He had prayed since his youth for Addison to be his. He had hoped, wished, and begged for her to be the one chosen for him. But now, faced with reality, it felt like a cruel twist of fate, a silent, stinging slap from the heavens.
"Addison."
Lance's voice broke as he finally stood in front of her, raw, choked with emotion, barely holding back a sob. For six long years, he had waited, aching, hoping, praying for her return. He had clung to the memory of her with everything he had, wishing that one day she'd come back... and that she'd be his, in body, soul, and heart.
But now, here she was, recognizing other wolves as her fated mates.
It gutted him. Tore through him like claws to the chest.
"Welcome back," Lance said, forcing a smile. But the smile twisted painfully on his face, it looked more like a grimace than a welcome. It was the kind of expression uglier than tears, because it held back everything he didn't dare say aloud. Bitterness rose in his throat like bile.
