And now? Now I see it all too late. The weight of it crushes my chest. I can’t even breathe.
God, I hate myself for being so blinded by pride, for burying my head in my own damn ass because of bitterness, for needing someone to hate so badly that I turned all my pain on her. She didn’t deserve it. She never did.
I wanted to run to her, to fall to my knees and apologize for everything I did... and everything I failed to do.
Because sometimes, the most painful thing isn’t what we do, it’s what we don’t do. I didn’t protect her when I should have. I didn’t love or respect the woman who was meant to be by my side, who I should’ve cherished until my last breath.
Instead, I was the one who let the coldness take root. I was the one who allowed her light, so bright, so beautiful, to slowly wither under the weight of my indifference and pride.
All because I was afraid.
Afraid that if I looked at her for even one more second, I’d forget everything I clung to and fall for her for her strength, her kindness, her spirit. So I built walls. I shut her out. I let my ego, my arrogance, my fear drive her away.
And still... she stayed. She gave me three years of her life. Three years of patience, effort, and sincerity.
And I? I crushed it beneath my feet.
I didn’t just hurt her. I destroyed the best thing that ever came into my life.
God... I’m a monster.
While I was locked in a battle with myself, Addison’s scent in the air grew stronger, so potent and intoxicating it was almost unbearable. I felt Shura stir violently inside me. But it wasn’t just stirring, he was fighting for control, clawing his way to the surface like a beast starved for centuries. His breathing echoed in my head, heavy and desperate, as if Addison’s presence was the only thing keeping him alive.
It felt like he wanted to lunge at her, to claim her on the spot.
But more than anything, I realized just how foolish I had been, how deeply misguided my assumptions were, and how they led me to this very moment. The pain I caused her... it was far greater than I ever allowed myself to see. And now, piece by piece, the truth was falling into place. With every revelation, horror crept in as I finally began to grasp the full extent of the damage I’d done, and just how blind I had been all along.
I pushed through the crowd, moving fast, reckless, driven by something primal. But just as I was about to reach her, Levi stepped in my path. I had forgotten about Claire.
If she escaped now, we’d lose our chance to find out everything, why she impersonated the princess, and what her real motives were. Someone needed to keep her in check.
I snapped out of my haze just long enough to issue an order. "Go back. Make sure that the woman doesn’t escape. We need her; she has to answer for this." And with that, I let go.
I surrendered.
My soul, my body, everything in me surged forward like a madman set loose. I had never felt anything like this before... or maybe I had. Maybe I’d felt this pull all along, faint and buried deep, and I just kept ignoring it.
But not anymore. The pull was undeniable now. Overpowering. Beyond reason.
Even I couldn’t hold myself back.
I tried to look at her, really look, but all I could make out at first was a graceful silhouette walking down the aisle, arm-in-arm with the tall, composed Royal Beta. And then... a growl slipped from my throat. Low. Warning. Possessive.
It startled those around me. They flinched and stepped aside, instinctively making way.
I heard the Alpha King speaking, his voice echoing in the hall, but I couldn’t focus on a single word. My entire world had narrowed to her. Addison.
She stood there, radiant. So unbearably beautiful, it hurt to look at her. Every movement she made was fluid, effortless, like a gentle caress against my soul. I felt heat build from within, the pull intensifying until it dragged at something primal in me. And then I heard the Alpha King’s words clearly, finally cutting through the haze:
He had found Addison, my Luna. My mate. And he found her... a fiancé.
Fiancé.
I felt gutted, and like a knife was twisted in my chest, it hurts... I saw red.
But even through the fury and jealousy rising like a storm, I forced myself to remember. I was the reason she suffered. The reason she was left unprotected. The reason she ran.
Even if she had ten more fiancés... I had no right to say a damn thing.
I bit my lip hard, hard enough to taste blood. A reminder of why I came. Not to control her. Not to lay claim. But to show her I was sorry. That I had changed. That I would do anything to make amends.
But then I felt Shura rising.
He surged forward like a tidal wave, his hunger and need crashing through my restraint. I could barely hold him back as the scent of Addison wrapped around us, maddening and addictive. I felt my knees buckle under the weight of it, my body overstimulated, my thoughts in chaos.
And then Shura roared from deep inside me, his voice merging with mine as a single word escaped our lips:
"Mate."
It rumbled from my throat so naturally, so effortlessly, it startled me. There was even a strange sweetness lingering after I said it, like a reward for finally acknowledging what had been true all along.
And that’s when it hit me.
The pull. The scent. The overwhelming arousal and need.
Addison... was mine.
Fated. Chosen. Destined.
And I had almost destroyed her.
But beyond everything else, I was happy. So happy, my heart felt like it was overflowing. But then, I heard two more voices. Voices calling her "Mate."
No. That wasn’t possible. That couldn’t be real.
I couldn’t let them reach Addison before I did. I had to get to her first.
In the blink of an eye, I was in front of her. And God... she looked divine.
Her hair, now silver-white, glowed like moonlight, and her eyes, molten gold, looked straight into mine. They shimmered like sunlight: warm, inviting, impossible to look away from. But then... surprise flickered across her face when I called her Mate. Disbelief followed, her gaze bouncing between me and the two men beside me.
But I didn’t care. Not about them. Not anymore.
Shura, however, did.
My wolf surged to the surface, letting his Alpha Aura pour around us like a storm, intimidating, territorial, ready to strike down anyone who dared try to take what was ours.
My fated mate.
My Addison.
My Luna.
There’s no way in hell I was backing down now.
This... this must be the chance the Moon Goddess had given me.
To make things right. To prove I wasn’t running away anymore.
To love her, truly, completely, without fear.
And only now did I realize... Shura had recognized Addison long ago. That faint pull I kept ignoring? It had always been there. Perhaps dulled by her unresponsive wolf, perhaps hidden beneath the pain we both carried.
But none of that mattered now.
Because Addison... was the gift the Moon Goddess had given me.
And this time, I would not fail her.