Chapter 327

Third Person POV
When Aubrey stepped out of the bath, Alpha Henry was gone.
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She sat in silence for a while, letting her heartbeat return to normal. Then she grabbed a light snack, wandered through the lab to check on things, and later went to find Adelyn for a bit of conversation. On her way back, she ran into Wemble.
He was standing in the corridor, quietly admiring a camellia in bloom. A beige plaid sweater and white cotton trousers softened his frame, making him look every bit the scholar. But Aubrey had heard the stories–Wemble was no mere gentle soul. He had once been a formidable beta warrior, fighting shoulder to shoulder with Alpha Henry.
“You’re here,” he said warmly, nodding toward the flower. “Tell me, is it pretty?” ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ (.)net
His smile carried a kind of refined calm, disarming in its softness. Almost against her will, Aubrey stepped closer.
She didn’t know much about flowers. After a long look, she gave the only answer she could manage. “It’s pretty.”
Wemble’s smile deepened, the kind that made him seem effortlessly approachable. “We haven’t talked much lately. How have you been feeling?”
Aubrey’s lashes lowered. After a pause, she admitted, “Lately, I’ve been… flooded with unnecessary feelings. My senses feel too tangled.”
It was her truest thought. She wanted to sever ties with Alpha Henry, but found herself unable. Every time he drew near, some part of her held back, unable to crush him entirely beneath her heel.
Wemble arched a brow. “That’s a good sign.”
“Why good?” Aubrey frowned. “It only brings me trouble.”
He gave a low chuckle. “Trouble means the emotions you buried are waking up again. It means you’re closer to being whole. Closer to an ordinary wolf.” He paused, then added gently, “Not that you were broken–just… a little extreme.”
Aubrey stilled.
“So these changes,” she asked slowly, “mean I’m going back to who I was before?” Her expression tightened. “I don’t want that. Back then I was weak, foolish… easy to hurt.”
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Chapter 327 The Candy in Her Palm
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Wemble shook his head. “Don’t worry. You won’t go back. You’ll only move forward. Better than now.”
“Better than now?”
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“Of course.” His voice carried certainty. “The phoenix rises from the ashes in two stages. When your nature first shifted, you shed all the traits you hated, so you were reborn. But with time, with thought, with facing yourself honestly, you begin to choose again–taking back what never should have been discarded, and letting go of what truly needs to stay gone. That is true rebirth. And when it comes, you’ll be more than this version of yourself.”
Aubrey studied him, her tone low. “But things discarded… don’t they deserve to stay gone? Like weakness–what use is that?”
Wemble reached out, gently unfolding her palm. Into it, he placed a small piece of candy.
“The weak are often gentle. They don’t hold grudges. Who can say that has no worth? Every trait has its reason for existing. None are meaningless.”
Aubrey frowned at the candy in her hand, then tried to give it back. “I don’t like sweets.”
But Wemble only smiled, pressing her hand closed again.
“Madam Adelyn told me… the old Aubrey did.” His voice softened. “You can throw away many things. But not yourself.”
Aubrey froze. Before she could find an answer, Wemble was already walking away, leaving her standing in the hall with the candy clenched tight in her palm, strangely unsettled.
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