Page 63 of The Careless Alpha

Her eyes widened, the surprise genuine. "You'd give up being Alpha?"

"Without hesitation," I confirmed. "Annalise, my first duty is no longer to the pack. It's to you and our son. Even if you decided you never wanted to be with me again, I would stay. I would live in this town, respect your space, and be a full-time father to Fenrir. I'll get a job at the marina, I'll wash dishes at the diner. I don't care. I will be here for you both."

A laugh bubbled up out of her. It wasn't a mocking sound; it was a gasp of pure, unadulterated surprise. It was the first time I had heard her genuinely laugh in my presence in years, and the sound was more beautiful than any victory howl.

I wasn’t offended. "I'm serious," I said softly. "Whatever it takes."

She studied my face for another long moment, the laughter fading from her eyes but leaving behind a warmth that hadn't been there before. Finally, she looked down at our sleeping son, her thumb gently stroking his cheek.

"When I was in Maine," she began, her voice quiet and reflective, "all I wanted was for Fenrir to be safe and loved. I thought that meant keeping him as far away from the pack—and from you—as possible. I thought I could build a wall around us, and that would be enough."

She looked back up at me, and her green eyes were clear and steady. "But since you've been back in my life, and especially since Fenrir’s birth... I've realized something. A wall keeps things out, but it also keeps things in. I don't want our son to be raised in hiding. He is the son of an Alpha. He deserves his birthright, his heritage, his pack. And he deserves a father."

She took a deep breath, and I could see the resolution solidifying in her gaze. "And I deserve my birthright. I am aLuna. I was trained for it, I was chosen for it, and I will not let what you did to me steal that from me. I won't let your mistakes define my destiny."

The power radiating from her was breathtaking. This was not a negotiation; it was a declaration.

"I will come back to the pack," she said, her voice growing stronger with every word. "I will take my place as your Luna, and we will raise our son as the heir he is meant to be. But I am not returning as the broken girl you banished. I am returning as your equal, and these are my terms. They are not negotiable."

I could only nod, my heart pounding in my chest. Ranger was silent, listening with rapt attention to the commands of his Luna.

"First," she said, holding up a finger, "we are partners. I'm not talking about titles or ceremonies. I am talking about real power. I will have a final say in decisions about the pack, about our son, about our future. I am not your mate who happens to be Luna. I am your co-leader."

Her eyes bored into mine, demanding assent. "Understood," I managed to say.

"Second," she continued, "the culture of disrespect ends now. You've removed the worst offenders, but the rot goes deeper. It will be made clear to every member of the Cascade Pack that I am not to be challenged, undermined, or disrespected in any way. If any she-wolf thinks she can try to seduce my mate or take his attention from our family, she will answer to me. I will not be protected by you; I will be supported by you. There is a difference."

The fierce, possessive claim in her voice made something hot and proprietary flare in my chest. This was the Luna I'd always known she could be.

"Third," she said, shifting Fenrir to her other arm, her movements confident and sure. "The pack itself will change.No more treating unmated wolves like second-class citizens. No more tolerating bullying and harassment. We will create a pack where everyone is valued, where strength is measured by character, not just by bloodline."

These were the very changes I had started to dream of, the things I had learned here at Tidecrest. To hear them from her lips, stated with such conviction, felt like the final piece of a puzzle clicking into place.

"Yes," I breathed, the word full of awe and agreement. "Yes, to all of it."

"And I want us to maintain a connection with the people here in Maine," she added, her voice softening slightly but losing none of its steel. "Rita, Tom, Dr. Harrison—they're my family. I will not abandon the people who saved me."

"They will always be welcome in our territory," I promised, my voice thick with sincerity. "They are family to this pack now, too." It wouldn’t be easy, but we’d find a way to welcome unsuspecting humans into our territory so Annalise could keep her new family.

She gave a small, appreciative nod before her gaze became intensely focused again. "One last thing," she said, her voice dropping to a near whisper, making it somehow more powerful than all the commands that had come before. "Our partnership as Alpha and Luna is one thing. Our relationship as mates is another. I am willing to give you a second chance, but you will earn it."

"I will," I said, my heart aching with the need to prove it.

"We will live together, raise Fenrir together, and lead the pack together. But the rest... we take that slowly. I need to rebuild what you broke, Marshall. I need to fall in love with the man you are now, not just cling to the ghost of the boy I once loved. I will move into the Luna suite when I return."

The words were a blade to the heart, a final, painful severance from the past. She was telling me we had to start over from nothing. I had destroyed her trust so completely that her unconditional love was gone. Now, I had to earn it, day by day, action by action.

"I understand," I said, my voice hoarse. "I want to court you, Annalise. Properly, this time. Not as an obligation, but as the center of my world. I want to show you every day that you are valued, cherished, and respected."

She was quiet for a long moment, looking down at Fenrir's sleeping face. Our son was perfect—tiny but strong, with Marshall's dark hair and what looked like it might be my stubborn chin.

"Alright," she said finally. "Let's do it."

The simple words hit me like a lightning bolt. After everything I'd done, after all the pain I'd caused, she was willing to give me another chance.

"Thank you," I said, my voice thick with emotion. "I won't let you down. I swear to you, I won't let you down."

"You better not," she said, but there was warmth in her voice now, the first real warmth I'd heard from her since I'd arrived in Maine. "Because I'm not the same person who would have forgiven you anything. I've learned to value myself, and I won't accept anything less than what I deserve."