Page 77 of Rejected By My Shadow Alpha
Hope.
He turned toward me, still holding the journal and vial. "It waited for her," he said. "The mansion, the Codex, the bloodline…it all waited."
My hand found his, and right there, I wasn't afraid of what Liora's powers meant because now she wouldn't have to walk that path alone.
Chapter 33
Drew
The Council house doors shut behind me like the closing of a long, bitter chapter. For a moment, I just stood there, beneath the gray sky, the air biting cold against my skin, and letting the reality settle. The Council has officially handed me ownership of all that belonged to my lost pack and recognized the Lunaris pack as a legitimate pack.
My jaw flexed, my hands still in fists from the long hours of talks and Council room politics, but my heart…my heart was quiet. For the first time in years, I felt a sense of peace and freedom settle in my heart.
I got into the car and told the driver to take me home.
Home. The word felt real again. Home is where my pack belonged with Ruby as my Luna and Liora, the light of our lives. Home is in the once-abandoned Lunaris estate, now restored to its glory.
When I walked through the door, the scent of wild roses hit me first, her scent. My Ruby. She was already rushing toward me, her arms thrown around my neck before I could take abreath. I buried my face in her hair and held her to me like a man who'd come back from war.
"He's gone," I murmured into her shoulder.
She nodded, eyes bright with tears. "At last, justice is served."
"And peace," I added softly, "at last."
I pulled back just far enough to see her face, to really look at her. "Thank you," I whispered. "For standing by me, for believing in me, and for not giving up on us."
She smiled, brushing her hand over my cheek. "We both almost gave up, remember?
"I don't know how I would've made it without you," I said honestly, cupping her cheek.
She smiled, a soft light in her eyes. "You would've made it. You're too stubborn not to."
I laughed, a real one. "I still remember the day we met. You stormed into my office, staring me down like you already knew I was trouble."
"You were trouble," she smirked. "Still are."
I chuckled, a quiet, disbelieving sound. "You were yelling at me about being arrogant after you helped correct a patient's insulin dosage. I thought you were going to slap me."
"You almost deserved it," she teased. "You were arrogant."
I grinned. "Still am."
She rolled her eyes, laughing as I pulled her in for another kiss, this one slower and deeper. Her lips moved with mine like they belonged there, but then she pulled away with a gasp. "Drew! The alliance party! We're hosting. We're supposed to be at the manor in less than an hour."
I groaned dramatically, letting my forehead rest against hers. "Just five minutes," I murmured. "Five minutes alone…I need you, Ruby. Right now."
She shook her head, feigning disapproval, but I saw the heat in her eyes. "Drew…"
"I've waited seven years. I've burned for you every single day. Now you're mine, and I'm not sharing you, not even with a party. Besides, let's take this moment for ourselves."
I scooped her up effortlessly.
"Drew!" Ruby laughed, half protesting, half breathless as she pounded a fist weakly against my shoulder. "We'll be late!"
I held her tighter. "Let them wait."
She wriggled in my arms, but her smile gave her away. "We're the hosts!"
