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What happened earlier.

When Alpha Denzel left the Luna’s chamber, he rushed to Alessia’s room to fill her in, but she was already fast asleep.

The maids were still cleaning his room, so he couldn’t go there. Somehow, he also didn’t feel like being alone, so he lay on his back beside Alessia, his gaze fixed on the chandelier above. Every room in the pack house had a unique chandelier, but the most beautiful one was in the Luna’s chamber.

He missed lying beside Valerie, even if it was just to have a talk with her, but he didn’t have the courage to go back to her. She was too pure, and he felt like his darkness was closing in on her. He was supposed to protect and love her, but all he ever did was hurt her.

A strange presence intruded, waking Alessia from her sleep, though his movements were gentle.

"Denzel, what are you doing here?" Her voice sounded hoarse from being awakened by his presence.

He felt bad for disturbing her sleep, but where else could he go? In times past, he would have drowned his sorrows in alcohol and smoke, but he had his sister with him for the first time in years.

Soon, she might find her mate and leave the pack, so he had to make the most of every moment with her. "Aless, go back to sleep. We can talk about it when you wake up."

"I’m already awake. Please tell me," Alessia yawned and sat up on the bed. Grabbing her silky robe, she put it on over the transparent nightie she was wearing.

They might be siblings, but she was never comfortable exposing her skin in front of him. A few times they had seen each other naked while training in wolf form after a shift, but that was among all the other warriors.

"We have training in an hour. You should get more rest," Alpha Denzel glanced at her with pain in his eyes, and she sensed that something was amiss.

"I can’t rest when you look like this. Did you have another argument with Valerie?" She asked seriously. The only person who could make Alpha Denzel feel this way was Valerie.

"She wasn’t the rude woman at the club," Alpha Denzel said dejectedly, confusing Alessia.

"I don’t understand."

"She just told me that she wasn’t the woman in the video. It was her elder sister, Ashley."

The information sank in, and Alessia instantly understood everything. Valerie had lied to protect her sister, but Alessia knew how much it hurt Denzel to have been unkind to her because of that.

"Oh, Denzel. You were mean to her for no reason," she comforted him with a hug. Alpha Denzel hugged her back and spoke in a pained tone.

"I don’t deserve her. That’s why she can’t love me. She was innocent, and I kept being mean to her."

Alessia pulled away and tried to encourage him. "You didn’t have a choice."

"I did. I would have done things differently if I had known. I found joy in tormenting her and making her suffer because of that incident, and it turns out it wasn’t even her."

Alpha Denzel took responsibility for his actions, and the weight was heavy on his heart. When he was drawn by the mate bond to that Alpha’s conference, he only thought about how to protect his second chance mate without letting his enemies know that he found her.

As he drew closer and saw her face, irritation boiled in his heart, and he reacted without thinking. Knowing that the rejection would cause her embarrassment, he went ahead with it so she would feel what he felt. At the same time, he made his enemies think that he loathed her.

"Is she upset?" Alessia asked, thinking of a way to help in this complicated situation, but Alpha Denzel felt even guiltier for how he had treated her.

"No. She was actually apologizing on behalf of her sister. She has a heart of gold, and I feel that she’s too pure for me. My heart is too dark, and she’s too good for me. If we stay together any longer, I might just taint her purity with my darkness.

"So, are you planning to let her go?" Alessia was worried and didn’t like the question herself, but she needed to know.

"That’s the problem. I’m too greedy. I can’t let her go, and I can’t be by her side. How do I make it up to her? I can’t even face her." There was helplessness in his tone, revealing a side of him that Alessia never knew existed.

"Start by being nice. Be romantic and do things that men in love do for their women. Care for her and stop being so hard," she advised, drawing from what she had heard other she-wolves say about their mates.

Alpha Denzel knew it was impossible. His wolf was too much of a beast, and there was no romantic side to him. "Unless you can separate me from my wolf, I can’t do all that you’re suggesting."

Alessia yawned again. "You have to do it for her if you want her to love you," she said seriously, adding, "I think it’s time for training. Let me change before we go."

After training, Alpha Denzel went to prepare lunch, making a double portion for Valerie. He knew she would appreciate the food, especially since she hadn’t eaten anything since morning.

She might be up reading some books, so he told Alessia, "Please take this to her and make sure she eats. You two can go shopping afterward. There’s a lot to do, and I need to keep her with me."

Alessia took the platter and asked him, "Are you ready to face her?" Her heart sank at his response.

"No, but I’ll make other arrangements. I’ll be in the office if you need me. Remind me during training tomorrow to make a very important announcement," he said seriously.

In the office, he received a mindlink from Alessia. ’Denzel, Val won’t eat and has refused to go shopping. She said she won’t leave her room unless you both finish what you started last night.’

The mindlink ended abruptly, not allowing Alpha Denzel to respond and indicating that Alessia wasn’t willing to hear any excuses from him.

As soon as he rose to his feet, his phone lit up and began to vibrate. It was Troy. Alpha Denzel answered the phone as Troy spoke hastily.

"Alpha Denzel, can you do me a favor, please?"