My Long Lost Mate

The teary carriage ride came to an end, with me falling asleep in Luke's arms. When I woke, I was already back in the comfort of my bed. Though the night was undeniably cold, I managed to stay warm under my duvet, also with the help of the ignited fireplace.

The room was dark, only lit by the lamp on the bedside table. I turned my body around, wanting to see the man on the other side of the bed. When I turned, I found the man still wide awake, reading a book in all seriousness.

He soon noticed my movement and shifted his attention from the book on his hands to me, smiling when his eyes met mine. 

"Did I wake you up?" he queried, his body slightly turned in my direction.

"No, you didn't," I answered, shaking my head, "Why are you still not asleep?" 

"I can't seem to sleep," he said before closing his book, placing it beside his pillow. He then changed his position from sitting to lying on the bed, with his body turned towards my direction.

When he had successfully settled on a comfortable position, one of his hands went to the side of my hair, stroking it gently. It went from my hair, then to my forehead, and finally stopped at my eyes. 

"Your eyes look like they were stung by a bee," he frowned, "We will need an ice pack to reduce the swell. I'll go and ask the servants to bring an—" 

"There's no need," I intervened, stopping him from leaving the bed, "They will be better by the morning."

"But it's better to—"

"Right now, I need you more than the ice pack," I confessed, making him lie back down almost immediately. The swell in my eyes was less of a problem than the pain I felt in my heart. I must have gotten too used to having Luke whenever I felt sad that he had become my remedy when things were hard.

"Come here," he opened his arms wide, asking me to snuggle closer into him. Being in his arms always made me feel the safest, also the most comfortable. His hug was more than warm and was always so very comforting.  It was almost like the hug that my mom used to give me, the one that I've always missed the most.

When I made it into his arms, he asked, "Are you okay?"

I wouldn't want to suffer anymore when knowing there was nothing good out of staying alive. I knew that I would be wasting all the efforts that my mom and Anna made for me to stay alive, but it was just too hard. Staying alive was a hard thing for me to do when there was no one by my side. 

There was no one who could provide me with comfort, warmth, or even something as simple as small talks. There was absolutely no one by my side. When the world was against you, nothing seems possible—even living.

At least, that was what would happen if I were still the same old Violet. But now, I have Luke by my side—and the pack. They were the people who accepted me as the person I am, the people who gave me kindness, the people who gave me happiness. The old Violet wouldn't even dare to dream of having such people by her side because she was always alone and chained—because it was too good of a dream for her. 

But to my surprise, here I am, free and no longer alone. I met numerous wonderful people who were kind, people who would always have my back. They made me realize that this world could once again be full of hope and kindness, not always evil. They made me realize that living was not as bad as it seemed to me before. They gave me hope for a better world, hope for a better life. 

The world might be full of evil, but it was also full of kindness. 

"But maybe because you are here," I glanced up at Luke, meeting his eyes who were looking down at me, "I would be okay."

"I'm glad to hear that," a smile sprawled across his face as soon as he heard my words, a smile so bright and wide, "Did my presence give you any help?" 

"Tremendously," I smiled. "Thank you for always staying by my side, for always accepting me as who I am. Thank you for always holding me close like this and for always giving me the strength to hold on. It is everything that I need." 

"You are always welcome, Violet," he answered, planting a soft kiss on my forehead. He then pulled me back into his arms, his head resting on my shoulders as he said, "I wish we could stay like this forever." 

I have never expected that I would spend my life with the presence of another, but the thought of staying with him for a long time sounded wonderful. After I met him, I came to realize how nice it was to receive other people's affection and attention.

But on second thought, maybe it was nice because it was him who gave them to me.

"Ah," he let out a sigh, "So it's true that good things take time."

"What do you mean? I asked the man. 

"You see, Violet," he stroked my head, "Werewolves are supposed to meet their mates when they turned sixteen. But it took us eight years longer for us to finally meet each other on that fateful night. You don't know how awestruck I was by you when I first saw you running on that empty street."

"As far as I remember," I chuckled, "I looked terrible that night. I mean, I was being chased."

"You never looked terrible," he said, "Only ever beautiful. I remember how your hair swayed gracefully in the wind as you ran towards me and the way your green eyes shone in the darkness. It was really mesmerizing."

"Again, as far as I remember," I interjected, "That night, the wind was blowing like crazy so my hair was not swaying gracefully, but it was actually all over my face. And because it was really windy, my eyes were getting teary. I think it was my tears that you—"

"Sshhh," he hushed, placing a finger over my lips, "I want to keep my memories the way they are," he said, giving me a tight-lipped smile. "Anyway, I was overjoyed when I finally found you. I have searched for you all over the lands, but you were never anywhere. I was starting to think that I was not given a mate, but turns out I couldn't meet her because she was trapped inside a house."

"Indeed, we are," he replied. "I know that this might sound really selfish, but I'm glad that she did what she did. Had she not helped you out, maybe we wouldn't be here together right now."

There was nothing wrong with what he had just said, but I wished things wouldn't turn this badly for her. I was happy that I could finally leave that house, that I could finally be freed, but things would be two times—no, ten times better if only Anna could also be freed from them.

She was such a kind soul, she deserved a lot better than a terrible end like this.

Feeling my sadness bubbling up again, I decided to change the topic of our conversation into something less sad, "When we first met, how did you know that I was your mate?"

Luke didn't say anything about the change of topic and answered, "I just know it the moment I saw you," he twirled a lock of my hair as he stared down at me, "Your scent, your voice, your touch—everything about you enchanted me."

"Even now?" 

"Even now," he confirmed, showing me his affection through the occasional smile he gave. "Not a day goes by without me craving for you, Violet. It really drives me crazy at how hard I've fallen for you," he cupped my cheeks, staring deep into my eyes, "I think you have to take responsibility for making me like this."

"H-how?" I asked, getting self-conscious at our proximity.

"There are a lot of ways, for sure," he smiled. His gaze went from my eyes, then lowered to my lips, "Do you want me to tell you?" 

"Are you saying that it's my fault for falling for you myself?" he asked, chuckling.

"Well, I didn't exactly say that but... in a way, yes."

"Rabbit, I didn't expect you to be such an irresponsible person," he gasped, placing one hand over his mouth. "How you sadden me," he said, wiping his non-existent tears. 

"What—"

"Still, I don't take no for an answer. You will have to be responsible for me, and one day, I will be the one responsible for you," he professed, "Just you wait, rabbit. I will definitely make you fall for me, as hard as possible."