Just like me.
But would Ryland ever realize that? Would he ever piece together the truth, that the woman he was investigating was the very one he had pushed aside, the one he had cast away for someone else?
I doubted it.
Elara POV
After my parents' death, I was taken in by Ryland's family.
Back then, Ryland had been more than just a friend to me. He was like an older brother to me, always there when I needed him comforting me when I had nightmares and caring for me. As pups, he even gave me his most prized possession—a hand-carved wolf figurine his father had made for him. I cherished it, the way he cherished me.
Later, when Ryland’s father, the former Alpha – Gregory Ashford was killed in an inter-pack rival dispute, the two of us were left to rely on each other. While Ryland was thrust into the leadership of the Crescent Moon Pack far too soon.
When I had first gotten my wolf and had struggled with my first transformation during a full moon, feverish and calling out for my parents in my delirium, Liam stayed by my side day and night, helping me through the painful process never leaving until I finally transformed. He was my rock, my protector. But things were different now.
It all changed when Selene, his first love, entered our lives. She was breathtaking, a high-ranking she-wolf from another pack, and suddenly, I became invisible to Ryland. The bond we’d shared for twenty years was severed in an instant.
As soon as Selene moved into the packhouse, she fell ill. She couldn’t breathe, gasping for air as her wolf fought to heal her. The healers had said she was suffering from a severe reaction to the flowers and herbs I kept and nurtured in the packhouse garden.
Ryland immediately blamed me and my obsession with flowers. He said I’d been reckless, that I’d endangered Selene’s life on purpose. No matter how many times I explained that it was a mistake and that I hadn’t meant any harm, he wouldn’t listen. He was convinced I had caused Selene to fall sick.
I couldn't understand how twenty years of pack loyalty and trust could shatter instantly because of someone he had just reunited with.
Twenty years of affection and trust—gone. All because of her.