Chapter 43

Noah's POV

Even as I walked out of Alpha Ramsey's pack, I could feel my entire world crashing around me.

I stumbled down the staircase I'd ascended with so much confidence before, feeling wave after wave of heartbreak flow through me. The pain of finally losing Astra sent my skin flushing with sweat and goosebumps.

So this is pain, I thought. Was this how Astra had felt when I had rejected her? Had she endured this excessive thumping in her chest? This unbearable agony that seemed to tear at every fibre of her being? I felt like a fish out of water, like I'd been detached from my life source. Every organ, every muscle and every other part of me was pulled in her direction; it felt as though my body would never know rest until she was close to me.

I stopped at the foot of the staircase, letting out gasps of agonizing breaths. I sat on the steps, every bit of shame leaving my body as I stared into the horizon. The horse carriage I'd come with was standing in the distance. From here I co