Looking into Rhys Knight's eyes, I felt something crumble inside me. The walls I'd built over four painful years began to crack and fall away. His gaze held nothing but sincerity as he waited for my answer, his hands warm around mine, the white rose pressed between our palms.
"See the change in me, Elara," he had whispered. "Give us a real chance."
My wolf was howling with joy, pushing me toward him with an urgency I could barely contain. She had never stopped recognizing him as ours, even when I forced her to retreat behind walls of self-preservation. Now, she was breaking free, desperate for the connection we'd both been denied.
I searched his face one last time, looking for any hint of the cruelty or arrogance that had once defined him. Instead, I found only openness, vulnerability, and a desperate, fragile hope.
"Okay, Rhys," I whispered, my voice trembling slightly. Tears filled my eyes as I nodded. "I... I'll give us a chance."
