Nikolai Volkov had never been nervous in his life.

Not when he took the Alpha position at twenty-two surrounded by his father’s killers. Not during brutal border wars. Not even when facing down entire rival packs.

But standing outside the imposing gates of the Voss estate at 6:47 a.m., holding a massive bouquet of white roses and moonflowers, his hands were shaking.

He had spent the last three hours personally selecting every bloom — white roses for purity and apology, moonflowers because they only bloomed at night, just like the night she had saved him. The medallion burned warm against his chest, tucked beneath his black shirt like a brand.

His wolf was a wreck inside him. It had been pacing, whining, and howling since the moment he left the blood-stained penthouse. The guilt was a living thing, clawing at his insides with every breath.

*Our mate. We hurt her. Fix it. Beg.*

Nikolai ran a hand through his raven-black hair, messing up the carefully styled look he had attempted. Dark circles shadowed his ice-grey eyes. He looked like a man who had walked through hell and come out the other side shattered.

The security guard at the gate recognized him immediately and let him through after a tense phone call. Nikolai walked up the long, tree-lined driveway, each step heavier than the last. The morning air was cool and damp, carrying the faint scent of jasmine from the estate gardens — Elena’s scent. It nearly brought him to his knees.

When he reached the grand front doors, he didn’t knock.

He simply stood there, shoulders rigid, staring at the dark wood as if it were the gates to judgment.

The door opened before he could gather his thoughts.

Elena stood there in a soft cream cashmere sweater and black leggings, her chestnut hair loose and slightly tousled, as if she hadn’t slept either. Her hazel-green eyes widened at the sight of him, then immediately hardened with pain and wariness.

The fated mate bond slammed into both of them like a physical force.

Nikolai’s wolf lunged forward so hard he had to grip the doorframe to stay upright. Her scent — vanilla, jasmine, and warm sunlight — wrapped around him, both comfort and torture.

“Elena,” he rasped, voice rough and wrecked from hours of howling and guilt.

Her gaze dropped to the enormous bouquet in his hands, then lifted back to his face. She said nothing. The silence was worse than any scream.

Nikolai swallowed hard. This was it. The beginning of the chase. The moment he had to start paying for every cruel word, every public humiliation, every tear he had caused.

“I know I don’t deserve to be here,” he began, voice low and unsteady. “I know I don’t deserve to breathe the same air as you after what I did. But I had to come.”

He took a shaky step forward, offering the flowers with both hands — a gesture of submission no Alpha had ever made in front of her.

“These are for you,” he continued. “White roses… because I destroyed something pure when I chose Lana over you. Moonflowers… because they only open at night, like the night you saved my life in the rain. I spent hours picking them myself. I wanted you to know this isn’t some assistant’s errand. This is me. On my knees.”

Elena’s fingers tightened on the door. Her healing gift stirred visibly beneath her skin, golden light flickering faintly at her fingertips as it reacted to his pain. But she didn’t reach for the flowers.

“You signed the papers,” she whispered, voice trembling with controlled emotion. “You made me release you. You chose her. Publicly. Repeatedly.”

Each word carved into Nikolai like silver claws.

“I know,” he said hoarsely. Tears — actual tears — glistened in his silver-flecked eyes. “I was blind. I let gratitude and fear destroy the best thing fate ever gave me. The witness from the ambush told me everything. The glowing hands. Your voice. How you stayed with me in the storm while I was dying. It was you. It was always you.”

He dropped to one knee right there on the stone steps, still holding the bouquet like an offering.

“Elena, I’m begging you. Give me a chance to make this right. I ended things with Lana. Permanently. I know what I did to you — the gala, the threats to your father, forcing you to sign those papers — it was unforgivable. But I will spend every day for the rest of my life trying to earn your forgiveness if you’ll let me.”

Elena’s breath hitched. The bond between them pulsed with desperate longing. Her healing gift wanted nothing more than to reach out and soothe the broken Alpha kneeling before her. But her heart — still raw and bleeding — held her back.

“You humiliated me in front of your entire pack,” she said, voice cracking. “You looked me in the eye while dancing with the woman who stole my moment. You called me a liar. A power-hungry bitch. And now you show up with flowers and pretty words?”

Tears slipped down her cheeks. She didn’t wipe them away.

“I saved your life, Nikolai. I gave you everything I had that night. And you threw it back in my face.”

Nikolai’s head bowed lower, shoulders trembling. The proud Alpha was completely shattered before her.

“I know,” he whispered. “And I hate myself for it more than you ever could. My wolf has been howling for days. The medallion only glows for you. Everything in me knows you’re my true mate. I was just too broken and too stupid to see it.”

He looked up at her then, silver eyes raw with regret and devotion.

“Please, Elena. Yell at me. Scream at me. Hit me if you need to. Just… don’t close the door. Let me start proving I’m worthy of you.”

For one long, agonizing moment, Elena stared down at the kneeling Alpha — the man she had loved in secret since the night she saved him. The bond screamed at her to pull him inside. To forgive. To heal.

But the pain was still too fresh.

She reached out slowly and took the bouquet from his hands. For a brief second, their fingers brushed. Electricity surged between them so strongly they both gasped.

Then Elena stepped back.

“Thank you for the flowers,” she said softly, voice thick with tears. “But they’re not enough, Nikolai. Not yet.”

She closed the door gently but firmly in his face.

The sound of the latch clicking shut echoed like a gunshot.

Nikolai remained on his knees on the cold stone steps, staring at the closed door. The rejection hit him like a physical blow. His wolf whimpered, curling in on itself with grief.

But beneath the pain, a spark of determination ignited.

This was only the beginning.

He would come back tomorrow.

And the day after.

And every day until she believed him.

The chase had officially begun.