Chapter 56

“What?”
“It’s true,” I said.
I didn’t know how he would react to the full story of how I ended up here for the first time over 8 years ago. But if I was going to be his mate for real, he needed to know the truth about my past.
“There are some things you need to know about me and my past,” I said tentatively.
“Go on, I’m listening,” he said patiently.
I took a deep breath and began to speak. I told him about my life journey starting from when I was left in the custody of my uncle as a child, following the tragic death of my parents. He listed to me as I spoke and he did not interrupt me or betray any facial expression to show what he was thinking.
When I was done talking, he asked, “Is that all?”
I nodded. I couldn’t gauge his mood anymore because his face wasn’t giving me any clues. I couldn’t tell if he was disgusted or sympathetic. Could this be the end of the road for him and me?
“Thank you for telling me the truth,” he said calmly. “However, it doesn’t change how I feel about you.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. “What?”
“Your past does not change how I feel about you, Jade,” he repeated. “I love you. I’ve been in love with you even before I met you.”
This was beyond unbelievable, it was wild!
“Listen, a met a woman three years ago who told me my future,” he said. “She was a seer from the Moon Pack. I met her on a day when I was so troubled in my mind and I decided to hike alone in the woods. She told me my fated mate will appear to me like a ghost.”
“Wow…”
“And that when I saw her, I would know,” he continued. “I would feel the mate bond with her and I would love her as I have never loved anyone else alive.”
“I don’t even know what to say,” I confessed. “Did she tell you your mate would be a she-wolf with a chaotic past?”
“Yes. She told me I would be her third and final mate.”
Those words sent chills down my spine. I knew for certain that Freya must be the seer he was talking about. But why hadn’t she told me that my third mate was Alpha Rowan?
Perhaps she hadn’t made the connection. After all, she had told me that she only knew what she saw in her visions and nothing more. If she didn’t get specific details from the vision, she couldn’t know for certain that I was the mate she was talking about.
“There’s more,” said Rowan. “She said we might experience a tragedy in which one of us could be taken away.”
“What does that mean?”
“I have no idea. She spoke in riddles and I never quite believed her. Not until that day I saw you on the balcony. I almost thought I imagined you.”
I smiled. I liked knowing that he had been so smitten by me that he had thought I was a figment of his imagination.
“I sent my men out to search for you,” he continued, “but nobody had seen you or so it seemed. I was angry with myself for not making a move before you disappeared.”
“Well, now you have the chance to make all the moves you want,” I said. “I’m here now.”
He grinned and kissed my forehead. “I can’t wait to introduce you to the pack.”
“Which pack?” I asked sarcastically. “You mean your pack of slaves?”
He frowned. “Pack of slaves? What’s that supposed to mean?”
I shrugged. “The whole world has heard how you turned everyone in your pack except your immediate family members into slaves. That’s why nobody wants to come to the Highlands because they’re afraid of being captured and turned into slaves.”
He laughed. “How ridiculous. Do people really believe that?”
I was confused. “Isn’t it true?”
“Are you kidding? Why would I turn my pack into my slaves? The only slaves we have around here are from the packs I conquered.”
“Oh…”
“Most of the things people have heard about me are more fiction than facts.”
“I see…” I said.
His explanation made sense. The Rowan who made love to me in this room couldn’t be the same Rowan that everyone else referred to as a monster. Still…
“Why keep slaves at all?” I asked him. “The Highlands is wealthy enough for you to afford to pay people for the work they do for you. That’s the honourable thing to do.”
“Look, slavery has been existing even before the time of my father. It’s our way of life here. Why should I change it?”
“Because the slaves are people’s loved ones. They have families and they deserve to live dignified lives. Nobody wants to be a slave, Rowan. It’s not a good way to live.”
He smiled at me. “So, you want me to release the slaves?”
I nodded.
“Would that make you happy?”
“Yes,” I replied.
“Then it is done,” he said.
I gasped. “Do you truly mean that?”
“You have my word,” he promised. “And I shall let everyone know that it was your idea. Your duty as the pack Luna has already begun.”
I hugged him tightly. “Thank you!”
“You will always have anything you want here, Jade. All you have to do is ask.”
I couldn’t believe it. Was this truly happening? Suddenly I have been transformed from a homeless traveller to the Luna of one of the most powerful packs in existence!
“I feel like I’m dreaming,” I gushed.
“I feel the same way too,” he admitted. “I had thought that I was doomed to be a mateless Alpha for the rest of my life. I thought the sorceress’s words were lies, but here you are in the flesh. My dream come true with the flaming hair.”
I cleared my throat. “So, about that… this isn’t my real hair colour.”
“Then we’ll make it your real hair colour,” he said. “I like it.”
I hugged him again. This must be the best dream of my life and I never want to wake up from it.
He kissed me tenderly, running his fingers through my hair. I was overwhelmed with a feeling of love for him. I felt protected. As long as I have Rowan on my side, I didn’t need to be afraid of anyone, not even Dominic.
We made love again and when we were done, I was super hungry. We went into his bathroom together and showered as a couple. We were laughing and teasing each other like lovers who have known each other for years. It was a blissful feeling.
I dressed in one of the outfits Gina gave me. It was an off-shoulder teal dress that made me look truly regal.
“I’ll have my mother’s dressmaker come around in the evening to fit you for new dresses,” he said. “I want you to look like the Luna of the Highland Pack in every way.”
“That would be my pleasure,” I replied.
This was what I truly deserved – a happily ever after life with my fated mate who loved me deeply and sincerely. No longer will I be the mate to a set of disloyal triplets, or an Alpha who was only a figurehead.
Rowan was a true werewolf Alpha in every sense of the word. He was tall, handsome and regal in his perfectly tailored clothes. He walked with an air of authority and commanded respect wherever he went. His name alone sent shivers of fear down people’s spines. He was my dream mate and more.
“Stop looking at me like that or else I’ll have to tear that pretty dress off your body and take you right there where you’re standing.”
I laughed. “Don’t worry, my love. You have the rest of our lives to do that.”
“True.”
“Where are we off to?”
“My mother’s chambers. I will introduce you to her first and then we will go to the dining room to eat an early lunch before I officially introduce you to the pack.”
“Sounds like we’re going to have a busy day.”
“We have no time to waste. You’re home now and it’s time for the rest of the family to meet you.”
“Where have you been all my life?” I asked softly.
“I could ask you the same question but I’m glad we finally found each other.”
“This feels too good to be true.”
“Jade, we deserve happiness, don’t we?”
“Yes, yes, we do.”
“Then let’s not question it anymore. This is our destiny and we have waited so long for it. Come along, it’s time for you to meet my family. Welcome home, Mate.”