Chapter 980

"No, they didn't," I say quietly, shaking my head. "I'm good."

"And the pictures of you in a crown..."

I shrug, giving Luca a quick summary of my time, holding out my wrist so he can see Gabriel's mark there too. His eyes widen at first when he sees it and I note, with a bit of a smile, that his fangs extend a little bit, a growl rumbling in his chest. But Luca tucks it all away quite masterfully and I drop my arm, not bothering to mention Jackson's mark.

Because that's clearly visible, isn't it? Just where the curve of my neck meets my shoulder. Luca's eyes flick to it, and then to his own mark high up, beneath my jaw. Except they're different, aren't they? Luca's mark has faded now - just a collection of scars. Jackson's is healed but alive, blushing warm and pink.

Luca sighs, dropping his eyes from my neck, his shoulders slumping. "I'm so, so sorry, Ariel," he says, shaking his head. "I regret...everything, that day. Everything

I did was wrong. I was a...fool and a child. And I'm so incredibly sorry."

"I forgive you,” I say, meaning it, my wolf howling a little to see him in such genuine pain. I care about him, after all – after everything. And he means this apology - we can tell that he does, both by the true grief we can see in him as well as...well, alongside the little pulse of it that I can feel coming down that's left of our bond.

Because it's still there, that little scrap. Not enough, anymore, for us to have a true and vivid connection like we once had. But...still extant. Still my mate, in this tiny

little way.

Luca just shakes his head, I think overwhelmed. I tilt my head to the side, thinking that it's so strange that I...just don't know precisely what he's feeling. When I'm so used to knowing.

"I'm sorry too," I say, reaching for him finally, my hand coming to rest on his forearm.

He lifts his head to look at me. "What?"

"I wasn't as good to you as I could have been, was I?" I whisper, my heart sinking, because I know that it's true.

"Ariel -"

"No," I say, shaking my head. "I mean, what you did was...really shitty, Luca. But I was keeping secrets too. I didn't choose Jackson as you accused me of doing - at least, not at that point. But I was hiding things from you and it wasn't fair. I should have told you that I had lost my virginity. I should have told you that he was sleeping in my bed every night -"

"He was what?” Luca's eyes go wide in appalled shock.

I grin a little and shrug. "The details don't matter."

"Like hell they don't!"

I laugh a bit, shaking my head, wrinkling my nose and taking a step away. "They don't. Not anymore. Just

on from it?"

maybe we can both agree to forgive each other? Move

"Yes," Luca breathes, taking a step towards me, reaching for me again. "Ariel, yes - if we could that would be amazing -"

"You're really important to me Luca," I say quietly, holding my ground. "I always want you in my life. I think that given time there's space here for a beautiful friendship."

Luca stops in his tracks, narrowing his eyes at me, straightening up and slipping his hands in his pockets probably to avoid grabbing me. "So that's where this is going? You're friend-zoning me, Ariel?"

I wrinkle my nose at him and smile. "Oh no, Luca, I think that you'll find that you friend-zoned me."

"I never -"

"You rejected me, Luca!" I say, laughing and shaking my head at him. "You broke our bond -"

"I held onto it -"

"You broke it," I say, staying firm even under the weight of his desperation when my first instinct is, as it always is, to say whatever it is that will make him happy.

"Ariel," he breathes, shaking his head at me, begging.

"When someone tells me they don't want to be with me," I say quietly. "I have enough self-respect to take them at their word and let them walk away."

"But I came back," he whispers, shaking his head.

I shrug, not giving into it. "It's done. Besides," I say, glancing over my shoulder. "I've made my choice. And got a new cute little family now to boot." My eyes travel upwards to the window to my family room where a figure looms in the window, a little gir held high in his arms, both of them peering down at us one curious, one grim.

I break into a grin at the sight of my sweetheart mate, all murdery and livid at Luca but still letting me deal with this myself. I give a little wave and, to my delight, Marigold waves Po

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Luca leans forward, peering up wards as well, unphased by the silent threat of Jackson standing there, all tense and lethal. “Who is that little kid?"

"Jackson's daughter." I turn back to Luca, pleased, wanting to see his reaction.

"Wha-“ Luca says, the word falling out on a appalled exhale of breath. "Where the hell did Jackson get a daughter!?"