I reached out and brushed a stray lock of hair from his forehead, my voice low.
“Sweetheart, I made a promise to Elder Saska, the Luna, years ago, to protect you, to raise you within the safety of the pack. I even gave up the chance to train abroad with the Elders because of that. But now… it’s time for me to chase my own destiny. And I want to take my mother’s spirit with me, let her finally run free across the world.”
Tears welled up in Lucas’s golden eyes, a shimmer of wolf lingering just beneath the surface.
“But what about me?”
He whispered, his voice breaking.
“Are you just going to leave me here all alone?”
“You’re not alone, pup.
I said, crouching to his eye level.
“You have your father, Alpha Marcus. He’s strong, and he loves you more than anything. He’ll protect you. And I’m not abandoning you. I promise I’ll return. Once I’ve completed my Rite of Mastery and earned my place among the packs, I’ll come back to you.
He opened his mouth to protest, but I gently pressed a finger to his lips.
“If you tell me not to go now… I might lose my way back.”
His eyes widened in panic, the wolf in him sensing the weight of the oath.
“No! Don’t say that! Please… come back to me. I’ll be good. I’ll train harder. I’ll make you proud. Just… promise you’ll come back.”
I smiled, my chest aching.
“Then show me, little warrior. Grow into the wolf your bloodline destined you to be.”
Lucas sniffled and threw his arms around me, his small body trembling with emotion. I held him close, letting his sorrow bleed into me, knowing that sometimes, young wolves didn’t yet know how to contain such deep, primal feelings.
When his breathing finally evened out and he drifted into sleep, I sent a message to Marcus.
Marcus. He’s ready. Come get him.
Minutes later, the heavy footsteps of Alpha Marcus echoed through the room. He stopped in the doorway, his massive frame silhouetted by the moonlight, eyes shadowed by unspoken words.
Finally, he spoke, his voice gruff.
“Will you really come back… after you complete your journey?*
“I will…”
I answered simply.
Something flickered in his eyes, a spark of hope, it was fragile but burning.
Without another word, Marcus gathered Lucas into his arms and left, carrying his son like the precious future he was.
That night, I bought my ticket. By dawn, I was on a plane, leaving my homeland behind.
Chapter 27
5:03 pm G
As we soared above the clouds, I looked out the window and gently touched the jade bracelet or my wrist. I whispered,
“Mom… let’s go see the world together.”
“Let’s see the world together, Mom…”
I whispered into the night sky.
Eight Years Later…
The city skyline towered above me now, foreign and beautiful. I had completed my Rite of Mastery, founded my own cross–pack trading guild, and became one of the first lone wolves to bridge alliances between scattered clans. Every full moon, I wore my mother’s jade bracelet believing she ran beside me in spirit.
One day, my assistant knocked on my office door.
“Someone’s here to see you.”
She said.
*Says it’s urgent.”
Curious, I nodded. “Send them in.”
The door opened, and in stepped a tall, lean young man. He had Alpha Marcus’s sharp jawline but his posture, his confident gaze… that was all his own. Almost six feet tall now, he exuded quiet strength, the subtle dominance of an heir in his prime.
Yet when he smiled, oh, that grin, it was still the little boy I remembered.
“Mom…”
He said, his voice deeper now, threaded with the low rumble of an awakening Alpha.
I blinked in shock.
“Lucas? Spirits, how did you find me?”
“Dad…
He answered easily, stepping closer.
“He said you finished your journey years ago. That maybe it was time for me to come find you.”
A soft chuckle escaped me, half amused, half pained.
“Of course he did.”
I muttered, waving him to a seat.
“Sit. Tell me everything.”
And we did. We talked about the years we’d lost, my travels through rogue territories, and my work uniting fractured packs. His training, his Awakening, his first shift, his dreams of becoming an Alpha worthy of our bloodline.
Then, his voice softened. He glanced down at his hands.
“Dad’s… not well…
He confessed.
“He waited for you. Every moonrise, he waited. But you never came back. It broke something.
5:03 pm
inside him.”
I swallowed hard, guilt clawing at me.
“He never stopped loving you, Mom…
Lucas continued quietly.
“He just… didn’t know how to reach you anymore.”
I pressed a hand against my aching heart. The bond I had severed had left scars deeper than 1 realized.
Without hesitating, I pulled out my phone and dialed the number I hadn’t called in years.
“Come have dinner with us,” I said simply.
“Tonight.”
That evening, in a private dining hall, we sat together, Lucas, and Marcus.
Marcus had aged.
There was more silver in his hairlines around his eyes. His wolf was tired, but the strength in his
soul had not dimmed.
Several times he opened his mouth to speak, only to fall silent again.
Finally, Lucas gently nudged him forward.
“Dad… tell her.”
Marcus cleared his throat.
“I… I never stopped hoping,”
He said, voice raw.
“But I know now, we were only ever meant to be a season in each other’s lives. Not a forever.”
I smiled sadly.
“I’m proud of you, Marcus. And I’ll visit. I promise.”
Peace settled between us not as lovers, but as a strange kind of family.
Three years later, when I finally mated and bonded with someone new, a fierce Alpha from a rival guild turned beloved partner, Lucas stood at my side in a navy blue suit, taller and prouder than
ever.
Marcus wasn’t there.
Lucas noticed my searching gaze during the reception. Quietly, he approached and offered me a small envelope sealed in green wax.
“Dad couldn’t come. His health’s worsened.”
Lucas said softly.
“But he wanted you to have this.”
I broke the seal and read Marcus’s neat, familiar handwriting.
“Congratulations, my moonlight. I hope you find the happiness we once dreamed of. Forever.”
Tears blurred my vision, but I smiled, clutching the letter close to my heart.
Because in the end, love wasn’t always about holding on.
Chapter 27
5:03 pm G
Sometimes, real love… meant letting go..
(THE END)
