Shattered Bonds: A Second Chance Mate - Chapter 71: Chapter 71

Francesco carried me through the quiet corridors of the pack house, the aftermath of battle still echoing faintly in the distance—burning wood, whispered orders, and the rustle of healing hands. But in his arms, it felt like the world had narrowed into something simpler. Just us.
My body ached in places I hadn’t even realized I’d injured. My skin bore smudges of blood, both mine and others’, but I didn’t care. Not now. Not when he was here. Not when the worst was over.
We passed the infirmary, where several warriors lay on cots, nurses tending to them with swift expertise. Every single pair of eyes followed us—some wide with awe, others glistening with relief.
"Luna," they whispered, some in reverence, others in disbelief.
I tried to offer them a smile, but my strength was fading fast. The shift, the fight, the emotions—all of it had taken its toll.
Francesco pushed open the door to his—our—room and gently laid me down on the bed as if I were made of glass.
"Stay here," he said, brushing a lock of hair from my face. "I’ll get warm water and a cloth. You’re covered in blood."
"Don’t leave too long," I whispered, my fingers curling around his wrist, not quite ready to let him go.
His eyes softened. "I’ll be back before you can miss me."
And he was.
Minutes later, he returned with a basin of water and a cloth, setting them down beside the bed. He worked in silence, dipping the cloth and gently wiping away the dirt and dried blood from my skin.
Every touch was reverent.
Every movement, filled with care.
"You should be resting," I murmured, watching him.
"So should you," he replied, lifting my hand to kiss my knuckles. "But I need to see you safe. Clean. Home."
I blinked back the sudden burn of tears.
"Francesco...? Weren’t you on your way to Ruben’s territory?" I murmured against his shoulder.
His hand stilled for a moment before he resumed. "I was. But the second Alfonso sent me that mindlink—the second—I turned back. I quickly put Peter and Kurt in charge on my behalf to make sure everyone there received a proper burial ceremony. I also ordered them to go to the Council, to demand answers about why they did nothing to help. But none of it mattered more than you. Nothing. I had to come back to you."
His voice cracked with urgency and something deeper—devotion.
"I needed to make sure you were safe."
His eyes searched mine with reverence. "Are you okay, mi amor?" he asked as he gently cupped my face and examined me, his eyes catching on a bruise along my rib. I shook my head quickly and gave him a tired, reassuring smile.
"I'm okay. Just bruises."
He let out a heavy breath, the tension in his shoulders easing only slightly.
"When Alfonso mindlinked me about the rogue ambush, I expected panic, maybe fear. But instead… I heard awe in his voice. He couldn’t believe what he’d witnessed. A white Moon Wolf. You... My Luna."
He paused, his hand running over my cheek, almost as if to ground himself. "I never thought I'd be lucky enough to have someone like you."
I sat up slowly, pulling the covers around myself as I took his hand.
"I had to do something, Francesco. I couldn’t stand back. Not when the people here… they matter to me. Louis, Patricia, Audrey, Alfonso—they gave me kindness when I was nothing more than a shattered girl with no mate, alone. They made this place feel like home. Like family."
He nodded, jaw tight with emotion.
"They deserve to be protected. I may not have been born into this role, but I will fight for them like I was. And when Mika gave me her strength, I knew… I could do it. I wasn’t afraid anymore."
His lips parted, but no words came out at first. Then, with a growl of emotion, he wrapped his arms around me tightly, burying his face in the crook of my neck.
"Dio, Ellaine… You’re incredible. How do you expect me to stay calm when you keep proving you’re stronger than I ever imagined?" He groan.
I smiled against his shoulder, heart full. But he wasn’t finished.
He pulled back and cupped my cheeks, kissing my forehead, then my eyelids, cheeks, and finally my lips—soft, lingering kisses that spoke volumes.
His hands slid along my arms, my sides, as if needing to convince himself that I was really here, alive, safe.
"I don’t want to lose you," he murmured between kisses. "You’re not just my Luna. You’re my heart. My mate."
"And I’m yours," I whispered, kissing him back just as tenderly.
He pulled me fully into his lap, arms encircling me protectively. We sat in silence for a while, wrapped around each other as the world outside slowly began to heal.
His lips brushed my hair. "Tell me more about Mika."
I smiled, feeling her presence even now, warm and calm in the back of my mind.
"She’s… ancient. Powerful. She told me she waited until I was ready. Until I was strong enough to hold her. That’s why I couldn’t shift before—because my body, my heart, my mind wasn’t ready."
He held me tighter, awe flickering in his golden eyes. "And now?"
"Now, I’m ready. Because I believe in myself. Because she believes in me. Because you believe in me."
A tear slipped down his cheek, and he didn’t even try to hide it.
"You’re the most extraordinary woman I’ve ever known."
We sat like that, wrapped in moonlight and love, as the first rays of dawn painted the horizon gold.
Outside, the world would remember this night for the rise of the Moon Wolf.
But in here, in this room, it was the night I knew, without a doubt, I was exactly where I belonged.
In his arms.
Loved.
Home.
I didn’t know what to say.
Because deep down, a part of me still struggled to believe I was someone worth choosing.
But Francesco had chosen me.
Again and again.
And tonight, he ran through the night just to hold me.
I can’t stop smiling and nestling closer.
And with that, sleep claimed me, safe in the arms of the Lycan who had run through the world just to get back to me.
Because now, everyone knew:
The Moon Wolf had risen—and she was loved by her Alpha Lycan mate.