The forest was still wet, shrouded in mist from the rain that had finally eased. The scent of earth, wet leaves, and distant pine filled the air, but inside Alan's arms, it was different. It was quiet. Heavy. Weighted with a numbness that even his Alpha senses struggled to pierce.
Julia lay pressed against him, small and fragile, her body trembling—but this tremble was not entirely from cold. Her mind, fogged and broken from the weeks of betrayal, loss, and grief, had built walls so high that even the strongest Alpha might have given up.
Alan carried her through the forest with careful steps, muscles tense, every sense alert. Every once in a while, she shivered against him, but her body was strangely relaxed—almost too relaxed, as if it no longer recognized the feeling of being held, of safety, of warmth.
For hours, he had spoken to her. Whispered apologies. Whispered stories of their past. Whispered confessions that had never been spoken aloud.
"Do you remember the first time we met, Julia?" he murmured softly. "You were standing by the edge of the Blackthorn estate, and you… you didn't even notice me at first. I remember your eyes—so full of fire. So full of life. I knew then… I had to have you in my world."
She didn't respond. No twitch of an eyebrow, no lift of a hand, no flicker of her gaze. Only numbness.
"I know I've broken you," he whispered. "I know I've destroyed what we had, and I cannot forgive myself for what Olivia made you believe… but I will do everything to earn your trust back. To bring back your heart… your wolf… your life."
Still nothing.
Alan's heart clenched in a way he had never known. Every beat of his own wolf—raw, unrelenting—howled through him, begging for even the smallest sign. And then, finally, it came.
A twitch. Subtle, almost imperceptible. A flicker of recognition in her fingers, brushing lightly against his coat.
Alan froze. His wolf surged with hope, urgency, and overwhelming need. She remembers me… she feels something.
He lowered himself onto the mossy ground, careful not to jostle her. "Julia," he said softly, letting his forehead brush against hers. "It's me. Alan. Your Alpha. Your mate. Your—"
His words were cut off as her hand shot up, connecting sharply with his cheek. The slap echoed in the forest.
Alan did not flinch. Did not pull away. Did not even raise his hand.
The slap was not just an act of anger. Not just an outburst of frustration. It was recognition. A spark. A life that had been buried in pain was stirring.
Julia pulled back, eyes wide and haunted, chest rising and falling rapidly. "You… you…" she whispered, voice trembling. "You lied to me. You left me. You… you—"
Alan cupped her face gently with both hands. "I did not lie, Julia. I… I failed you. I failed the bond. I failed our pup. I failed everything… but I am here now. I am not leaving you again."
Julia shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. "You… you left me to die inside, Alan! You let her—Olivia—turn my world upside down! And you didn't even notice! You didn't even care!"
Alan's jaw flexed, amber eyes darkening but gentle. "I did notice. I noticed the moment I realized she had poisoned your mind, and the moment I returned, it was too late. Too late to hold you before you shut me out. But not too late to bring you back."
She pushed him away slightly, her hands weak but determined. "I… I don't… I can't… I—"
Alan didn't speak. Didn't argue. Didn't try to force her. He simply held her gaze, unwavering, letting the bond between them hum softly, faintly. His wolf pressed close inside, patient but insistent. She is mine. And she will feel again. She will come back.
Minutes passed like hours. Julia's breathing began to slow, her eyes, still wide with anger and pain, flickered with recognition. Her fingers twitched again, brushing his coat—not out of submission, but out of curiosity.
Alan's chest tightened. He had waited for this moment. This tiny, fragile, terrifying flicker of her old self.
"You… you're still here," Julia whispered finally. Her voice was hoarse, but there was something new—something more than numbness. Awareness. Recognition. Life.
Alan nodded slowly, voice low and steady. "I am. I am here. And I will never leave again. Not you. Not the bond. Not the pack. Not our future."
She turned her face away, shoulders shaking. "You… don't deserve me."
Alan's hands tightened slightly, but only in determination. "Perhaps I don't," he said softly. "But I will earn you back. Every day. Every moment. Every breath. I will not stop until I see you alive, whole… and mine again."
Her wolf stirred inside her, nudging gently, pressing against his presence. Recognition. Trust. Fear. Anger. Desire. All tangled, all raw.
Julia's hands lifted, trembling, and touched his chest lightly. She flinched back immediately. "Don't… don't speak too much. Don't… don't—"
Alan didn't respond. He simply held her hands against his chest, letting the warmth, the bond, and the unspoken promises flow between them. No words could express the storm inside him, but his patience, his restraint, his unwavering presence spoke louder than any confession.
And slowly… almost imperceptibly… her eyes softened. Just a fraction. The first real emotion since she had numbed herself. Recognition. Acceptance of his presence.
Alan let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. "That's all I need for now," he whispered. "One flicker of your heart. One spark of your soul. That's enough."
Julia's hands trembled as she finally pressed them against his chest, letting herself feel the warmth, the pulse of life and Alpha strength beneath her fingers. Not yet submission. Not yet trust fully restored. But enough.
Alan leaned his forehead against hers, closing his eyes, letting the storm of the past weeks wash over them both. He wouldn't speak. He wouldn't demand. He would wait. Patiently. Fiercely. Relentlessly.
Her wolf stirred. His wolf surged. The bond, once broken and shattered by betrayal and loss, trembled—but it had not been severed. Not completely.
And for the first time in weeks, Alan dared to hope.
Hope that his Luna, battered and broken though she was, might finally come back to him.
Hope that their bond, tested by fire, grief, and betrayal, could be restored.
Hope that one day… she would let him hold her fully again.
And he would wait.
For as long as it took.