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“What happens now?”I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Sterling’s fingers traced idle patterns on my arm.“We go back.We finish what we started.”

I tilted my head to look at him.“And your family?”

His jaw tightened, but his voice was steady.“Violet won’t stop.Not after this.But I’m done running.I’ll face her.On my terms.”

Chapter 11

STERLING

The morning of the press conference, I stood in front of the windows of my penthouse.Behind me, Ariel sat cross-legged on the couch with her laptop balanced on her knees.Her glasses slipped down her nose as her fingers tapped out a relentless beat on her keyboard.

“You’re pacing,” she said without looking up from her screen or pausing her fingers.“It’s distracting.”

I stopped mid-step and turned to her.“I’m not pacing.I’m strategizing.”

She glanced up and pinned me with a sharp look.“You’re pacing and you’re going to wear a hole in the floor if you don’t stop.”

I sighed before running a hand through my hair.“Fine.I’m pacing.”

She set her laptop aside and stood.Then she crossed the room calmly.Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into her warm embrace.The moment her body pressed against mine, the mate bond flared to life between us.Pure love and acceptance flowed from her soul to mine.Ariel’s scent enveloped me, and my beast purred with contentment.

“You’re going to be fine,” she whispered against my chest.“You’ve got this.”

The knot of anxiety that had been strangling me for hours began to loosen.Through our bond, I felt her unwavering faith in me, her love washing over my doubts like a tide erasing footprints in the sand.My wolf settled, no longer thrashing restlessly beneath my skin.In her arms, the weight of expectations and fear simply melted away, leaving only the certainty that with her by my side, I could face anything.

“Do I?”I asked, my voice more unsteady than I intended.“This isn’t just a speech, Ariel.It’s me standing in front of the world and saying, ‘Hey, my family’s a bunch of criminals, but I’m not.’How do I know they’ll believe me?”

She cupped my face gently, her thumb brushing against my stubble, and I nuzzled my cheek into her touch.“Because it’s the truth.And because you’re not just saying it, you’re showing it.You’re donating your fortune, Sterling.You’re making amends.That’s real.”

I’d spent so long running from my family’s legacy, trying to outpace it, that I hadn’t stopped to consider what it meant to face it head-on.To own it.To change it.

“What if I’m not enough, Ariel?”I asked.“What if I’m just another Nightfang, no matter how hard I try to outrun it?”

“You’re not your family, Sterling.You’re the man who’s fighting to be better.That’s what matters.”

“And what if I fail?”

Her hand moved lower to rest on my chest, right over my heart.“Then you’ll get back up.Because that’s who you are.And because I’ll be here to kick your ass until you do it,” she said with a smirk.

We spent the next hour rehearsing.Ariel’s notes were scattered across the coffee table as she played the role of both skeptical journalist and supportive confidante.Every time I stumbled over a phrase, she’d nudge my shoulder with hers, and help me get back on track.

The quiet moment was shattered when my phone lit up with a notification.

Violet: “Meet me at Amalfi.One hour.Or the world sees what you really are.”

Ariel’s hand closed around my wrist before I could throw the phone across the room.“What is it?”

“Violet,” I said flatly.“She wants to talk.”

Ariel’s expression hardened.“Then we’ll talk.”

“No.I’ll talk.You’re staying here.”

She crossed her arms.“Like hell I am.”

“Ariel—”