Shattered Bonds: A Second Chance Mate - Chapter 33: Chapter 33

There was a beat of silence. Heavy. Suffocating.
No one dared speak.
The warriors from Blackpine exchanged confused glances, unsure if they should bow, move, or even breathe in front of the Lycan Alpha. Some dropped their gaze instinctively, the primal instinct of submission too strong to resist.
Francesco stopped only a few feet in front of Ruben and Kaithlyn. His grip around me remained secure, even as he finally set me down gently, keeping one protective arm at my back as I steadied myself.
It was Ruben who broke the silence first.
"Alpha Lycaon," he said with a slight bow, his voice tight, formal. "It’s an honor to have you here. My pack welcomes you."
Francesco didn’t move. Didn’t blink.
“Thank you, Alpha Ruben,” he replied, voice low but deep, commanding without trying. “I came to pay my respects to Alpha Gregor. A true leader. One of the few I ever trusted.”
Ruben nodded, jaw tight. “We’re grateful for your presence.”
Then his eyes flicked to me.
The mask cracked.
“Ellaine.” His voice softened, barely above a whisper. Like the sound of a ghost. “You look… well.”
I stared at him, not unkindly, but not with the warmth he might’ve hoped for either. “I am,” I said simply.
Kaithlyn’s smile twitched at the corners. She stepped forward slightly. “It’s been a long time, Ellaine. Welcome home.”
Home.
It didn’t feel like home anymore.
But I nodded politely. “Thank you, Luna Kaithlyn.”
She blinked at the word "Luna." It hit her before anyone else. I had acknowledged her as the pack's Luna, which meant I had let go. Fully. Irrevocably.
Francesco’s hand slid lower to rest at the small of my back as if anchoring me.
The small gesture didn’t go unnoticed.
And then Ruben finally asked the question everyone had been dying to say aloud.
“She is your…?”
Francesco didn’t hesitate. “My mate.”
A hush fell over the entire crowd. Even the night air seemed to pause.
Mate. Not guest. Not consort. Not ally. But Mate.
Ruben’s throat moved as he swallowed hard. He wasn’t ready. None of them were.
"I didn’t know," he murmured, eyes clouding. “I didn’t think…”
“You didn’t ask,” Francesco said coldly, the sharp edge in his voice silencing any further comment. “But it no longer matters. What’s mine is under my protection now. I expect that to be respected.”
There was no room for argument in that voice. The Lycan had spoken.
Marlow approached from behind us, stepping forward to present the papers and formal greetings on behalf of the Italian territory. He bowed low, handing the Blackpine Beta a sealed envelope. His eyes flicked to Ruben once, then away.
The welcoming ceremony proceeded quietly after that, subdued and cautious. But the ripple effect had already begun.
Whispers would spread. Questions would be asked.
Ellaine Rollin, the girl they once pitied, had returned as the mate of the most feared Alpha Lycan in existence.
And Ruben? Ruben would have to stand beside his Luna and pretend it didn’t kill him to watch the woman he rejected, now treated like a queen by the one man no one dared defy.
Too long standing made my knees buckle slightly. I almost fell.
Luckily, we had just begun moving out of the airport.
Francesco noticed it instantly. In one swift motion, he scooped me up again in a bridal carry, drawing gasps from several onlookers. Shocked murmurs rippled through the Blackpine pack members who followed the procession.
"Seriously?" I heard someone whisper behind us.
Ruben’s voice cut through the tension, smooth but laced with mockery.
"I didn’t know you were that spoiled, Ellaine. Making your mate carry you all the time."
It was framed as a joke. A light jab. But the bitterness behind it was unmistakable. I opened my mouth, ready to respond, but I wasn’t fast enough.
Someone else beat us to it.
“Our Luna isn’t well,” Audrey’s voice rang out, clear and proud, “but as her last act of respect to Alpha Gregor, she insisted on coming here. Even if it meant pushing herself—and our Alpha—to do so. I’m sorry if her condition isn’t what you expected.”
She didn’t raise her voice. She didn’t need to.
Every word carried weight. Especially one.
Luna.
It echoed in the air like a soft drumbeat.
She had called me Luna.
Not Miss. Not Ellaine. Not ‘the Alpha’s mate.’ Luna.
Ruben’s eyes widened just slightly. Kaithlyn’s lips pressed into a thin line, her fingers tightening around his arm. The entire Blackpine welcoming group seemed to freeze, like time had stalled for a breath.
Before anyone could respond, Francesco stepped forward.
“We should move,” he said coldly, his voice making even the wind pause. “Let your Beta show us to the place we’ll stay. Thank you for the welcome—we’ll speak again tomorrow.”
Beta Mason quickly stepped forward, giving a sharp nod, and turned to guide us. No one protested.
I simply nodded at the gathered group, barely lifting my head, before resting it back against Francesco’s chest.
Let him take me away from it all.
From their judgmental stares. From the past I left behind.
I released a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. My limbs felt too heavy.
Damn. I really wasn’t okay.
“You okay?” Francesco's voice was low, worried.
I opened my eyes and looked up to meet his gaze. "Just tired," I whispered.
“I’ll make the lavender tea with a little potion,” Monica said as she walked past us, always alert. “She needs a real rest tonight.”
The difference in treatment from the Blackpine pack and my own people… it was night and day. Here, I was a burden. There, I was cherished.
I didn’t know what Blackpine was thinking now, watching all of this. Watching Francesco hold me like I was the most precious thing in the world. Watching warriors call me Luna like I already wore the title on my skin.
Francesco’s arms tightened around me, just a little.
Like he felt my thoughts.
Like he wanted to tell the world that I was his, and he wouldn’t let me fall. Ever.
I leaned my head closer to his chest, letting the rhythm of his heartbeat drown out the whispers behind us.
I didn’t care what they thought anymore.
I had found my place. And it wasn’t here.