Chapter 9
735words
When I saw Jacob again, he was wearing the first shirt I had ever given him.
He looked anxious and small, his hands resting nervously on his knees, his gaze timid.
He had brought everything: the photo albums and diaries I had thrown away, the moonstone bracelet I had left behind at the villa.
He had brought every single thing that connected us.
He held up the items one by one, trying to pull me back into our past.
"This is the good luck charm you prayed to the Moon Goddess for when I was sick. And then you bought me this bracelet. You said it might look strange on a man, but I never took it off. Do you really not want any of this anymore?"
Jacob kept his head down, clutching the bracelet like a lifeline, his voice pleading.
I remembered the day I gave it to him, my heart full of hope.
"Will the other warriors make fun of an Alpha wearing a bracelet? If you don't want to wear it, you can just keep it safe in a drawer!"
That's what I had said, but he had put it on without a moment's hesitation and wore it for nine years straight.
"Jacob, the past is the past. If you have something to say, just say it."
He tried to pick up one of my old diaries, to reminisce some more.
But when his eyes met mine again, his smile faltered.
He squared his shoulders, as if gathering all his courage.
"Emily, please, let's not end this. I've already given up my inheritance of the Blackwood Pack. I'm not bonding with Olivia. You're here now, so I'll stay here with you."
"You wanted to be my Luna, right? We can have the ceremony right now. If your mother doesn't like me, I'll do whatever it takes to win her over... Emily, our ten years, our fated bond... does it still count for anything?"
By the end, Jacob's voice was trembling.
Maybe even he knew I would never agree.
But he still had to ask.
He needed to hear the answer.
"Jacob, from the day I left the Blackwood Pack, I never planned on going back," I said softly.
"I'm happy here. I'm going to be the Alpha of the New Moon Pack. I don't have to live a small, repressed life anymore. In the Blackwood Pack, I had no status, no standing. When you cared about me, people were nice. When you ignored me, anyone could treat me like dirt."
"I stayed with you because I loved you, because you were my fated mate. But things are different now. That Alpha you met, Michael Carter, he's my new alliance partner. I think he and I will be holding our ceremony very soon."
"It's not because I've fallen in love with him. It's because it's a suitable match. Isn't that something you used to say all the time?"
I made it as clear as I possibly could. Jacob was smart; there was no way he could misunderstand.
As I turned to leave, he didn't follow.
He just reached out and grabbed the sleeve of my shirt.
He opened his mouth, but no words came out.
"Go back, Jacob. Go back to being the heir of the Blackwood Pack."
I pulled my arm away and walked out without looking back.
The story of Jacob and me was finally over.
Jacob returned to his own country shortly after that.
My friends told me he eventually followed his family's wishes and entered into a political union with Olivia.
Not long after, I had my own ceremony with Michael, becoming his Luna and solidifying the alliance between our two packs.
Years later, on the day my first pup with Michael was born, my mother came to me, her face full of hesitation.
"Honey... Jacob... he's gone."
My fingers, hidden behind my back, trembled slightly.
"They say his soul withered away, and he took his own life. The funeral is in a week. Are you going to go back?"
I looked across the room, to where Michael was holding our newborn child, smiling at me with eyes full of love.
I looked back at my mother and gently shook my head.
"No."
I reached out and took Michael's hand.
The past was finally in the past.
