Alpha's Regret: Losing His True Mate-Chapter 200

Still, Yancy had gotten his goddess’s autograph, and honestly? That was enough. He was grinning like an idiot as he pulled out his phone and typed out a quick thank-you message to Sienna.

He hit send and sat back, feeling pretty good about himself.

Meanwhile, Liora padded across the room with her tablet clutched in both hands. She walked right up to Dante, her little face hopeful.

"Dad, there’s a new animated movie coming out tomorrow," she said, turning the screen toward him so he could see the trailer. "It looks really good. Can we go?"

Dante didn’t even look up from his phone. "I can’t tomorrow."

Liora’s face fell a little.

With Felix back home, the old estate would be flooded with visitors in the morning. Pack elders. Business partners. People paying their respects. It was inevitable.

"If you want to go," Dante added, still scrolling, "ask your mom to take you."

Liora let out a small sigh. "Oh..."

She’d been spending more time with Elodie lately, more than she had in weeks, actually, so she wasn’t as clingy with Dante as she used to be. Still, it would’ve been nice if he’d said yes.

Then her eyes lit up again. "What about Aunt Sienna? Maybe I can ask her too..."

Dante finally glanced at her. "Aunt Sienna will be busy tomorrow. She’s studying with someone. Don’t bother her."

Liora’s shoulders slumped. "...Alright. I’ll ask Mom then."

"Mm."

Liora picked up her phone and dialed Elodie’s number, pressing it to her ear as she waited.

---

Elodie had just gotten home.

She saw the call come through, but her hands were full and her body was screaming for a hot shower. She set the phone down on the counter and headed straight for the bathroom.

The water was scalding, just the way she liked it. She let it run over her shoulders, washing away the exhaustion that had been sitting on her all day like dead weight.

By the time she came out, wrapped in a towel and smelling like lavender, she’d completely forgotten about the missed call.

---

Back at the Wilson estate, Liora stared at her phone with a small frown.

"Mom’s probably busy too," she mumbled.

Dante glanced over at Yancy, who was still sitting on the couch looking way too pleased with himself.

"In that case," Dante said smoothly, "let your uncle take you."

Yancy’s head shot up. "Wait, what?"

He’d already made plans with his friends for tomorrow. They were supposed to hit up that new arcade downtown, grab food, maybe check out the Pack fights if they had time.

But then again... Dante had just gotten him Sienna’s autograph. And she’d been so nice to him earlier, smiling and waving like he actually mattered.

He sighed.

"Fine," Yancy said, throwing his hands up in defeat. "I’ll take her."

Liora’s face brightened immediately. "Really?"

"Yeah, yeah," Yancy muttered. "Just don’t annoy me the whole time."

Liora grinned and threw her arms around him. "Thank you, Uncle Yancy!"

Yancy patted her head awkwardly, already regretting his decision.

---

The Next Day – Around Noon.

Elodie stepped out of her apartment building and into the warm afternoon sun.

It had been a while since she’d seen Daisy. Too long, actually. The little girl had been texting her nonstop for the past week, asking when they could hang out again.

So here she was.

When she arrived at the restaurant and pushed open the door to the private room, Daisy’s face lit up like fireworks.

"Aunt Elodie!"

The little girl bolted across the room and threw herself into Elodie’s arms with so much force she almost knocked her back a step.

Elodie laughed, catching her easily. "Daisy, long time no see."

"I missed you so much," Daisy said, squeezing her tight.

"I missed you too, sweetheart."

This was Elodie’s first time at this restaurant, and honestly? She was impressed. Every single dish that came out was delicious. Perfectly seasoned. Exactly the type of food she liked but never bothered to make for herself.

Harry had clearly put thought into this.

After lunch, they headed to the cinema. Harry had already booked tickets for some animated movie Daisy had been begging to see all week.

As they stood in line to pick up their tickets, Daisy tugged on Harry’s sleeve.

"Uncle, can I get popcorn?"

Harry glanced down at her. "You want a large or small?"

Daisy’s eyes went wide. "Large! I’m gonna share with you and Aunt Elodie!"

Harry smiled, it was one of those rare, genuine ones that softened his whole face. "Alright then. Large it is."

Daisy beamed.

Elodie stood off to the side, watching the two of them with a small smile tugging at her lips.

For the first time in a long time, she felt... light.

# No One’s POV

Inside the theater, the lights dimmed just as they found their seats.

Daisy immediately claimed the middle spot, plopping down with the giant bucket of popcorn balanced on her lap. She grabbed a piece, popped it in her mouth, then turned to Elodie with wide eyes.

"Aunt Elodie, you have to try some!"

Elodie smiled and reached over, taking a piece. It was warm, buttery, perfectly salted. "It’s good."

Daisy grinned, clearly proud of herself. Then she turned to Harry. "Uncle, you too!"

Harry glanced down at her, amused, and took a piece without arguing.

The movie started—some bright, colorful animated thing that Daisy had been dying to see. Harry had picked it specifically for her, knowing she’d love it.

But honestly? It wasn’t half bad.

The story was sweet. Funny in parts, emotional in others. Even Elodie found herself getting pulled in, laughing at the jokes and feeling that little tug in her chest during the sad scenes.

The three of them sat there, munching popcorn and watching the screen.

Everything was easy. Comfortable.

Then it happened.

Elodie reached into the bucket for another piece of popcorn. At the exact same moment, Harry’s hand moved toward it too.

His fingers brushed the back of her hand.

Then closed around it.

Elodie froze.

So did Harry.

For a second, neither of them moved. The warmth of his hand was still there, steady against hers. Her heart did this weird little flip she wasn’t expecting.

It was an accident. Obviously. Just a random, clumsy thing that didn’t mean anything.

Harry pulled his hand back quickly. "Sorry."

Elodie blinked and forced a small smile. "It’s fine."

Daisy, completely oblivious, was still glued to the screen, eyes wide as the characters on-screen went through some dramatic scene.

Elodie didn’t reach for the popcorn again after that.

Harry noticed. He glanced at the bucket, then at her, then back at the screen. Maybe she was uncomfortable now. Maybe she didn’t want him anywhere near her space.

He pulled his hand back into his lap and didn’t touch the popcorn again either.

The movie continued.

After a while, Daisy started squirming in her seat. She’d downed way too much soda.

"Aunt Elodie," she whispered urgently, tugging on Elodie’s sleeve. "I need to go to the bathroom."

Elodie stood immediately. "Come on, sweetheart."

Harry stood too, polite as ever. "Sorry to trouble you."

Elodie waved him off. "It’s no trouble at all."

She took Daisy’s hand and led her out of the theater, weaving through the dark aisles toward the hallway outside.

---

The bathroom was just down the hall.

Elodie waited outside while Daisy did her business, leaning against the wall and scrolling through her phone absently.

When Daisy came out, they started heading back.

That’s when a little boy walked out of the men’s restroom.

He looked up and stopped.

His eyes landed on Elodie first. Then Daisy.

He recognized them immediately.

Elodie didn’t notice him. She was already guiding Daisy back toward the theater, moving through the crowd without a second glance.

The boy watched them disappear, then turned and walked back toward his mother.

"Mom," he said, tugging on her sleeve.

Amber Wilson barely looked up from her phone. She was in the middle of a text conversation and clearly not interested in whatever her son was about to say.

"I’m done," the boy, David, added. "Let’s go."

Amber nodded absently. "Alright, just give me a second."

David stood there for a moment, fidgeting. Then, because he was bored and had nothing better to do, he said, "Mom, I just saw Aunt Miller." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Amber glanced at him briefly. "Oh? Really?"

"Yeah," David said. "She was with some other kid. But it wasn’t Liora."

Amber’s expression didn’t change. "Is that so?"

Her tone made it clear she didn’t really care.

She assumed it was probably one of the Miller family kids. Maybe a cousin or something. It wasn’t her business anyway.

"Come on," she said, slipping her phone into her purse. "Let’s go."

David followed her without another word.

---

Back inside the theater, Elodie and Daisy slipped into their seats just as the movie hit its climax.

Daisy immediately leaned forward, her eyes glued to the screen.

Elodie settled back into her seat, and for the rest of the film, she didn’t reach for the popcorn again.

Neither did Harry.

When the credits rolled and the lights came back on, Daisy was practically bouncing in her seat, talking a mile a minute about her favorite parts.

Harry smiled at her, nodding along, while Elodie gathered their things.

They left the theater together, stepping out into the bright afternoon sun.

And later that evening, Amber and David arrived at the Bellini estate.

The old house was already full of family members, visitors, Pack elders who’d come to pay their respects now that Felix was back home.

Amber walked in with David at her side, greeting everyone politely.

She didn’t think about Elodie again.

Not even once.