[ELENA'S POV]
I watched Adrian's interview three times.
The first time, I cried angry tears. How dare he air our relationship drama on national television? How dare he use our pain for redemption?
The second time, I cried sad tears. Because I could see it—the genuine remorse, the vulnerability he'd never shown me before, the raw honesty about his failures.
The third time, I just listened. Really listened to what he was saying.
"He's really doing it," I whispered to Pippa, who'd watched with me. "He's actually trying to change."
"He is," she agreed carefully. "But Elena, you need to understand something. People can change. But they usually don't. And even when they do, it takes years, not weeks."
"I know."
"Do you? Because I saw your face during that interview. You're softening toward him."
Was I? Maybe. The bond certainly was—it practically sang when I watched him, recognizing something different in our mate.
"What do I do?" I asked.
"What do you want to do?"
I thought about it. Really thought about it, separate from the bond, from pack politics, from what everyone else expected.
"I want to believe him," I admitted. "I want to believe people can change, that he can become someone healthy. But I'm scared."
"Of what?"
"Of getting hurt again. Of falling for the same patterns. Of confusing effort with actual change." I hugged a pillow to my chest. "What if he's just gotten better at manipulation? What if this is another test?"
Pippa considered that. "That's possible. Narcissists can be very good at performing change without actually changing. But here's what I noticed in that interview: he didn't ask you for anything. He didn't demand forgiveness or make promises. He just... took responsibility."
She was right. The old Adrian would have used the interview to pressure me, to make grand gestures, to create a narrative where I had to respond.
This Adrian had simply told the truth and left the ball in my court.
My phone buzzed. Not Adrian—my mother.
Mom: I watched the interview. We need to talk.
I called her back, steeling myself for... I wasn't sure what.
"Elena." Her voice was warm. "How are you, sweetheart?"
"I'm okay, Mom. Confused, but okay."
"I imagine so. That was quite an interview." She paused. "Your father and I have been talking. We owe you an apology beyond what we said last time."
"You already apologized—"
"Not adequately. Elena, we raised you to believe your worth was tied to pack alliances and strategic marriages. We pushed you toward Adrian because it benefited the Sterling pack. We didn't consider whether it benefited you." I heard her take a shaky breath. "We failed you as parents. And we're sorry."
Tears spilled down my cheeks. "Mom..."
"You were right to walk away from that wedding. You were right to choose yourself. And we should have supported that immediately, not made you feel like you'd failed some obligation." Her voice strengthened. "You are the Sterling Pack heir because you're brilliant, strong, and capable. Not because of who you marry. Do you understand me?"
"I do," I whispered.
"Good. Now, about Adrian's interview—"
"What about it?"
"He's either genuinely changing or he's the best actor I've ever seen." Mom's tone turned analytical. "I've known that boy since he was a child. I've watched him grow up under his father's toxic influence. What he said in that interview, about the manipulation and control issues, that tracks with what I know of Jonathan Blackwood's parenting."
"You think he's being honest?"
"I think he's trying to be. Whether he can sustain it is another question." She sighed. "Elena, I'm not going to tell you what to do. This is your life, your choice. But I will say this: if you decide to give him another chance, do it on your terms. Not because of the mate bond, not because of pack politics. Because you genuinely believe he's become someone worthy of your time."
After we hung up, I sat with that advice.
My terms. What would those even be?
The floating messages appeared:
[She's considering it!]
[But wait... something's about to happen that changes everything]
[Incoming: external threat!]
I frowned at that last message. What external threat?
My phone rang again. This time it was James.
"Elena, I need you to come to my office. Now. It's urgent."
"What's wrong?"
"Just come. Please. And bring Pippa."
Thirty minutes later, Pippa and I sat in James's law office while he pulled up a series of documents on his computer.
"This arrived an hour ago," he said, turning the screen toward us. "A formal challenge to Elena's position as Sterling Pack heir."
"What?" I leaned forward, reading the legal document. "On what grounds?"
"On the grounds that you abandoned pack territory and responsibilities to pursue a personal vendetta against Adrian Blackwood. That your judgment is compromised by the failed mate bond. That you're emotionally unstable and unfit to lead."
My blood ran cold. "Who filed this?"
James pulled up another document. "A coalition of Sterling Pack elders. Led by your uncle, Richard Sterling."
Of course. Uncle Richard had always believed pack leadership should go through the male line. He'd been furious when my father chose me as heir.
"This is bullshit," Pippa said hotly. "Elena left because Adrian was toxic! That's not abandoning responsibility, that's self-preservation!"
"I agree," James said. "But pack law is complicated. If enough elders vote to challenge her designation, your father would have to hold a formal hearing. Elena would need to prove her fitness to lead."
"How do I do that?" I asked, my mind already racing through possibilities.
"You'd need to return to Boston. Face the challenge directly. Show the pack that you're stable, capable, and ready to lead." He grimaced. "Basically, everything your uncle is saying you're not."
I sat back, processing. I'd come to England to escape drama, to find myself, to heal. And now I was being forced back into the thick of it.
"When is the hearing?" I asked quietly.
"Two weeks. I can probably push for a delay, but not much more than that."
Two weeks to go back to Boston, face the pack, prove myself worthy, and probably see Adrian.
"There's one more thing," James said carefully. "Your uncle is arguing that you should accept a strategic marriage to stabilize your position. He's already floating several candidates."
"Let me guess—all of them from families loyal to him?"
"Exactly."
I stood up and walked to the window, looking out over London. I'd found peace here. Freedom. A version of myself that wasn't defined by pack politics or toxic relationships.
But I couldn't run from my responsibilities forever.
"I'll go," I said finally. "I'll face the challenge. And I'll prove that I'm exactly who the Sterling Pack needs."
Pippa jumped up. "I'm coming with you."
"You don't have to—"
"The hell I don't. You're going into a political lion's den, and you need backup." She grinned. "Besides, I've been dying to see how this whole situation resolves. It's better than reality TV."
Despite everything, I laughed.
James stood as well. "I'll file the response and arrange for representation at the hearing. But Elena?" His expression was serious. "This is going to be brutal. Your uncle will bring up Adrian, the wedding disaster, every mistake you've made. You need to be prepared."
"I will be."
That night, I packed my bags and booked a flight back to Boston. Back to the city I'd fled from, back to the pack that was challenging my right to lead.
Back to where Adrian was.
The bond hummed with awareness, recognizing that I was coming closer. I could feel his surprise, his hope, his apprehension.
I texted him for the first time since the interview:
I'm coming back to Boston. Not for you—for pack business. But we should probably talk.
His response was immediate:
Whatever you need. I'll be here.
No demands. No manipulation. Just availability.
Maybe he really had changed.
Or maybe I was about to make the same mistake all over again.
Either way, I was going to face it head-on.
Because I was Elena Sterling, heir to the Sterling Pack, and I didn't run from challenges.
Not anymore.