Chapter 116 A Family

Chapter 116 A Family
\- Princess Helena's POV -
“Listen to me, Helena,” he said, his voice low but intense. “My heart only beats for you—”
“Stop. Please…”
Tears streamed down my face.
“I am not the Helena you once knew, Froylan.”
My voice shook.
“I’m wolfless now.”
The word felt bitter on my tongue.
Empty.
“You won’t feel the bond the same way. I’m human now. So please… stop.”
I didn’t want false hope.
I didn’t want to break again.
I had rejected him.
I had pushed him away.
My wolf was gone.
The mate bond…
It must have died too.
I tried to pull my hand back.
But he wouldn’t let go.
His grip tightened.
Not painfully.
But firmly.
Like he would never allow me to slip away again.
His eyes darkened further.
Bottomless.
Unyielding.
“No. I won’t stop.”
His voice trembled slightly.
“You are mine, Helena. Only mine.”
My breath hitched.
“The moment I took you in my arms again, I knew. Even without your wolf, you are still my mate.”
He leaned closer.
“That bond can never be erased. Not by rejection. Not by death. Nothing can sever what we have.”
His voice cracked.
“I was dead without you, Helena. Don’t ask me to die again. Give me one more chance.”
I trembled.
Speechless.
Drowning in his eyes.
My heart beat wildly.
A rhythm only he could awaken.
Every part of me wanted to hold him.
To kiss him.
To cry in his arms.
But guilt wrapped around my throat.
“But… I hurt you,” I whispered.
My lips quivered.
“I destroyed you. I ruined your pack. I ruined everything, Froylan.”
The memories flooded back.
The accusations.
The chaos.
The blood.
The night I chose to leave.
“I can’t even face you after what I’ve done.”
His hand moved to my cheek.
He brushed away my tears.
His touch was gentle.
So gentle.
His lips curved into a faint smile.
“You’ve done nothing wrong, Helena. You only did what you thought was right.”
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I was at a loss for words…
I didn’t know what to say after Froylan explained everything to me. My mind felt heavy, as if too many truths had been poured into it all at once. I had thought I carried the darkest secrets. I had thought I was the one who destroyed everything.
But I was wrong.
So, the Rigorou Mountain Pack wasn’t really his.
It was Jerson’s.
The man I thought had been a loyal Alpha… the man who stood behind power and respect… he was nothing but a thief. A liar.
And what shocked me the most—
Froylan was also a victim.
Jerson had kidnapped him.
Kidnapped him.
Because Froylan belonged to a Rigador, one of the mightiest and oldest packs in the north. A pack known for strength. For honor. For bloodline.
“Y-you are W-Wolfie?” I stuttered, my lips trembling.
The name felt fragile on my tongue.
Wolfie.
The boy who followed me everywhere when we were younger. The one who used to smile so brightly. The one who promised he would protect me even if he was smaller than me back then.
He nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
He told me he was kidnapped fifteen years ago while helping a Princess search for her missing sister.
And that’s when my memories came flooding back.
The cold wind from the north.
The day I insisted we go further into Rigorou Mountain territory.
The fear in the air.
The moment I had lost consciousness.
I remembered feeling dizzy. Weak.
And then—
Nothing.
I had woken up in the castle days later.
Safe.
Unaware.
Unaware that Wolfie had been left behind.
Unaware that he had been taken.
Unaware that Jerson had chained him like an animal and forced him to live a life that wasn’t his.
I covered my mouth with my hand as tears fell freely.
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…” I kept muttering.
The guilt was suffocating.
If I had not insisted.
If I had been stronger.
If I had not fainted.
Maybe none of this would have happened.
Froylan or should I say Dennis... wrapped his arms around me as he held me tightly.
“It’s okay, Helena,” he whispered near my ear. “Don’t think it’s your fault, okay?”
But how could I not?
“You saved me from Jerson,” he continued. “You opened my eyes to the truth. If you hadn’t come back into my life, I would have remained blind… lost.”
His voice was warm.
Comforting.
But my heart still felt heavy.
I pulled back from the hug just enough to look at him.
His face looked serious, but gentle.
“I… I feel guilty,” I admitted. “It was my fault that Jerson caught you, Froylan. If you hadn’t met me… everything should have been fine. You would still be in your real pack. You wouldn’t have suffered.”
He lifted his hand and pressed a finger gently to my lips.
“Don’t say that.”
His eyes were firm.
“I never regretted a single moment of my life.”