I didn’t want to waste another moment on Dylan. I stepped around him and walked quickly to the waiting car.
“Amelia, please,” Dylan pleaded with me, his voice breaking. “Just give me a chance to make this right!”
Through the car window, I saw him standing motionless on the path, like a wolf who had lost his soul. His back was turned to me, concealing whatever expression his face might have shown.
I didn’t want to see it anyway.
Our flight instructor was a young Alpha named Liam Diego. Handsome did not begin to describe him.
Most of the females in our group had joined solely to admire him. His chiselled features and piercing grey eyes attracted admiring glances wherever he went.
Despite the attention, he maintained a cool and professional demeanour. Beyond answering work-related questions, he remained distant and unapproachable.
Before the helicopter lesson began, he meticulously checked everyone’s safety equipment. When it was my turn, his gaze stayed on me for longer than necessary.
Something in his eyes seemed strange, almost familiar, as if we had met before. But he said nothing, only checking my safety harness before leading us up into the sky.
When I was with Dylan, he never let me participate in extreme sports or adrenaline activities. He was always concerned about my health and safety, saying my body was too fragile.
He never realised I’d always been an adrenaline junkie. The more exciting the outdoor activity, the more I enjoyed it.
To allay his fears, I gave up these activities after our mating ceremony. I gave up that part of myself, like so many others, to become the mate he desired.
Before meeting Dylan, flying helicopters was my greatest passion. During those years of confinement, I’d watch videos of pilots soaring through the clouds, my fingers aching to grasp the controls again.
I never imagined I’d have another opportunity to fly. As we took off, the sensation of rising above the earth freed something long imprisoned within me. For the first time in years, I felt truly free.
The world below shrank to a miniature size. Mountains, forests, and lakes all became small features on a living map. Up here, my problems appeared both minor and insignificant.
However, as we prepared to descend, disaster struck. The helicopter’s engine made a sickening sound, and we dropped out of the sky. I attempted to deploy my emergency parachute, but the mechanism jammed.
I was falling, and the ground rushed up to meet me with terrifying speed. Through the chaos, I noticed Liam diving towards me, his body streamlined like a missile.
He caught me in mid-air, his strong arms wrapping around my waist. When our bodies connected, something electric passed between us.
We both froze for a split second, eyes locked in shock. My wolf, which had been dormant since leaving Dylan, suddenly surged forward with a howl of recognition.
A second chance, mate. The Moon Goddess’ rarest gift to a wolf who had lost their fated partner. Liam snapped back into action, deploying his parachute. The canopy bloomed above us, jerking us up before we began our controlled descent. We landed harder than ideal, rolling across the grass in a tangle of limbs and parachute material.
The other students rushed towards us, their expressions tight with concern. Before I could stand, Liam scooped me into his arms and carried me to a small cabin that served as the flight school headquarters.
“Are you hurt?” he enquired, his clear eyes filled with concern. The professional distance was gone, replaced by an intensity that made my heart race.
