Chapter 24
After that day, Isla never saw Rhett again.
Rumor had it that he left the Echelon Pack for good. No one knew where he’d gone.
Regis and Viviana tried reaching out to her once. She didn’t say a word–just mailed back the severance document they’d sent her, the one that officially disowned her.
Did it sting? Of course it did. But Isla had no intention of ever reopening that chapter.
Some doors were meant to stay shut.
A year passed.
By then, Isla had opened a small design studio of her own. Just a modest place, but it was hers–built from the ground up with a few like–minded friends who shared her vision.
The hours were longer. The pressure heavi
But for the first time, she was chasing her dream—and living it.
That morning, the studio finally opened its doors. As tradition demanded, she planned
But when she knocked on his apartment door, there was no answer.
She frowned and called him. Once. Twice. Then five times.
Still nothing.
A news alert suddenly popped up on her phone–fatal crash involving a black Pagani.
dead at the scene.
Her heart lurched.
A black Pagani. Riven’s twenty–fifth birthday gift to himself.
to
drag
Riven out to celebrate.
becomist હવે
નવસારી ખા
સ્તનના સ
બનાવ
Rear–ended at high speed. Driver pronounced
She didn’t wait to read the rest. Her fingers trembled as she hailed a ride to the crash site.
She’d never been this terrified in her life.
At every red light, she whispered frantic prayers. Please, please let it not be him.
Th
When she finally arrived, the scene was blocked off by werewolf officers. Police tape cordoned off the wreckage. The charred Pagani sat mangled like a carcass in the center.
Isla tried to rush forward but was stopped.
“I need to see him,” she said breathlessly. “The driver–he’s someone I know,”
“What’s your relation to the victim?” the officer asked, lifting an eyebrow.
She hesitated for only a split second. “He’s my mate.”
The words came out firm. Convincing.
The officer looked surprised. Then pulled out a tablet and showed her a photo for confirmation.
It wasn’t Riven.
It was an older man, at least sixty, identified as a known smuggler. The crash had been caused by a heart attack behind the wheel. Her knees gave out as relief crashed into her.
She slumped onto the pavement, chest rising and falling as if she hadn’t taken a breath in hours.
Chapter 24
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Riven arrived minutes later, completely confused by the officer’s call.
He spotted Isla first–kneeling on the pavement, pale and trembling, like her whole world had just collapsed.
His heart seized.
He ran toward her. “Isla!”
She looked up, her eyes red–rimmed and glassy.
Before he could ask what had happened, he caught sight of the wreckage behind her.
What was left of a black Pagani. His black Pagani.
And in that instant, everything made sense.
His car had been stolen. She’d seen the crash on the news. And for a moment… she thought he was gone.
He dropped beside her and pulled her into his arms, holding her close.
“I’m here,” he murmured into her hair, voice shaking. “I’m okay. I’m right here.”
Isla looked up at him, eyes brimming with tears. “Where the hell were you? I thought you were…”
“I was setting something up for you,” he said with a sheepish grin. “Was gonna surprise you.”
She blinked, still sniffling. “A surprise?”
“Yeah. I was gonna confess today.”
Her brows lifted. “Let me guess… in my office?”
He froze. “How’d you know?”
“I have cameras, genius.”
Riven smacked a hand to his forehead. “Damn. Forgot about that.”
***
I will winter તેમના
དདདདད་གང་དེར་ཐར་གEETTELEPAG
She had known. But she hadn’t said anything–because even knowing, it still made her heart
race.
He reached into his pocket then, suddenly serious. “Well, since we’re skipping surprises…”
He pulled out a ring.
Isla’s breath caught.
“I thought you were confessing,” she whispered. “What’s with the ring?”
He smiled. “Confession, proposal… they’re both leading to the same place.”
His tone was unwavering. Steady. Certain.
She laughed through another tear. “You’re insane.”
“But you like that about me.”
She didn’t answer right away. Just looked at the ring, then at him.
“I’ll think about it,” she said teasingly.
He nodded. “Take your time.”
But the way she smiled at him?
He already knew her answer. Chapter 24
