Ruby's POV
"Alpha Elias wanted me to bring you home. He's still concerned about your wellbeing."
"Stop, Lyanna." I slumped deeper into the helicopter seat, exhausted from pretending everything was fine. "He made his position crystal clear. Told me to abandon my ridiculous delusions."
Lyanna opened her mouth as if to argue, then closed it again. Her expression held that mixture of pity and helplessness that I absolutely couldn't stand right now.
"I shouldn't interfere, but Alpha Elias is truly isolated and in pain. We all hoped he would find someone to bring him joy. We believed that person could be you."
"Obviously, I was wrong about that," I said flatly.
I understood that Elias was damaged goods. The sleepless nights, the unpredictable temper, the way he would sometimes retreat into himself completely. Some dark history haunted him that I would never be privy to.
But here's the problem - he never allowed me access to that world.
