Chapter 11
I saw Alpha Manfred again long after everything had ended.
It happened during a grand, romantic confession–one that lit up the night sky.
Four glittering words painted across the heavens like the Moon Goddess herself was shipping us:
“Emily, I Love You.”
I blinked at the message, my heart thudding. The last spark flared out, and I lowered my gaze to the man in front of me.
Alpha Larry. My Larry. Usually all swagger and smirks–now nervously tugging at his collar like a pup caught sneaking into a
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C
ranked wolf meeting.
“Well, Alpha Larry?” I teased, arching a brow.
“Say it! Say it already!”
“Don’t chicken out now, Larry!”
“We lit fireworks for this!”
Our friends were hollering from the sidelines, and even a few wolves had stopped to watch. Phones out. Smiles wide.
But my wolf… she stiffened. Just a little. A quiet shift in the wind brought his scent.
And there he was.
Manfred.
Standing alone under a streetlamp like he’d
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stepped straight out of a haunted memory.
A year had turned him into Gaunt. Hollow–eyed. That proud posture gone soft, as if the weight of his choices had finally settled on his spine and stayed there.
My heart didn’t lurch. My wolf didn’t whine. That was how I knew I was okay.
“Emily,” Larry’s voice brought me back, raw and full of hope, “I love you. Will you be my girlfriend?”
I looked at the ridiculous bouquet in his hands–999 roses.
“Yes.”
“Really? You mean it?” His arms were around me in a heartbeat, spinning me like we were in some corny romance movie.
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“I’ll treat you right–you’ll never regret this!”
“I believe you!” I squealed, giggling, kicking my feet as he twirled me like a leaf in a storm. “Now put me down before I puke on your shoes!”
The crowd erupted in cheers. But even through the laughter, I felt it–that flicker of a connection breaking clean.
I glanced over Larry’s shoulder, and there he was. Manfred. Stepping forward. Eyes locked on me.
And then–he saw me smile.
His feet stalled. His expression cracked.
But some goodbyes don’t need words. Not when the bond’s already frayed and
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snapped.
After a moment that stretched longer than it should’ve, he gave the smallest of nods. A surrender. A silent farewell.
Then turned and walked away.
“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” the crowd started chanting, led by my best friend who was already tearing up like she was watching a mating ceremony.
I laughed and cupped Larry’s face.
“You ready for this?” I whispered.
“I’ve been ready since you made fun of my howling technique during training” he grinned.
And I kissed him–right there, under the
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stars, as a dozen wolves and twice as many humans cheered like we’d just won the Luna Games.
Behind me, the past faded into the night.
A ghost I no longer chased.
Before me, the future stood waiting–bright, solid, mine.
And this time, my wolf purred.
She was ready.
The End.
Book 2: After My Beta Stood Me Up Seven Times at the Registry Office
Beta Malcolm and I were at the Civil Affairs Bureau, ready to register our marriage. We
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were just waiting to take the final photo when he got a phone call and left.
He abandoned me right there at the marriage registration office, leaving me stuck in an impossible situation.
I called him–no answer.
I messaged him–no reply.
In the end, I had no choice but to call his childhood sweetheart’s number. Beta Malcolm answered.
“Rowena, can you stop being so annoying? Queenie twisted her ankle–I need to take care of her today. Stop calling and waking her up. We’ll reschedule the registration.”
I bit my lip and murmured into the phone,
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“This makes it the seventh time we’ve rescheduled.”
“So what? The Civil Affairs Bureau isn’t going anywhere–it’s not like it’s going to disappear!”
My face was blank, but it felt like my heart was being carved open.
A staff member looked at me with pity and asked,
“Alpha Rowena, are we still doing this?”
I gave a small nod.
“Yes. Let’s go through with it.”
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