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17kNovel > Shattered Bonds: A Second Chance Mate > Still His 32

Still His 32

    <b>Chapter </b><b>32 </b>


    Fight ck SUVs were lined up outside the estate, engines humming softly like loyal beasts waiting to move. It was a calcted more – Beta Antó te decided at thest moment that we needed more warriors. Not just for show, but for protection, In total, ten people would <b>apany </b><b>in </b>to the ckpine Park,


    It shocked their Alpha, of course. At first, he hesitated, clearly not expecting such a heavy escort. But in the end, he agreed, recognizing that Allonso’s instincts were never wrong–especially when it came to Francesed,


    After all, this was the first time Alpha Lycaon had left his territory in more than two decades.


    No one wanted to take chances. Especially not Beta Alfonso,


    The drive to the airport was quiet, the tension thick with anticipation. I stared out the window, watching the world blur past as we left thefort of home behind.


    When we arrived, the atmosphère shifted instantly.


    Humans couldn’t stop watching us. From the moment we stepped out of the SUVs, heads turned. Whispers rippled through the crowd like waves. Some were in awe, others clearly intimidated. I couldn’t me them. This was nothing like when I first arrived in Italy. Back then, I had depped off the ne unnoticed, a silent girl with nothing but a duffel bag and broken plecos of her heart. No one had cared. No one had looked.


    But now…everything <b>was </b>different.


    Now, I walked beside the Alpha Lycan


    Even Francesco Brew attention–his presence alonemanding respect. His tall, powerful frame, dressed sharply in ck, exuded dominance. But it wasn’t just his looks that stunned people–it was the way <b>he </b>moved, Like a force of nature that had suddenlye to life.


    And yet, even with all eyes on us, he stayed close, subtly shielding me with <b>every </b>step,


    Francesco kept holding my hand, never letting it go–not even for a second. His grip was gentle but firm, like he was afraid I might disappear if he loosened it. That <b>small </b>gesture said more than words ever could.


    I felt the eyes on <b>us </b><b>as </b><b>we </b>moved through the airport. Especially from human women. Their stares were thick with envy, not just because of how Francesco looked–<b>because </b>let’s be honest, the man could stop traffic–but because of how he treated me. Like I was the center of his entire world. Like nothing and no one else mattered


    He was mine. And I was his. Even if no one else knew the full story, they could feel it.


    We made our way to a sleek ck private jet that waited just beyond the runway, its engines already purring to life. I stopped in my tracks for a moment, blinking in disbelief. That’s ours?


    Francesco gave me a small smile, clearly amused by my <b>surprise</b>.


    Of course he owned it. What else should I expect? He was a Lycan Alpha–not just powerful, <b>but </b>ancient, wealthy beyondprehension. A private jet was probably as basic to him as a car.


    Still, it stunned me.


    A tall man in a <b>dark </b>uniform stood at the base of the stairs. His scent gave him away instantly–werewolf. The pilot bowed his head slightly in deferenc the moment we approached.


    “Alpha<b>,</b>” he greeted respectfully. Then his eyes shitted to me, <b>curious </b>but respectful.


    Francesco said, his voice deep, steady, and proud.


    -This is my y mate,” F


    I stiffened slightly at the title, even though I already knew it was true. He had never introduced me like that to anyone before<b>. </b><b>But </b>he said it so naturally.


    Chapter <b>32 </b>


    <b>so </b>confidently, that something in my chest fluttered and settled all at once.


    The plot nudded again, his expression unreadable. “Wee, Luna”


    Francesco helped me up the <b>steps </b>and inside the ne, his arm never straying far. The interior was hurious–cream leather seats, pots lighting. Every detail screamed elegance, but I barely noticed any of it. All I could feel was his hand in mine and the way he looked at sit beside him


    For the first time in a long white, I felt something I hadn’t felt since leaving home.


    Sale. Warm. Chosen.


    Despite everything–despite the uing meeting, despite the presence of Ruben–Hound myself smiling. Not out of politeness or habit, but because t genuinely felt it.


    This trip, for once, didn’t feel like a mission or a punishment.


    It felt like a beginning.


    And <b>even </b>if I had to face my


    by past… I knew I had already let go.


    Thad nothing left for Ruben, Because my heart was already in the hands of another.


    When we arrived, it was already night.


    The soft hum of the jet’s engine had lulled me into sleep somewhere mid–flight, and I didn’t even realize we hadnded until I felt a shift–warmth, movement, the gentle sway of strong arms beneath me.


    Francesco didn’t wake me.


    Instead, he carried me off the ne in silence, his steps measured, powerful<b>, </b>and careful not to jostle me. I stirred only slightly, my cheek pressed against <b>his </b>chest, breathing in the faint scent of pinewood and earth that always seemed to cling to him. I didn’t <b>speak</b>. I didn’t need to. Even half–asleep, I trusted himpletely.


    Down below, the ckpine Pack waited in the cool night air. Word of Alpha Lycan Francesco Totti’s <b>arrival </b>had spread through the ranks like wildfire. Of course, it had. A visit from the Lycan Alpha was nothing short of legendary. Most of them had never seen him in person–not even during the wars. For more than two decades, Francesco hadn’t stopped out of his territory. Some of the younger Alphas likely wondered if he was just a story used to keep rogue wolves in check


    But now he was here. In theirnds.


    And they had prepared ordingly


    A formal weing ceremony was already underway, with banners bearing the crest of ckpine nking the lit pathway leading from the runway. The ceremonial torches cast flickering shadows across the gathered crowd, highlighting the reverent expressions of pack members lined up to greet him. Everything had been arranged to honor a powerful guest, believing Francesco came because of his old ties with thete Alpha Gregor.


    Ruben stood <b>at </b>the front, dressed in traditional Alpha ceremonial attire, nked by his most trusted warriors. His face wasposed, but tension was visible in the tight set of <b>his </b>jaw. He was preparing to extend the hand of friendship and alliance, to secure a bond with the Lycan Alpha A strategic move for someone on the brink of taking full control…


    But whatever thoughts or ns he had unraveled the moment he saw <b>who </b>Francesco carried in his arms.


    His body stiffened.


    Shock rippled through the gathered warriors like a stone <b>tossed </b>into still water


    All eyes fell on me.


    And more importantly, on the way franceson held me


    It wasn’t just that he canied men. It was how he caused me.


    His expression wasn’t cold o


    for divoadable, like most expected from the reclusive Mpha Lycan, fio, it was anything fest. His features are soft with affection, protective in a way that made even the most hardened warmers exchange nces. He didn’t carry me like a possession


    He cradled me like something cherished.


    Like something precious.


    From afar, even without words, people could feet it. The bond. The truth that had yet to be spoken aloud.


    And that truth h hit Ruben like a thunderbolt.


    The woman in the Lycan Alpha’s arms… was the


    His rejected mate. His past.


    And now, clearly…someone else’s future.


    1 blinked my eyes when I smells the scent and sound in my mind–link–one i hadn’t felt in years–it echoed again in my mind like a forgotten melody suddenly reyed.


    My old pack’s link. The ckpine Pack. And they have awakened me.


    It stirred something deep within me, dragging me from sleep to awareness with a sharp pull. The familiar hum of a connection I thought was severed


    forever<b>.</b>”


    gasped softly.


    Francesco noticed immediately. His grip on me tightened protectively as I blinked up at him, <b>eyes </b>still hazy from sleep. But he didn’t say a word—he just helped me slowly to my feet, steadying me as I tried to adjust to the overwhelming wave of memories <b>crashing </b>down on me all at once.


    And just like that, we were there.


    Standing right in front of the ckpine Pack, led by none other than Ruben ck.


    He stood tall at the center of the weing party, posture perfect, shoulders squared, his mate Kaithiyn beside him, warriors nking them in ceremonial formation. But nothing could mask the <b>sh </b>of emotion that crossed his face the moment he <b>saw </b>me–wide eyes, parted lips, the smallest: step forward before he stopped himself


    I could feel the stares. The whispers. The shock rippling through the crowd like a thunderp.


    Everyone in the ckpine Pack knew who I was


    Eine Rollin–the orphaned daughter of George and Joselyne Rollin, the brave warriors who had died protecting this very pack when I was only so. I’d grown up under Alpha Gregor’s care, trained with the warriors, yed with the other pups in the training field, and disappeared quietly after graduation with a schrship and no goodbyes.


    They had all watched me grow up… and then watched me vanish.


    <b>Now </b>I was back. Not as the quiet girl from the warrior’s wing–but in the arms of the Lycan Alpha himself


    Carned like something sacred. Held like something treasured


    Francesco didn’t falter. His expression was unreadable<b>, </b>cool andmanding, yet his arm around me was nothing but gentle. He didn’t bow <b>or </b>break


    stride. He walked straight toward the ckpine Park with a regal grace that made everyone else feel…small..


    This wasn’t just an Alpha visiting.


    This was <b>Alpha </b>Lycaon returning to the world.


    Even Kaitlyn’s mask cracked for a second. Her polite smileltered, a flicker of confusion passing through her eyes as she tried to piece the scene together–Francesco’s artical, me in his arms, the weight of affection in every one of his movements.


    She didn’t know


    None of them knew.


    Not about the bond I <b>had </b>once shared with Ruben, Not about how he had rejected me beneath the pines on a cold winter morning when we both turned eighteen. How he had chosen power. Politics. Kaithlyn. He had never told anyone <b>about </b>our bond. Neither had.


    And now it didn’t matter.


    Because I wasn’t his anymore.


    I was Francesco’s mate.


    And as we stood before the stunned ckpine Pack, I let the weight of my past settle quietly behind me.


    No more shame. No more secrets.


    Just truth–shining in the way Francesco looked at me like I was his entire world.


    ?


    田
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