Chapter 21
1129words
Pack members would gently suggest—Alpha, you've been alone too long. Perhaps it's time to find a companion?
He'd always laugh it off. "Find a Mate? And miss all the fun of running this Pack alone?"
But even as the words left his lips, her face would rise unbidden in his mind.
That night.
Full moon.
In his dream, as if the Moon Goddess herself had turned back time's pages, he found himself thrust into the past.
Back to that fateful year.
He opened his eyes to London's familiar skyline framed in his window.
Not the Scottish Highlands.
London.
He bolted upright, heart racing as he recognized his old room.
This was... his London apartment from when he was twenty?
He rushed to the mirror—
The face staring back at him. Young. Unlined. Still carrying that youthful arrogance.
Not the ancient, world-weary Alpha.
A twenty-year-old werewolf with his whole life ahead of him.
His hands trembled as he touched his face.
He snatched up the bedside calendar—
December 14, 2016.
This date.
He'd carried this date in his heart for centuries.
Isabelle's birthday.
The day he should have returned to her, but his father had prevented it.
"This time..."
He whispered, hardly daring to hope.
"This time, I won't fail her."
He grabbed his coat and bolted for the door.
...
Scotland to London by car would take eight hours.
But he was a werewolf.
He could run.
On a full moon night, his wolf form was at its most powerful.
Dominic shifted into his massive black wolf form, racing through forests parallel to the highway.
Leaping across rivers, weaving through ancient woods, his powerful muscles never tiring.
Only one thought driving him—
Make it to her birthday.
This time, nothing would stop him.
Finally.
11:50 PM.
He reached London.
The nightclub. The VIP section.
He knew exactly where she'd be.
Her friends held her birthday celebration here every year.
Dominic paused outside the door, trying to catch his breath.
He'd run for hours. His clothes were rumpled, his hair wild, his body slick with sweat.
But none of that mattered.
He pushed open the door—
Music pulsed. Laughter rang out. Glasses clinked.
Colored lights swept across the crowded room.
And there she was, perched on a velvet sofa, surrounded by friends.
In a white dress that caught the light, her smile brighter than any star.
Vivid. Alive. Glowing with happiness.
In that moment, the dream solidified into reality.
"Dominic?!"
One of her friends spotted him first. "How the hell are you here?!"
"Didn't your father drag you back to Scotland?"
"Jesus, what happened to you?"
Her friends crowded around him.
Dominic pushed past them all.
He moved straight toward her.
She looked up and saw him.
Her eyes widened, champagne glass frozen halfway to her lips.
As if seeing a ghost.
"Isabelle."
His voice emerged as a ragged whisper.
He approached and dropped to one knee before her.
In werewolf culture, an Alpha on his knees signified absolute devotion.
"I'm sorry."
"Sorry I'm late."
"Sorry for the last seven years..."
His words trailed off.
Tears suddenly spilled down her cheeks.
The champagne flute slipped from her fingers.
It shattered on the floor, forgotten.
She launched herself into his arms.
Her arms locked around his neck, her entire body trembling.
She sobbed against him, years of pain breaking free.
"Why did you wait so long..."
Her voice thick with tears, both furious and relieved.
"I waited for you for so long..."
"Do you know—I checked my phone every day hoping you'd call..."
"But you never did..."
"I thought you'd forgotten me..."
She punctuated each accusation with a weak blow to his shoulder.
Her fists striking harder with each word.
Dominic's own tears fell freely.
His lips curved into a watery smile.
He crushed her against his chest, burying his face in her hair, breathing in her scent.
This was his Mate.
His Isabelle.
"I'm sorry," he repeated like a prayer. "I'm so sorry. It was all my fault."
"I'll never leave you again."
"Isabelle, in this life and whatever comes after, I swear I'll never leave your side again."
She cried harder at his words.
But her hands clutched his shirt desperately, as if afraid he might disappear.
The entire room had fallen silent, watching.
Someone whispered, "Holy shit, they're..."
"Shh. Let them have this moment."
The DJ lowered the music.
Only her sobs and his whispered apologies filled the space.
Time seemed suspended.
Finally, she pulled back, looking up at him with tear-stained eyes.
"Do you promise?"
"I promise." Dominic met her gaze with solemn intensity. "By my position as Grey Pack Alpha, by my wolf's soul, I swear I will never leave you again."
"If I break this oath..."
"Don't." She pressed her fingers to his lips. "I believe you."
She rose on her tiptoes.
And kissed him.
Dominic froze for a heartbeat.
Then kissed her back with seven years of longing.
As if trying to make up for every moment they'd lost.
The room erupted in cheers and applause.
"Finally!"
"About damn time!"
Their friends celebrated around them.
Dominic finally pulled back, resting his forehead against hers.
"Isabelle."
"Mm?"
"Happy birthday."
She paused, then smiled through her tears.
A smile so bright it rivaled the sun.
"Thank you."
"This is the best gift I've ever received."
Dominic smiled back, his heart finally at peace.
From that moment on.
The human noblewoman and her Alpha werewolf.
Never parted again.
During full moons, she'd walk beside his wolf form.
She'd run her fingers through his thick fur, grooming him gently.
They completed their Mating ceremony.
Beneath a Highland full moon, with the entire Grey Pack as witnesses.
He marked her neck with his bite, leaving the permanent Mate Mark.
She returned his mark, biting into his shoulder.
Their souls bound together for eternity, in life and beyond death.
This time.
He didn't miss his chance.
This time.
Their story found its perfect ending.
Years later, when asked:
"What was the best decision you ever made?"
Dominic would answer without hesitation:
"Racing back to London on her twentieth birthday."
"Finding her."
"Never letting go."
Under the Highland moonlight, he and Isabelle stood together on Grey Pack land.
Her hand clasped tightly in his.
Her warm human hand and his—no longer cold but warmed by her touch.
"Dominic." She whispered his name.
"Mm?"
"I love you."
He smiled, bending to kiss her.
"I love you too, Isabelle."
"My Mate."
"My only one."
Wind swept across the highlands, making the heather dance like waves.
Moonlight bathed them in silver.
In this world, nothing was more beautiful than this moment.
Two souls, meant for each other, finally united.
Never to part again.
