Alpha alec's redemption (Sadie) novel Chapter 238

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. The silence stretched until it felt like it would choke me.

“You don’t have to say anything,” he said gently. “I’m not telling you to give him a chance, Sadie. That’s your choice. But I think… I think it’s time to stop hiding.”

“Hiding?” I repeated, my voice hollow.

“You think you healed from what happened, but you didn’t. You just got really good at pretending it didn’t hurt anymore. At locking it away. But burying your feelings isn’t the same as healing. Healing means letting go of the past—not just locking it in a box and pretending it doesn’t exist.”

His words landed like a weight on my chest.

I didn’t respond. I couldn’t.

“I’ll reach out to some of my contacts,” he continued when I didn’t speak. “See if I can dig up anything about Kaden or Xena. Before I forget, say hi to my favorite niece.”

“Thanks, King, I will.” I murmured.

“Anytime. And Sadie?”

“Yeah?”

“Be kind to yourself. Okay?”

He hung up before I could reply.

I stared at the screen for a long time, his words still echoing in my head. Burying your feelings isn’t the same as healing.

I hated that he was right.

I hated it even more because I didn’t know what to do about it.

I pushed the thoughts away and reached out through the mind-link. Meet me at the training ground in ten, I told my warriors. We’ve got work to do.

They arrived within minutes, forming a tight semi-circle around me. Familiar faces, familiar strengths. My pack.

“What’s up, boss?” one of them asked, stretching.

I smiled faintly. “We’ll be helping Alec’s warriors train. Starting today.”

A chorus of cheers and mutters of excitement followed.

“Finally,” someone groaned. “I was getting bored. I swear I’ve memorized every crack in this packhouse.”

I laughed; the sound surprised even me. “Well, you’re about to get a challenge, because training will be different given you’ll have a hybrid training you.”

Wide eyes stared back at me.

“You are not joking, are you?” one of them asked, shock written all over his face.

“No, I’m not.”

She had told me before I left for my run that she dreamed of him and that she could find him by smell. I honestly didn’t take her seriously, but maybe I should have.

“You okay?” Alec asked quietly, his voice close to my ear.

I nodded, forcing a smile toward Aspen. “Yeah. Just tired.”

But it was a lie.

Because inside, I was crumbling.

King’s words still echoed in my chest, and the sight of Alec and Aspen had ripped something open in me.

No matter how much I tried to fight it, deny it, bury it…

I craved this.

I craved him.

I craved a family of my own.

Even if I wasn’t ready to admit it out loud.