Calvin's POV
Upon arriving at the Blue Bell Pack's celebration, a rare feeling of satisfaction settled in my chest. The plan was working. The guards at the entrance had barely spared me a second glance when I handed over my invitation, granting me access without suspicion. The grand hall was filled with energy-laughter, music, and the clinking of glasses creating a welcoming atmosphere.
I had come here with a purpose. My Pack was barely holding on, resources dwindling to dangerous levels. This was my chance to negotiate with the Alpha of Blue Bell, to form an alliance, to secure a trade deal that could keep my people from starving. That was all that mattered.
Or at least, it was. Until I saw her.
At first, my mind couldn't register it. I was making my way through the crowd when my eyes landed on a familiar figure at the buffet table. It felt like the air had been sucked out of the room.
Kamrynn.
My heart lurched in my chest, an erratic, painful thud. It had been so long-so long since I had last seen her, since she had fled my Pack, since I had wrongfully condemned her. And yet, there she was, standing in front of me, entirely real.
My body moved on instinct, weaving through the crowd toward her, my entire mission momentarily forgotten. She was dressed in a stunning sapphire gown, the fabric flowing elegantly around her, complementing her mesmerizing blue eyes. I found myself staring, unable to look away. Had she always been this beautiful? This effortlessly breathtaking?
She reached for a chocolate cupcake from the table, bringing it to her lips, and when her tongue flicked out to catch a stray crumb, I felt something tighten in my chest. My throat went dry, my breath unsteady.
And then I saw it-her stomach. Flat.
My wolf stirred restlessly, and the realization struck me like a blow. She had already given birth.
Where is my pup?
The thought sent a wave of excitement and apprehension coursing through me. Our child was out there, my heir-our legacy. Was it a boy? A girl? Did they look like me, or did they have Kamrynn's bright, piercing eyes? I had to know.
I couldn't wait any longer. My hand lifted before I could stop myself, tapping her shoulder.
The second she turned around, I knew I had made a mistake.
Horror crossed her face, raw and unfiltered, before it quickly twisted into something else-something even worse. Anger. Hatred.
That should have been my first sign to stop, to step back and respect the walls she had built between us. But I had never been good at listening when it came to Kamrynn. I had always been a selfish asshole.
And now, I was finally facing my consequences.
***
I had pulled her away from the party, gripping her hand as I led her into the hallway. She resisted, tried to shake me off, but I couldn't let her slip away again. Not when I finally had her right in front of me.
"Kamrynn, just listen to me," I pleaded, my grip firm but not forceful. "I need to talk to you."
I didn't know what I was expecting: For her to just forgive me and accept me with open arms? To forget all the evil I did to her? For her to revert to the best friend who had always seen past my mistakes, past my selfishness? I really didn't know but it certainly wasn't what happened.
She barely even listened to me, her pretty face twisting with rage, bitterness as she coldly passed judgement on me, listing out all my sins like an executioner.
All of that was fine. When I approached her, I knew I wouldn't be forgiven instantly. I had truly come prepared, ready to take any punishment she was willing to offer but all she did was say a few simple words and my world instantly shattered. I couldn't handle it, I still can't accept, can't bring myself to fathom it. The way she had coldly told me that she aborted our pup.
Even now, as I stood alone, the hallway deathly silent except for my own erratic breathing and the sounds coming from the party fading into the recesses of my mind, I couldn't accept it.
Kamrynn was gone, her footsteps fading into the distance, swallowed by the music and laughter of the party. But I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. I stood frozen, her words reverberating in my mind, hammering into my skull like a relentless storm.
"There is no baby. I got rid of it."
No matter how many times the words replayed, they didn't make sense. They didn't fit into the world I had imagined, the world where I would finally make things right.
I staggered back, my back hitting the cold stone wall as I gripped my head, my fingers digging into my scalp. My entire body felt numb, like I was floating outside of myself, watching as everything I had ever known crumbled to dust around me.
This couldn't be real.
Kamrynn was lying. She had to be.
She wouldn't-she couldn't-do something like that. No matter how much she hated me, no matter how much pain I had caused her, she would never destroy something so innocent. So precious.
Would she?
A cold shudder ran through me.
The weight of my mistakes pressed down on my chest, making it impossible to breathe. For so long, I had convinced myself that I would find her, that I would fix everything. I had dreamed of this moment-not the way it had played out, not with venom in her voice and hatred in her eyes, but with forgiveness. With hope.
I had told myself that once I apologized, once I proved to her that I knew I was wrong, she would soften. She would understand why I had done what I did.
I had been a fool.
Kamrynn had been my best friend. My confidante. The one person I trusted with everything. And I had betrayed her in the worst possible way. I had destroyed her.
I had ruined her.
And now, she had returned the favor.
I let out a shuddering breath, my legs giving out beneath me as I sank to the floor. My hands trembled as I pressed them against my face, but nothing could block out the truth screaming in my head.
My heir was gone.
Gone.
Not stolen. Not hidden away in some distant Pack.
Dead.
Because of me.
A sharp, strangled sound escaped my throat. My wolf howled inside me, thrashing against the walls of my mind, furious, grieving, mourning.
I had spent the past couple of months searching for Kamrynn, convinced that when I found her, I would also find my child. My legacy. I had imagined holding my pup for the first time, feeling their warmth against my chest, seeing Kamrynn's eyes reflected in their gaze.
And now...
There was nothing.
Nothing but this endless, crushing emptiness.
I clenched my fists, pressing them against my forehead as I rocked slightly, trying to hold myself together. But it was useless.
The realization hit me like a blade to the gut-I had done this.
I had done this to myself.
To her.
To our child.
I had always known I was selfish. I had always known I was cruel. But I had never thought the consequences would truly come for me.
That was the worst part.
"You deserve this, all of this. Because of you, we've lost our heir. Again." Fenrir, seething, restless within me.
I deserved every ounce of agony clawing at my insides, deserved every hateful word she had thrown at me, deserved the utter disgust in her eyes.
But my Pack-my people-they didn't deserve to suffer for my sins.
And yet, that's exactly what would happen.
Without Kamrynn, without my heir, my Pack was doomed. The Blue Bell Pack was my last chance to secure an alliance, to get the resources we needed to survive. But the second I saw Kamrynn, I had thrown it all away. I had chased after her, not thinking about the cost, not thinking about what I needed to do.
And now I had nothing.
No alliance.
No child.
No future.
A bitter laugh bubbled up from my throat, raw and broken.
I had spent so much time searching for Kamrynn, thinking she was my salvation.
But I had never stopped to consider that I was beyond saving.
I had lost everything.
And for the first time in my life, I had no one to blame but myself.
My body slumped forward, my forehead pressing against my knees as a choked sob escaped me. The great and powerful Alpha, reduced to nothing more than a broken man in a dark hallway, drowning in the wreckage of his own choices.
And the worst part?
Kamrynn would never look back.
She was free.
And I would spend the rest of my life drowning in the pain I had created.