AXEL’S POV
Madison left me standing in the packhouse, speechless. The instant she walked away, regret hit me hard—I knew I’d messed up, though for a brief moment I tried to convince myself I could hide it. At first, I even felt relief, believing she hadn’t noticed. That illusion vanished when Madison revealed what she had gone through; shock quickly swept away my denial, and her pain became heartbreakingly real. Emotions flooded in: guilt crashed over me, followed by a surge of desperation to make things right. I wanted nothing more than to atone for hurting her. Madison was the love of my life. The woman from my old pack had been only my high school girlfriend—someone who cheated on me until I finally broke things off after becoming Alpha. Now, fear paralyzed me. I couldn’t bear the thou
