He Returned I Was Gone Novel by Lia _ Novel





He Returned I Was Gone Chapter 01

After my sister's body was discovered, covered in his brother's fingerprints and DNA, Kaden and I completely snapped.
I drove a silver dagger straight into his brother's heart.
On the day of my sister's funeral, he rented every billboard downtown and plastered them with nude photos of me.
We were both covered in blood, our hatred consuming everything we had once shared like a wildfire.
In the end, the Pack Council had enough. They exiled one and imprisoned the other.
Kaden was banished to a remote, volatile border region. I was ordered to stay behind, kept on a short leash like a tamed beast.
Years later, Kaden Blackwood returned—a decorated Alpha, scarred but covered in honors.
And me? I was barely hanging on. The pack healer gave me only three months to live.
……
After leaving the clinic, I went back to the small flower shop I ran. It was a futile attempt to cling to some semblance of a normal life.
I had barely stepped inside when the massive screen across the square lit up, broadcasting news of his return. Kaden Blackwood, the youngest Alpha in a century, had successfully completed his tour of the northern border and was returning to the pack capital in a formal ceremony. In the footage, he was taller, harder, possessing a raw, rugged grace he'd never had before. A fresh scar cut through his left eyebrow. I had given him that.
And he had put a wolfsbane-coated bullet through my shoulder. Just as unreasonably.
We had always believed in an eye for an eye. We liked watching each other bleed.
I turned and placed a fresh bunch of white daisies in front of the framed photo of my sister, Alara.
The shop bell jangled sharply. A girl in a pristine white dress glided inside, cradling a huge bouquet of deep red roses. Her voice was clear and bright. "I'll take all of these!" she announced, pointing to the imported roses in the cooler.
Close behind her was Kaden's Beta, Zane, wound tight as a drawn bowstring. His eyes met mine, and he flinched, his scent spiking with unease. "Lena, let's find somewhere else."
"Absolutely not!" Lena beamed at me. "I once sent a box of preserved flowers from here to Kaden. He said they were… unforgettable. Tonight is his promotion banquet. I want everything to be perfect." She fluttered her wide, innocent eyes. "You're the owner, right? My fiancé, the new Alpha, loves your flowers. Could we… use your space for a small celebration? Just for a bit?"
I couldn't refuse. Not without inviting questions I had no strength to answer. I nodded.
As I reached for the wrapping paper, my fingers trembled uncontrollably.
That ache was back. That bone-deep agony that no medication could ever truly touch.
"Zane, help me! Kaden will be here any minute, and I want to make him happy!" Lena exclaimed.
Zane didn't move. He knew better than anyone: Kaden's happiness had died the day they took Alara's body away.
On the screen, Kaden was giving a polished interview, his smile never reaching his icy gray eyes. "I think she's watching," he said, as the camera zoomed in on the scar. "I'm looking forward to… our reunion."
Lena was fiddling with a lily. "Zane," she asked sweetly, "I heard Kaden had some… thing with a girl here a few years ago. Do you know anything about it?"
I kept my head down, trimming thorns. I could feel Zane's stare burning into me.
"Kaden!" Lena's delighted cry cut through the heavy silence. She rushed outside.
"Lena."
Through the rain-streaked glass, I saw him. Kaden. He wrapped one arm around her easily, draping his coat over her shoulders with the other. She rose on her toes and kissed his jaw.
Then his gaze lifted and met mine through the window.
The world shrank to that one moment, cold and electric. As Lena started to turn, his hand came up, cradling the back of her head, and he kissed her. Deeply.
I looked away and snipped the final ribbon from the bouquet.
Zane came to the counter. "Evelyn," he muttered, "for God's sake… tonight is his night. Just for tonight, don't… don't provoke him." He hesitated, his voice dropping lower. "She's only twenty. She's the lead dancer for the pack troupe. Her smile… it's a little like… yours used to be."
I nodded, my fingertips numb. "She's much prettier than I was."
The bell chimed again. Kaden walked in, holding a closed black umbrella. Rain glistened in his dark hair. "Discussing my future Luna?" he asked, a mocking smile playing on his lips, but his gaze was fixed on me like shards of ice.
Zane held his breath.

READ FULL NOVEL HERE