Chapter 97
97
~Elara’s POV
I watched him through the century, carrying grief like it was a second skin he could never shed. Even as the world changed around him, growing, building, expanding into cities of steel and light, he remained the same. He ruled with power and fear, but there was always a hesitancy in him, a shadow he could not escape. One thing he avoided for over a century was my tomb. He feared it. Even as he commanded armies and ruled lands, he could not bring himself to stand over the grave of the one he loved most.
David, his beta, had grown into a strong and loyal companion, keeping him steady in public, but I knew, from inside my shield, that the weight of my absence pressed on him constantly. He became a mystery to everyone, immortal, unstoppable, ruthless, but all that power did not dull the ache inside. It made him careful, wary of anything that reminded him of me, until finally, after decades of silence, he gathered the courage to go.
It was a night drenched in rain, a storm that seemed to weep with him. I watched as he approached the tomb, the rain soaking through his coat, his hair plastered to his forehead. He bent slowly, trembling slightly, and placed his hands on the stone. “Elara he whispered, voice breaking in a way no one else would ever hear. Tears streaked through the dirt on his cheeks. “I am so sorry. I failed you. I waited too long.” He stayed there, unmoving, letting the rain wash over him, letting grief consume him fully.
And then the impossible happened.
In that same century, in the present timeline, I was twelve. I had finished a group class and was supposed to go home with Lira, but she left with the driver, leaving me walking alone along the river. My small umbrella barely kept me dry as I passed through the tombs, the wet earth squelching beneath my shoes. Something made me glance around, a shiver of unease and curiosity, and that was when I saw him.
He was kneeling at my tomb, hunched, shivering in the rain. My heart skipped. Even though he was drenched, even though he was an adult and I a child, I felt the pull of something enormous and familiar. But I didn’t felt that pull then.
Carefully, I moved closer, lifting my umbrella and holding it over his head.
He looked up slowly, and our eyes met. Recognition, though impossible, flared in him. His hands, still trembling, reached for mine. “Elara?” he whispered, voice raw, broken. My hand fit into his, warm despite the cold rain, and in that moment, I felt time bend, twist, and pull me from the past into the present.
I woke with a gasp, blinking against the harsh light. Machines beeped rhythmically around me. The hospital room smelled sterile, the faint antiseptic cutting the edges of my panic. My body felt heavy, but my mind raced, desperate for one thing. “Darlon I whispered, searching frantically.
The door opened, slow and deliberate. He stepped inside, tall, strong, yet vulnerable in the way only he could be. He saw me, his eyes widening, emotions crashing over him in a silent wave. Without thinking, I pushed myself up from the bed and ran to him, letting my arms wrap around him in a hug that spoke of centuries of love, grief, and longing.
He held me close, as if he could keep me from disappearing again, and I could feel the same ache I had watched for so long, the sorrow, the love, the unrelenting devotion, flooding through him. “I found you,” he whispered into my hair.
“I’m here,” I replied, voice trembling. “I’m here now p>
The rain, the decades, the grief, the endless searching, they all fell away in that embrace. For the first time in ages, I could feel him fully.
I held him tighter, my arms clinging to him like I could never let go, my tears soaking his coat and his shirt. The sobs came freely, uncontrolled, a torrent of everything I had felt, everything I had watched him endure through the century. My chest shook, my voice broke. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered between sobs. “I’m so sorry I returned late. I’m so sorry you had to go through all of that alone p>
Darlon’s hands rested lightly on my shoulders at first, grounding me, steadying me. “Shh… rest,” he murmured softly, his voice low and warm. “You just woke up. You need to breathe. You need to be here, alive. That’s what matters p>
I shook my head, not ready to let him go. “I can’t leave you,” I said, pressing my face to his chest again. “I can’t. I’ve waited for so long. I’ve watched you suffer. I I broke off into another sob, unable to form words.
He cupped my face gently in his hands, lifting it so he could see me. “You don’t have to say anything,” he said. “I know. I felt you. Even when I thought you were gone, I… I felt you p>
I pulled away just slightly, still trembling, and wrapped my arms around him again, this time holding on more softly but with the same desperate need. “I… I’m here now,” I whispered. “And I will never leave you. Never again p>
Darlon’s eyes softened, glimmering with emotion I hadn’t seen in so long. “Have you… gotten your memories back?” he asked quietly, as if afraid to break the fragile moment.
I nodded, my tears still streaming. “Yes,” I said, my voice trembling. “I remember everything. Every decades, every moment I watched you… every sorrow, every fight. I felt it all p>
He pulled back slightly, just enough to cup my cheeks in his hands, and looked at me, piercing yet gentle. “Stop crying,” he said firmly but tenderly. “You’ve been through so much, but none of that matters now. All that matters is that we are together, finally p>
I hiccuped through my sobs, letting him wipe my tears away with his fingers, his touch careful, deliberate. “It doesn’t feel real,” I whispered. “After everything p>
“It is real,” he said softly, pressing his forehead against mine. “I’m here. You’re here. And we have each other. That’s all that matters now p>
His voice was low, almost breaking, as he whispered into my hair. “I missed you… more than words can ever say. Every day, every decades, I missed you. I lived only for the hope of seeing you again p>
I pressed my face closer to him, letting the warmth of his chest soothe the trembling that had overtaken me. “I missed you too,” I murmured, my voice thick with tears.
His hands slid up to cradle my face, thumbs brushing gently over my cheeks, wiping away the last of my tears. His eyes searched mine, intense, raw, a mixture of relief, love, and something older and fiercer that made my heart ache.
“I thought I would never see you again,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I thought I’d spend all of eternity… waiting… alone p>
And then, without another word, he bent down slowly, giving me every moment to pull away, to say stop, to let reality catch up with me. But I did not. I could not.
His lips met mine gently.