Rejected at the River, Claimed by the Lycan King Chapter 07

Rejected at the River, Claimed by the Lycan King Chapter 07

He could barely contain his joy. His eyes turned red.

“I knew it. You were just mad at me. That’s why you wouldn’t come out before.”

I twisted my wrist, trying to break free. My voice was cold and distant.

“Cillian, let go. I didn’t come out because of you. Even if that’s true, I don’t care!”

He held on tighter, terrified I’d disappear again.

“I’m completely done with Hazel. The paperwork is all finished.”

“Come back to Blackthorn Pack with me. Let’s bond.”

“We ended the moment you let go of that rope.”

I looked him straight in the eye, my voice firm.

“I know I made a huge mistake that day. I’ve regretted it every second for the last two weeks.”

Cillian’s voice cracked. Tears welled up in his eyes.

“Elowen, please. Just give me one more chance to make things right. Please.”

For five years, I’d made excuses for how busy he was.

All it got me was one hurt after another.

Now, my only wish was to take my grandmother and leave. Live a quiet, normal life.

“Stop coming after me.”

I finally yanked my hand free and stepped back, putting distance between us.

Then I turned and ran toward home without looking back.

Behind me, Cillian stood frozen.

His eyes followed my back.

Full of pain and regret.

I told my grandmother everything—the Lycan King’s miracle in the middle of the night.

We didn’t waste a second. We packed up all our things and caught the first boat out at dawn.

I stood at the bow and looked back. The familiar scenery slowly faded behind us.

We changed buses and trains until we finally settled in a small town in the south.

Once we had a place, I found a job using my degree and experience.

Every day after work, I came home to find my grandmother tending the flowers in the yard.

The simple, everyday warmth felt real and happy.

…

Meanwhile.

Cillian was drowning in regret, suffering day after day.

After I left in secret, he still showed up at the palace gate every morning.

The wooden doll acted and moved exactly like me, and everyone believed it was really me.

Everyone told Cillian I would spend the rest of my life in that palace.

They told him to give up. But he wouldn’t.

He’d convinced himself that his own selfishness and mistakes had ruined my whole life.

The guilt consumed him.

Cillian completely gave up on going back to Blackthorn Pack. He threw away his title of Alpha and his future.

He scraped by doing odd jobs, poor and broken-down.

The confident, promising young man was gone.

Some of the older folks felt bad for him and tried to talk some sense into him. “Cillian, feeling sorry for yourself won’t change what’s already done.”

“You’re smart and talented. Go back to Blackthorn Pack. Make something of yourself.”

“Torturing yourself like this won’t undo the past.”

Cillian just shook his head slowly, staring blankly toward the palace.

His voice was full of obsession.

“I ruined her life. I don’t deserve to start over. I’m staying here with her. This is my punishment.”

He often walked to the riverbank where the flower boat ceremony had been held and just sat there.

Staring at the flowing water, memories flooding back.

The three years he’d spent training to pull the boat. The promises he’d made.

Now, all of it was just a spike of pain in his heart.

He still kept our matching couple rings, rubbing them every day.

But the rings had long since lost their shine.

And the constant sleeplessness and anxiety were destroying his body.

He coughed all the time now. His face was always pale.

At first, the pack members blamed him. But over time, they started to feel sorry for him.

But no one could wake someone who refused to wake up.

Every now and then, someone from the hometown would come to our small town looking for work and bring news of him.

When I heard that his health and state of mind were getting worse every day, I felt a little sad.

But I never once thought about going back.

Everyone chooses their own path, and everyone pays for it alone.

I’d finally broken free and found a new life. I wasn’t going to stop moving forward just because someone else was struggling.

My grandmother could tell what I was thinking. She said softly, “Let the past stay in the past.”

“We’re safe and sound now. That’s all that matters.”