you long before I understood what love required."

His voice cracked.

"And by the time I understood, I had already taught you and Leo how to live without me."

For the first time, I saw no excuses in his eyes.

Only regret.

But regret could not rebuild the years he had wasted.

I looked toward the moon rising above the mountains.

"Tomorrow," I said quietly, "we'll finish this."