Page 44 of The Careless Alpha

"She'll understand once I explain—" I started, then stopped. How would I explain that I'd always planned to be the perfect mate once she turned eighteen? That the other she-wolves were just a temporary solution to manage my alpha needs while I waited for her to mature? I would need to think this through very carefully.

"We’ve discussed this,” Jackson said. “From what Pierce described, she's not some desperate girl waiting to be saved. She has friends, a job, stability. Why would she want to give that up to come back here?"

The question hit harder than I wanted to admit. "Because she's my mate. Because that's my heir she's carrying. She has to know I was always going to choose her in the end."

"You rejected her," Jackson said bluntly. "You severed the mate bond yourself. She doesn't owe you anything."

"But I was always planning to be devoted to her after her birthday," I said desperately, as if repeating my original intentions made them clearer. "I just needed to manage my biological needs while she grew up. I'm an Alpha—I couldn't remain celibate for years waiting for a child to mature. She had to understand that."

"Did she, though?" Jackson's voice was sharp. "Did you think to sit down and explain it to her?"

I shook my head. Of course, I didn’t sit down and discuss my sexual appetite with a young girl. "The pack needs its Luna. My son needs to be raised as the heir."

"Your son needs a father who won't call his mother a whore. Annalise needs a mate who won't throw her away the moment things get complicated," Jackson snarled back at me.

He's right,Ranger said sadly.We destroyed everything. We have no right to expect anything from her.

"I have to try," I said desperately. "I can't just leave her out there. I can't let my son grow up thinking his father didn't want him."

"Then you better be prepared for rejection," Jackson said. "Because that girl has every reason to hate you and no reason to trust you."

"I'll make her understand—"

"You'llmakeher understand?" Jackson's voice grew sharp. "You'llmakeher? Do you hear yourself? You're still talking about her like she's something to be managed instead of a person with her own thoughts and feelings."

The criticism stung because it was true. Even now, even after everything, I was still thinking about what I wanted, what I needed, what the pack required.

"How do I fix this?" I asked. I’d asked for advice from my mother. Now seemed like a good time to see what Jackson’s advice was.

"You start by accepting that you might not be able to fix this," Jackson replied. "You put her needs above your wants. You understand that if she's happy where she is, maybe that's more important than what you think you deserve."

That night, I stood in my empty office looking at another photograph Pierce had sent. Annalise outside a small diner, her hand resting protectively on her growing belly, talking to an older woman who radiated maternal concern.

She looked different. Older, more confident, like she'd found something in Maine that she'd never had here. Independence, maybe. Self-worth, maybe. She was glowing.

She's beautiful,Ranger said with longing.Our mate is so beautiful.

"She is," I agreed.

I'd always known she would be. That's why I'd been so confident about my plan—wait for her to mature, thentransition seamlessly into being the devoted mate she deserved. I'd genuinely believed I was being responsible, practical even. An Alpha had needs, biological imperatives that couldn't be ignored. The other she-wolves were just... maintenance. A way to manage my requirements while protecting Annalise's innocence.

I'd never considered that she might see it differently. That every woman I brought home, every casual touch, every night I spent elsewhere was a message that she wasn't worth waiting for.

We were so arrogant,Ranger said with shame.We thought we could control everything, manage everyone's feelings like pack logistics.

"I thought she'd understand," I said quietly. "I thought she'd be grateful that I'd saved the real commitment for her."

Instead, we taught her she was worthless. We made her believe she was just a duty to be endured.

Annalise was building a life without me. Making friends, working hard, and preparing to raise our son alone.

But I had to try. I had to at least tell her I was sorry, that I knew what I'd thrown away, that she deserved better than what little I'd given her.

Even if she never forgave me, even if she sent me away without a second thought, I owed her the truth about that night. About how I felt when I held her, about the words I'd whispered in the darkness, about the love I'd been too proud and scared to acknowledge.

The hunt was almost over. Soon, I would face the woman I'd destroyed and try to find the words to make it right.

Prepare for rejection,Ranger warned.