Chapter 16
Over the next few days, Isla and Riven started going to the pet clinic together regularly.
Thanks to the vet staff’s care, the kitten was doing much better–eating, meowing, even swatting at fingers with renewed sass.
Isla would’ve taken her home in a heartbeat, but her lease was strict: no pets, no exceptions.
“Why don’t I keep her at my place?” Riven offered as they left the clinic one evening. “My apartment’s bigger, and I’ve had cats before.”
He pulled out his phone and showed her a photo from his gallery. “This little guy was with me for six years.”
Isla smiled at the round–eyed tabby staring
“Alright,” she said, hugging the kitten gently. much.”
from the screen. “He’s adorable.”
I’m buying the food. You already covered the vet bills—at least let me do this
“Deal.” He nodded. “But you’re not hauling everything alone. I’ll come with you.”
She hadn’t expected him to be this considerate. But the moment he offered, she felt an unexpected warmth bloom in her chest.
They went shopping together, picking out food, toys, a litter box, and more things than either of them originally planned. Isla had a hard time choosing–indecisive by nature–but Riven was endlessly patient, offering suggestions without rushing her. Not once did he sigh or check his phone.
It caught her off guard–how gentle he was, how present. For a moment, she remembered Rhett. How he’d once been patient, too. But that didn’t last. Eventually, even listening to a tape she made was too much effort for him.
“You okay?” Riven asked, noticing the flicker of something in her eyes.
She blinked. “Yeah. I just realized… we never named her.”
“Well, you’re the official cat mom. Got any ideas?”
Isla thought for a second. “Summer. I found her in the middle of June.”
She looked up at him, almost shyly. “You like it?”
Kiven smiled. “Yeah. I do. Summer it is.”
By the time they left the last store, the sun had dipped low. Riven hailed a ride, and while they waited, he even called ahead to make sure the driver allowed pets. When the car pulled up, the driver gave Isla a weird, lingering look, then muttered something to Riven in a language she didn’t catch.
Isla leaned closer as they climbed in. “What did he just say? Why did he look at me like that?”
Riven kept a straight face. “He said your kitten’s so cute, he almost wanted to steal her.”
Isla clutched Summer closer, eyes wide. “What?! Why would he-?”
Riven laughed. “I’m kidding.
She narrowed her eyes but said nothing, still holding the kitten tight. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, that quiet, crooked smile playing on his lips again.
Once they go back, Isla reluctantly handed Summer over to Riven. She watched as he carefully settled the kitten into a cozy new spot in his apartment. Only when she was sure Summer was safe did she head back to her own place.
After a hot shower, her phone buzzed.
She didn’t expect any messages.
But it wasn’t a message–it was a push notification.
Chapter 16
GoodShort
A headline lit up her screen:
#Echelon Pack Alpha Publicly Cancels Mating Ceremony.
Below it, a photo of Arabella at the altar. Alone.
The article detailed everything–how he walked out mid–ceremony, announced the girl beside him wasn’t his true mate, and left the crowd stunned.
But what stopped Isla cold wasn’t the chaos. It was the sunflowers.
Everywhere.
On the invitation graphics. On the favor boxes. Even the centerpieces on each table.
He remembered.
She’d once told him she loved sunflowers. That her dream mating
So he had remembered.
Ceremony would be filled with them.
Isla stared at the screen for a long time. Then she slowly scrolled down the page.
Somewhere in the article, it mentioned a tape.
Her tape.
He’d heard it.
So he knew now. Knew it had been her all along.
But none of it mattered.
Not anymore.
Because she hadn’t forgotten how he’d treated her before. How easily he’d thrown her away.
14
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ད་ ན་ ས་ ས་ན་ནད་རད་ འདས་ ད་ འན་ད་ད་ཆ་་ལ་དང་གསོད་འདཞན་ལ་ཆ་དང་ད ེང་
ཤད་གངས་ཚད་པ་ད་ ད་ ད་ ་ནང་ གང་ད་ད་ད་ཚདག་དང་ད་ཆ་ང་ལ་“ནད་པ་ཅད་ད
གན་ ན་བོད་ 67]་པད་ གང་ཞིན་དང་ག་དེ་ངས་ད་ནས་ད་ teorpti%
Even if he regretted it now–even if he turned the whole world upside down trying to fix it–some things couldn’t be undone.
She closed the page and quietly unfollowed the news outlet.
Whatever happened in that world… it no longer had anything to do with her.
Chapter 16
