And There Were Wolves

thirty one | that's the kinda heartbreak time could never mend

And I hope I never lose you, hope it never ends / I'd never walk Cornelia Street again / That's the kind of heartbreak time could never mend / I'd never walk Cornelia Street again /

RYKER

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked her for the hundredth time and yet, each time, I still felt like I needed to ask her one last time. I was looking at her patiently, nervously. Although I was giving her a choice right now, I was not sure if I would survive if she chose to say no. If she chose to be with 'him' and not me. Despite everything else, I knew her well, and I was not blind. I knew how her eyes lit up every time he was around. I could feel her gaze on him linger several seconds longer. They had grown up together, and every damn time, I had been the outsider because of the damn age gap. Every day for the last eighteen years, I'd had to endure watching her with 'him'. And even though she had not said it to 'him', I could tell from her eyes and her body movement that she loved him and who was I to blame? She was free to choose, free to love, and he was her best friend. The one person who had always been there for her. I was nothing compared to him.

And right now, looking at her, I could tell that there was a sliver of doubt in her beautiful eyes. I knew she was not sure. I could tell that she was weighing her option between being with her Chosen Mate — 'him' — and not me, her Fated Mate. On one side, she wanted to like me, she wanted to love me the way she loved him, but she wasn't sure she could do it, especially when her heart longed for 'him'. On the other side, she knew that being with me was the right thing to do that she was the Future Luna and she should be with her Fated Mate, the one that Moon Goddess had chosen for her.

After a while, the battle in her eyes finally disappeared. She, for once, had made a decision instead of giving both me and 'him' an equal chance. I braced myself for the worst. I braced myself for her rejection. Powerful I may be, being the Alpha and all, I knew that a rejection from her would still hurt like hell. But even so, I would respect her decision and give my blessings to both of them because I loved her. So. Fucking. Much. I only wanted her to be happy. No matter who she would be happy with. Even if it meant that I had to let her go to 'him'.

"Yes," she replied at last. I took a sharp breath, not sure if I had been hearing things or if she had just given me the answer I had been wanting. "Yes, I am sure I want to be with you. I chose you," she said once again, her red lips opened and closed, giving me the invitation as well as tempting me to close the gap between our mouths and kiss her.

"Forget what I said last night," I demanded huskily, groaning suddenly as I caught her up in my arms. My only desire was for her to forget everything that had happened, if only for this moment. "I don't know what you've done to me, woman. I think you must have bewitched me. Right here and now I don't give a damn how many other men there have been. And I don't give a damn if one of them is my very own flesh and blood."

"There might be a little problem." She shuddered a little.

"What is it?" I asked, my eyes searching for hers. "Tell me."

"B-but I am inexperienced. I don't think you'll appreciate my lack of experience when it comes to this."

"So he never—" I paused, my throat constricted, and I was having trouble with words. I swallowed hard before then started again, "So he never touched you?" There was both wonder and surprise in my voice. I could not help it. I thought that 'he' would have had his way with her. He had always known to be the playboy of the family, after all, the rake, the wildest of all. And she was just too innocent. Surely 'he' would have no trouble persuading her to share his bed, taking advantage of her love and trust for him.