Fated to the Alpha Who Killed Me (by Sherry) novel Chapter 139

‘Maybe. Or trying to convince herself she’d moved on.” He shook his head. “But somewhere along the way, it became real. They fell for each other. I could see it. Daemon’s whole face changed when he looked at her.

And Aurora stopped looking at me. She stopped performing.”

I thought about that. About how things can start one way and become something else.

“What happened when Daemon’s family found out?”

Evan’s jaw tightened. “Dominic and Victoria tried to handle it quietly. They offered Aurora’s family money

to relocate. Tried to make it seem like an opportunity. But Aurora and Daemon were determined. They

thought love would be enough.”

He laughed bitterly. “Then Daemon’s grandfather got involved. He decided the Wildfire alliance was more

valuable than Daemon’s happiness. He made it clear. If Daemon didn’t go through with your mating

ceremony, Aurora’s entire family would be branded rogues. They’d lose everything.”

My stomach turned. “So Daemon had to choose between Aurora and destroying her family.”

“Yes. And Daemon tried to find a way out. He talked to every Council member. He even considered

challenging his grandfather. But Aurora begged him not to. She said she’d rather lose him than watch him

die.”

“So he went through with our ceremony.”

“Yes. That day, Aurora went to the river.” Evan’s voice was quiet. “I don’t think she planned it. I think she

went there to think. To process. But the grief overwhelmed her. The water was cold and fast. By the time

anyone found her, it was too late.”

I felt sick. “And Daemon?”

Evan’s voice cracked. “Daemon came to me that night. After the ceremony. After they found her body. He

showed up around one in the morning. He just sat on my couch and stared at nothing for hours. I’d never

seen him like that. He didn’t cry. Didn’t rage. He just sat there.”

“What did he say?”

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Chapter 139

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“Nothing for hours. Then just before dawn, he said, ‘I should have fought harder.‘ That was it. Then he left.”

Tears burned my eyes. “Did you see him after?”

“Not for three days. He disappeared. Victoria and Dominic were frantic. But he came back eventually.” Evan’s

face was hollow. “And when he did, he was different. The Daemon I knew was gone. He went through the

motions. Played the Alpha heir. Played the husband. But the person inside was dead.”

I wiped my eyes. “And I never knew. I spent five years trying to make him love me. Not understanding I was

living with a ghost.”

“You couldn’t have known. Victoria and Dominic made sure no one talked about Aurora. They erased her

from pack history.”

“Then Celeste showed up. Looking exactly like her.”

“Looking exactly like Aurora,” Evan confirmed. “Same hair. Same eyes. Same everything. When I first saw

Celeste, it was like seeing a ghost. I can’t imagine what it was like for Daemon.”

“It must have felt like a second chance. To save Aurora this time.”

Evan didn’t argue. We sat in silence. The snow fell outside.

“What are you going to do?” he asked finally.

I thought about Silver Ridge. About leaving at the end of the month. But I wasn’t ready to tell him that yet.

“I don’t know. I just need time to think.”

“That’s fair.” He ate quietly for a moment.

I studied his face. “You liked her too, didn’t you? Maybe not at first. But eventually.”

He was quiet for a long moment. “Maybe. A little. By the time I realized it, she was already Daemon’s.”

No wonder he and Daemon would fight so hard over Celeste. “And now Celeste looks exactly like her.”

His expression closed off. “I told you. I’m not interested in Celeste.”

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“I didn’t say you were.” But I thought about it. About how he and Daemon would fight over Celeste later.

How history would repeat itself. “I’m just saying… it must be complicated.”

“Everything about this situation is complicated.” He stood and collected our bowls. “But that’s not your

problem to solve.”

He washed the dishes while I sat on the couch. My ankle still throbbed but the ice helped. The hot food

helped more.

When he came back, he checked my injuries one more time. “Keep the ice on for another twenty minutes.

Then elevate both feet when you sleep.”

“I will.”

“Violet, are you going to be okay? Really okay?”

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I thought about that. About Aurora and Daemon and five years of trying to be enough. About Celeste and

second chances and ghosts.

“I think so,” I said finally. “I think… I finally understand now. Why he could never love me. Why I always felt

like I was failing.”

“You weren’t failing.”

“I know that now.” I looked up at him. “Thank you. For telling me the truth. For explaining about Aurora. It

helps to know the whole story. To understand what I was actually dealing with all these years.”

I can finally let go.

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