ALPHA JAKE’S POV I could not believe the face right before me. I knew all along that there was something familiar about her but I could never have imagined that it could be her. The changes, where did they all come from? She was weak, frail, and could barely hold long-lasting combat. But then, that has not always been the case. On that day, I watched her fight against Violet and I saw the determination in her. I could tell that hers was no ordinary wolf but I chose to overlook that due to my bruised ego. I was so hurt by her past that I completely ignored the present and who she truly is. It was never a hidden fact that she completes me, the joy that she brought to me and my people was there for all to see but I went ahead to repay her with my betrayer. On the day of her fight with Violet, I had seen that she won against Violet but I was so biased that I could not stand up and in all fairness proclaim her as the winner and exile Violet from the Pack in line with the agreement we had. I had sat back and watched as Violet naked her and almost killed her in front of everyone. I sat there and did nothing. Even at the point when she was sick and on the verge of death, I did nothing for her to recover. I never cared nor nurtured her at the time. How was I to know that it was Violet and her deadly friend, Elise, that had poisoned my luna? But that is not an excuse for ignoring her during her sickness and allowing her to die. I remember that it was even at that point that I announced my intention to marry Violet and make her my second wife to her. At a point when she needed my love and care I turned my back on her and even refused to listen to my beta, Robert. And what about when she went missing? If my beta had not drawn my attention to it, I fear that even to this day I may not even know that she is gone, and to think that she was supposed to be my luna, is shameful. I was cursed never to find my mate but the joy Scarlet brought to me and my people was one that only a true mate sent by the moon goddess could bring. Yet I ignored all of this. It was never the curse all along, it has always been me. And now look at her standing there before everyone. How can I face her now, what am I supposed to be to her? I never gave her the pleasure of marking her and now she is with a child for another, one who saw her true self and valued her still.I never loved her or showed her what love meant but only used her as a tool to satisfy my misguided lustful pleasure. It is sad, but I have to admit that I was of no good to her. All my dealings with her in no way represent what love is about, it is in no way a replica of what love entails or anything that had to do with the word called love. I was supposed to be her shield and guard her against the unfairness of this cruel world, but in reality, I turned out to be the unfairness of this cruel world to her. “Scar...” I heard myself muffle again. Am I even worthy to call her by her name, am I even worthy to call her by any name at all? Am I qualified to stand before her? Will she ever be able to forgive me, will she permit that I stand before her presence and plead my cause? And if she does, will I have a word to say in my defense? What if she doubts my loyalty and decides to send me far away from here, where will I go to? Would I be turning rogues, and which pack of rogues would want a discarded alpha to be a part of them, especially one whose Pack had stood and fought against everything rogue? Be that as it may, I will willingly and gladly accept whatever punishment she spelled out for me even if it meant dying. As it is, dying would be the best form of punishment for me now. I should be killed and my cruel face wiped out of this evil world because I know that I don’t deserve any form of mercy from anyone, especially from Scarlet. ALPHA RAY’S POV No, it can't be, this is never possible. It has to be someone that looks exactly like her. I wiped my face with my hand for the second time and looked at her face again but it remained the same. I know her, I have always known her since she was little and I know that there is no way this can be possible. There is no probable explanation for such transformation. Maybe I would have believed this if she had not found her wolf before leaving. I know her and I know her wolf, Stake. She is the scrawniest wolf that I have ever seen and if not for posterity, it would never be described as a wolf. I have saved her wolf several times, and the person right here has the white wolf. Stake is not anything great and is not a white wolf. Who is trying to play a trick on us here? I have helped her wolf train quite a number of times and sincerely speaking, I only did that to burst her self-esteem as I never for once believed that her wolf would ever have the zeal to face life’s challenges. I loved her back then even though I never admitted it and it took me a long time to realize it. Honestly speaking, if not for Gina, I was prepared to marry Scarlet then and make her my luna. She might not have the strength required of a luna, but she had the best of heart any luna could ever have. She would have been the best for my Pack. I remember vividly, just like yesterday, that fateful day she came to Crystal Realms Pack to see me but ended up meeting with Gina. On that day I had believed Gina's accusation against her and thought that she was only trying to take advantage of my inability to find a mate. How was I to know that Gina was the devil’s incarnate back then? Gina has changed tremendously now though, but that does not take away the fact that she cost me my lifelong joy. Scarlet was a friend, she was a friend in all ramifications. I took my gaze to alpha Fred, he does not look surprised by this. He claimed to have seen her a couple of times before now, and this got me wondering if this is the same face he had seen those times. She is a member of his Pack and had never severed her bond with her Pack so he should have been able to identify her as his subject the very first time he met her. She should also not be able to fight against the members of her Pack. Her wolf should be unable and unwilling to do such. But then which is her wolf now, Stake or the white wolf? Which of them belongs here and which should be loyal to this Pack? Definitely not the white wolf because she shares no connection with this land. On the contrary, the only thing about this land and its people that the white wolf would remember is the betrayer and endless torture Scarlet was made to undergo. Hence, the white wolf would be able to act against her own people and treat them as the enemy. And me, what am I to Scarlet? What will I be to her? It is true that clearly speaking I have done her no wrong but I never live up to the responsibility of a friend to her and even now she can decide that I am unreliable. I have shown once that I am unreliable and cannot be trusted, how then do I want her to believe that she can count on me and give me some level of trust. There was so much that I could have done for her back then to ease her pain. Even if it was shown that she lied to me I could still have counted on our friendship and come to her aid because before I saw her as a lover, she was already a sister. I don’t know if it would ever be possible, but I pray that she forgives me even now.