Page 79 of The Possessive Alpha’s Reborn Luna

"Not until I lost you did I finally understand—I'd already fallen in love with you. Without you, living has no meaning." He opened his eyes, looking at me with desperation and pleading. "Please, give me one more chance. Let me spend the rest of my life making it up to you. Let me prove I truly love you."

Tears streamed down my face.

His words, his eyes, everything he'd done for me...

My defenses crumbled bit by bit.

But images from my past life surfaced—that fire, him carrying Victoria away, his back to me as I called out in desperation. He never looked back.

I looked at him, my heart feeling crushed. I forced back tears, making myself sound more heartless. "I don't need your compensation. I don't want anything more to do with you. Rest and recover. When you're healed... leave."

I turned toward the door.

"Alice..." His weak voice came from behind, heavy with despair.

I didn't look back. If I did, I'd weaken.

I hurried from the room, closing the door behind me. Leaning against it, I finally broke down, covering my mouth to muffle my sobs.

Why...

Why did my heart hurt so much? Why, when I should hate him, couldn't I help but ache at his words?

Chapter Nineteen

Cedric

The door closed behind her. That dull thud sounded like a final verdict.

She was gone.

She didn't want to forgive me. Didn't even want to see me again.

A tearing pain spread from my chest, a thousand—no, ten thousand times worse than any wound.

My wolf let out a mournful howl, the sound so piercing it shattered my heart. Despair, agony, and refusal all tangled together.

He clawed at the depths of my consciousness, every bite tearing at my insides. He thrashed, snarled, fought to break through the cage of reason. He wanted to chase her down, drag her back, fall to his knees, and beg her to look at us one more time.

Go after her!

Now!

She's ours!

Our mate!

Our everything!

"I know..." My voice scraped out like sandpaper. "I know... but she doesn't want us..."

Lock her up! Never let her leave!

"No!" I ground my teeth, suppressing his impulse as he fought me for control of my body. "I won't do that to her!"

But even as I said it, every cell in my body trembled. My soul felt ripped in half—one side rational, telling me I couldn't force Alice into anything. The other side screaming to run out there, find her, hold her, tell her how much I loved her, how much I regretted everything, how desperately I wanted to fix those damned, irreversible mistakes.

Even if she never forgave me, I'd keep her at my side.