Shattered Bonds: A Second Chance Mate - Chapter 86: Chapter 86

“Congratulations!!!”
The chorus of voices startled me. I gasped and blinked in disbelief as I took in the crowd gathered in the dimly lit, elegantly decorated banquet room. My hand flew to my mouth as I stared at each familiar face, trying to register what I was seeing.
It wasn’t just Beta Alfonso, Audrey, Patricia, Louis, Monica, and Joshua—all beloved faces from the pack—but also Katrina, Angela, and Jose—my closest human friends from the university. They stood among round tables, under warm golden lighting and cascading floral arrangements, clapping, cheering, beaming at me.
“What...?” I breathed, frozen at the entrance of the private hall.
Francesco had only said he was taking me to dinner—just a quiet Friday evening to celebrate the end of my final exhibition. Nothing fancy, nothing overwhelming. That’s what he told me. And I believed him. I never expected this.
The entire top floor of a five-star hotel in Florence was transformed into a celebration hall. Elegant but cozy. Vibrant but familiar. Everything felt… thoughtful. Personalized. Home.
My gaze swept across the decorations—moon motifs on the wall, scattered with brushstroke-style paintings of wolves, stars, and forests. A blend of both my worlds: the artist and the she-wolf.
It was too much.
Too beautiful.
Too kind.
I turned, heart swelling, and found him already watching me—my mate, standing not far behind with a small, nervous smile tugging at his lips.
His eyes flickered instantly to mine, and he tensed the moment he saw the tears glistening there. His smile faded. In two long strides, he was at my side, hands gently cupping my face.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, voice tight with concern, thumb brushing my cheek.
I shook my head, my hands wrapping around his wrists. “Thank you,” I whispered, my voice cracking slightly with emotion.
His shoulders relaxed immediately. Relief washed over his features like a gentle tide.
“I thought you didn’t like it.” He exhaled, visibly easing.
A familiar voice broke in with a playful grin. “I can say she loves it.”
I turned and saw Katrina already pushing through the small crowd, arms wide open. She hugged me tight before I could say anything.
I laughed through the remnants of my tears. “You guys are here too?! How?”
Angela joined her, smiling knowingly. “Your man there,”—she gestured at Francesco—“is more romantic than we gave him credit for. Audrey came to us after you left the other day. Said ‘he wants to plan something special for her graduation, and we want her closest friends there.’ How could we say no to that?”
Angela actually looked touched, her usual sarcastic grin replaced with something softer.
Katrina grinned. “You got a good one, El. If you don’t marry him, that’s your loss, babe.”
“Seriously,” Jose chimed in, leaning against the buffet table with a drink in hand. “I mean, have you seen the way he looks at you? We all thought he was just a handsome guy picking you up now and then. But this?” He waved at the crowd, the music, the perfectly arranged setup. “This is love.”
The three of them nodded in unison as if I might foolishly deny the obvious truth.
I couldn’t help but laugh, warmth rising in my chest.
This was why he brought me to a hotel in Florence instead of our own territory.
He knew I wouldn’t be able to celebrate with my human friends otherwise.
He included them.
He included everyone.
Not just pack members. Not just wolves. But people—anyone who had mattered in my journey.
I swallowed hard and looked around again, more slowly this time. There were students from other majors too—Joshua from Engineering, Lena from Literature, Emil from Architecture. All smiling, holding glasses of sparkling juice or champagne. All celebrating.
It wasn’t just for me.
It was for all of us.
A celebration of victory. Of survival. Of futures long fought for.
I looked back at Francesco.
My God… the things he does for me.
Before I could go back to him, my three friends suddenly squealed as the DJ shifted to a remix of our favorite pop song from campus days—one that used to play in our dorm common room at midnight when deadlines were killing us.
“Come on, El!” Katrina screamed over the beat, grabbing my arm.
Before I could object, they pulled me onto the dance floor.
I twisted around to glance at Francesco. He’d taken a seat at the center table. Regal in his black shirt, sleeves rolled, top button undone—casual but commanding. And yet… his whole attention was on me.
Not the music. Not the room. Not the people constantly trying to get his attention.
Just me.
His golden eyes locked with mine, a small smile pulling at the corner of his lips.
He wasn’t coming over. He was giving me space.
Letting me enjoy this moment.
Letting me be… Ellaine.
The me I was before destiny tangled my heart.
I blew him a kiss, smiling as he nodded slightly in return, eyes soft.
Then I danced.
I danced like I hadn’t in years.
With Katrina, Jose, and Angela twirling around me, screaming lyrics and laughing, I forgot the pain, the fear, the weight of everything. Just for a while. I let myself feel the joy.
The music had started to slow, drifting into a softer rhythm as the evening celebration wound down. My cheeks were sore from smiling, and my chest ached from laughing so much with Angela, Katrina, and Jose.
They were all still on the dance floor, limbs flailing with joyful abandon. But even through the shimmer of lights and laughter, I could feel his gaze.
Francesco.
He hadn’t moved from his seat, but his eyes never left me.
I smiled and blew him another kiss, letting him know I saw him too. That I always did.
Eventually, I broke away from the dance floor, the warmth of the moment still radiating in my heart. As I approached him, his lips curved into a quiet smile, one hand extending toward me like it was the most natural thing in the world. I took it without hesitation.
"Come," he said softly. "There's something I want to show you."
He led me through a private corridor of the hotel, past velvet-lined walls and golden sconces. I was still barefoot from dancing when we reached a quiet rooftop terrace, the city of Florence glittering beneath us like scattered jewels.
I gasped.
A telescope stood by the edge, polished and sleek. Beside it, a small table with two flutes of sparkling cider and a box wrapped in silver ribbon.
"What is this?" I whispered, turning to him.
"Your graduation gift," he said, then gestured to the telescope. "I thought you’d want to keep chasing stars, even when you leave the university."
My throat tightened. "Francesco…"
He held up a finger and opened the box. Inside was a delicate pendant—a crescent moon of silver wrapped around a luminous blue gem.
"I made this special for you."
Tears burned behind my eyes. "It’s beautiful"
He stepped behind me, placing the chain around my neck. "nothing against your beauty, amore mio."
The weight of it felt powerful. This is like a promise.
I turned in his arms, burying my face in his chest, breathing in the scent that always made me feel safe.
We stood there for a moment, the silence sacred.
Then he pulled back just enough to cup my cheeks. "The night isn’t over yet. Come with me."
He led me back through the building, this time exiting through the private elevator that opened up to the hotel’s secluded garden. There, waiting under the soft light of the moon, was Audrey, Beta Alfonso, Joshua, and several warriors—including those who had once doubted me.
And in the clearing beyond them—our pack.
Dozens of them. In wolf form. Waiting.
My breath caught in my throat. "What is this?"
"A tradition," Francesco said. "When a Luna graduates, she runs with the pack beneath the moon. Tonight, they run for you."
The emotion nearly shattered me.
Audrey stepped forward, eyes gleaming. "Go on, Luna. Show them who you are."
I felt Mika stir inside me, her joy rippling through my chest.
Francesco shed his clothes in a blink and shifted into his massive Lycan form—beautiful and terrible, midnight fur glowing under the moon.
He brushed his snout against mine, and I let go.
The shift took me in one seamless wave, white fur exploding across my skin as I sank into my true self.
Gasps of awe echoed around the garden.
And then we ran.
Together.
Francesco and I tore through the woods, our pack trailing behind in thunderous harmony. The world was nothing but moonlight, wind, and the triumphant song of paws against earth.
I had never felt so alive.
Never felt so free.
This was not the end.
It was the beginning of something greater.
Of love. Of unity. Of legacy.
And as we ran beneath the stars, the night howled our story into the heavens.