Revenge to the Alpha Mate novel Chapter 234

Chapter 234: Chapter 234

Celena’s Perspective

The pickup truck ate up the highway, its engine growling, the scenery outside blurring into streaks of color. Wind whipped through the half-open window, tangling my hair and carrying Jacob’s familiar scent—pine, sweat, and that uniquely warm, wild essence that was his alone.

I drew a deep breath, filling my lungs with it. Suddenly, a feeling I hadn’t experienced in a very long time rose within me, like a dormant spring beginning to flow once more.

Back then—when I was observed like a lab rat in Karl’s basement—Brett had been like a brother, my first taste of familial warmth. But Jacob, after my escape... he had replaced Brett, becoming something even more essential. Jacob was the one who could read my silences, who offered his jacket when I shivered, who sat with me through the night, listening to my incoherent ramblings after a nightmare until dawn broke.

He understood me better, cared for me more deeply than even Max, my blood brother. He saw the panic beneath my smiles, caught the slight tremors in my calm voice. He’d ruffle my hair with those big, warm hands and comfort me with words that were clumsy yet utterly sincere: "Hey, it’s okay, pup. I’m right here."

And then I had pushed him away.

I had dumped all my hatred for Karl, my resentment toward fate, my grief over Brett’s death onto him—unfairly, brutally. I’d said so many hurtful things, using coldness as armor to shut him out of my world. I thought it would protect me, or punish him—for failing to save Brett, for being the one who survived, the one who still loved me.

But now, in this rattling pickup, surrounded by his scent, watching his eyes—still so gentle—flick to the rearview mirror to check on me... I understood.

Brett wasn’t his fault.

This wasn’t what he wanted.

That night, the attack that changed everything, the blood and the loss... Jacob was a victim, just like me. He probably carried an even heavier burden of guilt, believing, as a warrior of the pack, he should have protected everyone. And I had turned that guilt into a blade aimed at his heart.

My gaze settled on Jacob’s profile. His jaw was tight, his focus entirely on the road ahead, tracking the distant plume of dust kicked up by the van and the Hunter convoy. His fingers gripped the steering wheel, knuckles white. He was still the same Jacob—the fool who shouldered every responsibility, who put others before himself, always.

Whatever had happened to Brett, whatever that "woman" inhabiting my brother’s body was, whether any shred of Brett’s consciousness remained trapped and suffering within that shell... none of that was a reason to keep punishing Jacob.

The mistakes of the past, like Karl’s death, needed to be laid to rest.

I opened my mouth. My voice came out dry, almost lost in the engine’s roar and the wind. "Jacob."

He turned his head almost instantly, his gaze shifting from the mirror to meet mine directly, if only for a second. His eyes were filled with immediate concern. "What’s wrong? You feeling sick? See something?" His voice was so tender it made my nose sting.

Always. My well-being was his first thought.

I shook my head, holding his gaze. My throat felt tight, but the words had to come out. "I forgive you."

Time seemed to freeze for a heartbeat.

Jacob’s expression went rigid. His eyes widened slightly. His grip on the wheel slackened for a moment, causing the truck to veer slightly before he corrected it. He blinked, as if he hadn’t understood, or as if he’d heard something impossible. I saw his eyes redden visibly, a sheen of moisture gathering rapidly, but he clenched his jaw, refusing to let the tears fall.

His Adam’s apple bobbed hard.

"You... what did you say?" His voice was rough, edged with a fragile, cautious hope, as if afraid he’d misheard, afraid this was another cruel trick.

My heart ached, but a wave of relieving lightness washed over me. I leaned forward, resting a hand on the center console, speaking more clearly, more firmly. "I forgive you, Jacob. For everything."

This time, he heard it.

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