Uncertain Choices

Chapter 34

Your rich brown eyes pierce my spirit, my love. I look forward to meeting you one day. How much longer can I play this game with you? I'm not sure. Sometimes the temptation is too great to refuse; your neck begs for my touch, and I've felt my dogs reach out on multiple occasions.

I'm not sure if you've noticed, but you have bigger breasts and a more radiant complexion. My dear, you are expecting a child. You will hear the heartbeat soon. I'll read these letters to you while sitting in our yard one day when our kids are grown and looking after our pack. We'll look back on the past and relish our lives together, not as Alpha and Luna but as partners.

Tell me, sweetheart Dorothy, does the mere thought of my presence still make your heart race? When you see my cock, does your face still get hot? What names are we going to give our kids? As a boy, I've always liked the name Jackson. I never gave having a daughter much thought, but now that I have one, I can't picture living without a little one. She has nice eyes, I bet. Is Glynis a good name for her? It denotes something pure.

Fantastic, is the ideal word to sum up my existence with you.

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Blaine De Lombardi's POV

I observed her sprinting between the trees and into the expansive woodland beyond the Dickson Estate. While Lucia was observing this location in wonder, I was suspicious about it.

Something was happening—something more significant than this foolish Lunar Glow. Some time ago, I texted Johnson to ask him to check into something for me.

These assignments are usually given to betas by alphas, but Cyril undoubtedly wanted me dead because I had marked his sister without warning.

Yeah, I also didn't have a warning.

I spent over an hour waiting for Lucia. With her tongue out, her wolf finally returns to the main ground. I watch as she vanishes behind a tree, and returns wearing shorts and a loose blouse, and her heavy pants fill my ears.

When she walked into the mansion, I got off my post.

I feel like there's someone behind me as I get closer to the marble seat. I take a breath, the powerful aroma! Though not an alpha, this person is unquestionably powerful.

"Ah, newly mated, I assume?"

It's Felix Dickson that I turn to see. He's probably in his fifties, but he looks like he's thirty, even though he's almost as tall as I am and has some grey hair. He appears professional in his navy blue suit, but there's more going on here than meets the eye. The pocket square has a paisley pattern.

"Pardon me?" I say.

He points at the door.

"Was that your mate, young man?"

"Yes," I reply in a stern voice. I won't change my opinion of these folks, no matter how much Lucia gushes about them.

"Ah, I recall those times. The overwhelming need to keep her safe and to let everyone know that she is all yours," he remarks.

I responded by nodding.

He put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Well, let me tell you something, son."

"It never gets easier; the need to protect your mate only grows because the longer you spend time with them, the harder it gets to imagine a life without them," he continues.

My breathing stops. It's the exact scenario he mentioned that I hope never comes to pass. Because of this, I never committed to anyone after Mirabel; I was only going to use her as my Luna, but there would be no love involved. Never.

Then Lucia had to interrupt the whole event. I would never be in this predicament if I had never seen her.

How can I let her leave, though? How can I get that picture of those brown eyes out of my head when she smiles? How do I get past the smell of her that makes me crazy? There must be a way.

Her control over me causes excruciating tightness in my chest. Love was never what I wanted. Yes! Friendship perhaps. My thoughts are now entirely focused on a brunette. Is she secure? What has she been up to lately?

Wouldn't she look so damn beautiful riding me?

I remark, "Thanks for the insight, Mr. Dickson," and turn to leave. I climb up to my room, which is much too fancy for me. The bathroom is dark and makes a striking contrast to the room's bright white marble, but everything else in here is overly bright.

I enter the shower and feel the warmth of the water as it hits my body. My back is locked tight from the stress of last week. My life has gotten incredibly complicated in such a short amount of time. A mate to look after, a pack to lead, and businesses to keep running.

I've been feeling numb for a while. I'm so used to the pain that it's all just a blur to me. My desire to be the best alpha possible is the only thing that motivates me.

Yet when I hear Lucia's voice when she sasses me or when I smell her vanilla scent, my heart decides to come alive again. However, it's not enough. We were doomed from the start, weren't we? I was with her sister for nearly five years, and Lucia has never expressed anything other than hate towards me.

Perhaps I'll use her body, and she'll use mine, and when this mate bond finally starts to fade, we can move on and find other people. We would still be mates; of course, no alpha is strong without his Luna, but I think we both deserve to find love. At least she does anyway, and who am I to stand in her way?

"Her fucking mate, you idiot!"

I don't need your opinion right now, Henry.

I don't know why you bother.

Excuse me?

We both know that the second she looks at another man, you will kill him. So tell me, Blaine, how exactly do you expect her to "find love"?

I said when the mate bond fades, not now.

Silence.

I made a mental note to talk about this with my friend after the Lunar Glow.

Elena watched Blaine and listened to his thoughts. Sometimes she wishes gods were still allowed to intervene with their creations, but alas, she could only watch her child make colossal mistakes.

Seriously? She had gone through so much trouble to fix the past, and yet this young alpha was acting like it was no big deal to just give up on your mate.

And who said the mate bond fades? If anything, it grows stronger over time.

There's nothing like the bond between two werewolves. It's a blessing and a curse because life with a mate is glorious and full of happiness and love.

A life without a mate is something Elena never wishes for because at that point there is simply no point in living.