Page 105 of Into the Light

As the applause filled the room, I leaned in and kissed Rain, savoring the taste of love and contentment on my lips. “This is what feels right,” I whispered, my heart brimming with gratitude.

Our professor applauded the loudest as she came toward me. “You aced this assignment,” she whispered as I felt the flush return to my face. We walked back to our seats where we watched the rest of our classmates dive deep into what scared them. I’d be remiss to say I was actually listening to them because I couldn’t help but watch Rain.

He kept looking at me as he reached over the table to hold my hand, giving me a squeeze every so often. When class finally finished, we gathered our stuff before we walked outside. It was still raining and gross, but I sat outside the class building looking around. Both of us would still be here all summer to take our classes, but this felt different. There was a finality to the semester ending and us moving on.

“So, do you really want to take me out to dinner?” I asked. He turned toward me and grabbed my waist, pulling me tight into his.

“It would be an honor.”

I frowned momentarily while his eyes searched mine.

“What?”

“I was just thinking about what you said. You wanted to officially make you mine, but I feel like being your girlfriend just seems so trivial after everything we’ve been through,” I said.

He laughed—like one of those genuine big belly laughs.

“What’s so funny?” I asked.

“Nothing.” He shook his head.

“I’m being serious,” I pressed. We were getting soaked in the rain, but I made no rush to get to the car. When you lived in Isles, being wet was just part of your whole aesthetic. It wasn’t cute.

“Nothing, princesa. I agree with you. I think we are beyond the boyfriend slash girlfriend title.”

I narrowed my gaze at him, but let it go, taking him up on our dinner date and leaving the rest shrouded in the cloak of mystery.

He linked his fingers into mine as we ran to the car before jumping in. I took my new place as his passenger princess before he turned on the heat of the car.

“When’s our date?” I asked.

“Tomorrow.”

“Where are we off to tonight?” I asked because it was Friday and it was usually when we decided the weekend, but this one was extra special because we were done with the semester and both passed, so there was lots to celebrate.

“To our future,” he said. I leaned back on the car seat, staring out the window while Rain’s hand rested on my thigh, giving it a little squeeze as we drove down Isles. No longer did we have to look behind us or live in fear of leaving the neutral territory. The Den and the Alpha house had made peace with each other.

In that moment, the world opened up as we watched the pine trees thin out, eventually revealing the city beyond the woods. I arrived in Isles as an immature eighteen-year-old, seeking a typical college experience, but what I found here was a mix of the best and worst moments of my life. While painful memories often took center stage in my mind, I needed to remember that this place had also given me the two great loves of my life. I wouldn’t trade meeting either of them. I instinctively reached up to touch the tattoo behind my ear, a reminder of the man it represented and the person who gave it to me. I had feared that the world had room for me to fall in love only once, but I was one of the fortunate few who got to experience this earth-shattering, all-consuming love twice.

I was one of the lucky ones who got to be in love with the person who grounded me here on earth. The one who gave me the space to find my own inner strength, the one who encouraged me to be the best version of myself, the one who was so fucking beautiful in every single way. But I was also lucky because I loved someone else up above, too. The one who showed me the darkness in the world. The one who showed me an all-consuming love. The one taking care of our daughter.

I sighed deeply, keeping my eyes shut as Rain’s hand gripped my thigh.

“You okay, mi pareja?” he asked. I turned over and drank his beautiful features in. The way his hair tousled, the way his eyes turned hooded whenever he drank me in, the way his arms flexed as he reached out toward me. But I also loved the way he was always checking in with me while giving me the space I needed to feel.

“Yeah.” I sighed. “I’m really good,” I confessed.

As we descended into Dansport, everything felt just right. The lightness I had finally found in a world once veiled in darkness was a testament to the remarkable resilience of the human spirit. I grasped this marked the beginning of a new chapter, a chance to embrace love and cherish a life brimming with endless possibilities.

Into the darkness I’ll go, and into the light I’ll be.

EPILOGUE

Years Later

My wife frantically paced by her phone while she glanced down every second to make sure she wasn’t missing a call. She was standing in our library, surrounded by what she called her comfort objects. She’d told me when she was younger she was obsessed with smelling her blankets for comfort, and being by her books gave her the same feeling.

“They are going to call,” I told her as she shot me a warning look. A low chuckle came from within as I went to our kitchen and grabbed some of the homemade cider I’d made her with our recent harvest this fall. The countryside was already getting cold, and while it wasn’t as freezing as it was at our hunting cabin, it still was gloomy weather.

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