MICHAEL'S POV
That night I sat alone, letting the fire burn low. Shadows crawled across the stone, and an old bottle of wolfbane whiskey kept me company, half gone. I'd been staring into it for hours, hoping the ache might fade if I drank enough.
Maybe Hiram was wrong. Maybe those visions were just my mind playing cruel tricks.
Maybe she was really gone.
I leaned back, shut my eyes.
"Selene…" Her name felt bitter in my mouth. "Why didn't you stay? Why didn't you let me explain..." I started.
The door slammed open, cutting me off. A young guard burst in, out of breath and pale.
"My lord!"
"What is it?" I said, standing up, half expecting good news.
He gulped, barely able to get the words out.
"We found her. A woman and a boy are near the western woods. The patrol brought them in about an hour ago." he announced.
For a second, I just stood there.
"What?" I ain't, almost yelling.
"She's unconscious, sir. They're in the infirmary. The healers said..."
I didn't wait.
The bottle crashed to the floor behind me as I stormed out, my boots loud on the floor. My heart hammered in my ears.
It couldn't be real. It made no sense.
But as I neared the healer's wing, something shifted. Her scent hit me before I even stepped inside. It was faint, but I would recognize the scent of my mate anywhere.
A sick feeling emerged at the pit of my stomach.
Inside, I couldn't focus on anything but her.
She lay on the patient's bed, her skin pale against the sheets, her hair tangled, filled with dirt, sprayed across the pillow. She looked so fragile, ribs poking out of her skin. Scars crisscrossed her arms, old and new, all that pain I'd never protected her from.
Selene.
I just stood there in the doorway, I couldn't move or breathe.
The healer said something to an assistant, but I didn't catch that. I only saw the little figure curled beside her... a boy, maybe five or six. Same dark gold hair, lashes soft against his cheeks, a tiny fist gripping her blanket.
And gods, I saw myself in him.
The cut of his jaw. That faint trace of my scent, tangled with hers. The power pulsing under his skin.
It hit me hard, like a bolt straight through.
He was mine.
I took a shaky step closer. Every instinct begged me to rush to her side, to touch her, to never let go again. But I stopped as my hands wouldn't stop shaking.
What right did I have to be here?
I'd cast her out. Left her to die alone. Yet somehow, she survived long enough to bring this child into the world.
My son.
"Has she woken up?" My voice came out rough, barely audible.
The healer looked down. "Not yet, Alpha. The fever's gone, but she's still weak. The boy's fine, just worn out. They'll both be alright."
I nodded, swallowing hard as something sharp twisted in my chest.
"Good. Give her whatever she needs... food, medicine, warmth. I don't care what you want to do," I ordered.
"Yes, Alpha."
I turned back to the bed. I couldn't help it. For a second, I just stood there, staring at her.
She looked so small. Smaller than I remembered. It was like the forest had taken everything from her, except her bones and a little flesh to cover them with. Still, she was beautiful in a way that stuck with you.
Her hand twitched, the fingers brushing the boy's. My chest tightened.
"I'm sorry," I breathed, too quiet for anyone to catch.
I stepped away before my subjects saw me break down.
Outside, the corridor felt colder. I found the nearest wall and leaned against it, trying to catch my breath, but it wasn't helping. It was like someone was seizing the air.
Selene was alive. She had survived and she carried my child.
My blood.
My heir.
I should've felt relieved. Victorious, even. But all I felt was guilt.
Every scar on her body screamed at me. Every year she'd spent hiding. Every night she must've clung to that boy, hoping no one would find them. All because of me. Because I was too proud to accept the gift the moon handed me.
Back in my chambers, the silence pressed in harder. The whiskey stains on the floor caught the candlelight, ugly reminders.
I rang the bell. A maid came in... young, her eyes big and a little frightened.
"Send food and fresh linens to the infirmary," I said. "For the woman and the boy. Make sure they're warm, fed, and clothed. And you..." I met her eyes. "You personally make sure they get what they need. Everything. Understand?"
"Yes, Alpha," she said, voice small, head bowed.
"And… don't tell anyone who they are. Not yet."
She nodded, then ran out.
I dropped into a chair, staring at the candle in front of me.
Selene.
After all these years, fate dragged her back to me, unconscious but alive. And that boy… our son.
I should go to her. Tell her everything. Beg her to forgive me.
But what would I even say? That I dreamed of her every night while she ran for her life? That I pushed her away to keep her safe from my own pack, the same wolves who'd rip her apart for being my mate?
Would she believe any of it?
I buried my face in my hands.
For the first time in years, I was afraid. Not of death, not of war. Just facing the only person who ever really saw me.
Outside, the wind blew through the fortress stones. Somewhere out there, the incomplete rejection lurks, waiting for either of us to make it work.
And in that stillness, I whispered to the dark,
"I'll make it right this time. I swear."
But even as the words left my mouth, I knew the truth.
The moon never forgets.
It only waits.