If Only (BxB)

Mrs. Dale

“Luna Irving are you alright?” Mrs. Dale asked with concern evident in her voice.

After telling Gayle that I’ll be leaving with Mrs. Dale I had grabbed my phone off the dining table and rushed out of the house with Mrs. Dale in tow.

After walking a certain distance I sighed when I realized, no one was chasing after me. Though I left with the intention of not going back, a very small part of me still wished that he would at least try to stop me, even if I didn’t want to I still couldn’t hold back the yearning I felt for him. We are mates after all…

In the end, if Gayle showed me even a little bit of affection, I’m convinced that I would be hooked for a lifetime, but it’s all just my wishful thinking.

“Luna…” Mrs. Dale’s words pulled me back from my thoughts.

I started feeling guilty for dragging Mrs. Dale in my mess.

“I’m fine Mrs. Dale but I’m very sorry about all this. You got fired because of me.”

Mrs. Dale however huffed in response, with hands on her hips she went on to reproach me, “Nonsense! It was not your fault Luna Irving. If anything I’d like to punch that scheming skank in the face. I can’t believe Alpha Gayle has such a horrid taste in women, each one is worse than the last. If anything he would’ve been better off impotent!”

I was shocked at her words, this was the first time Mrs. Dale lost her composure infront of me yet her words felt strangely… logical?

Aware of my stunned gaze Mrs. Dale quickly adjusted her features and smiled at me.

“Luna Irving forgive me for being blunt but you are totally wasted on him. I’ve worked the last two years for Alpha Gayle and am utterly appalled by the way he treats his mate. If anything… he hates you to the core.”

I winced at her honest words, with my head down I muttered a quiet response.

“I can’t help it Mrs. Dale. He’s the mate Moon Goddess chose for me. I just keep hoping that maybe somebody he’ll look at me, that maybe somebody he’ll love me too. But it’s been four years and I’m still unable to move his heart, I’m completely useless.”

I felt my voice crack as tears threatened to spill down my face.

Mrs. Dale cursed Gayle under her breath and pulled me into a hug. I felt indebted to her for always being there for me, her presence has been the biggest support. I don't regret my decision of leaving the house with her one bit.

“Luna Irving, may I ask where we’re going first?”

I stared at her blankly before deciding to head towards Ash’s place.

“I’m thinking of going to my sister’s house”

“Beta Ashlyn huh? Then let’s walk”

“But it’s quite far… “ I was worried about Mrs. Dale walking the distance, plus we’d reach much faster in our wolf forms.

“Humph, don’t look down on me just cuz I’m old, besides, I think I should exercise my human legs too sometimes."

Acquiescing in her decision I follow behind Mrs. Dale. The streets were bustling with energy as Mrs. Dale and I walked together holding hands. She was softly caressing my hand with her thumb in a reassuring manner.

We probably looked like a mother and son pair from afar.

“You know Luna Irving, my husband was five years younger than me”

“Oh, really?”. This was the first time Mrs. Dale was willing to talk about her mate, usually she would just busy herself taking care of me and refrain from talking about herself.

“Yes. The moment I first shifted into my wolf, I immediately knew it was him. But I couldn’t believe that my mate hadn’t even reached puberty yet, let alone understand concepts like love and relationship. I was afraid of scaring him so I decided to look after him from afar, assuming the role of a helpful and caring older sister. But…”

Mrs. Dale sighed wistfully as she continued.

“When he turned sixteen, the moment which I was nervously anticipating, he realized I was his mate and chose to… ignore me.”

“Huh?!” I blurt in astonishment. I thought this was going to be a happy love story.

“Mhm I was surprised too. I couldn’t decipher what made him react like that. Was I not pretty enough? Was I not what he wanted? I became very insecure and overthought every single possibility” Mrs. Dale said.

Even though Mrs. Dale was already in her forties, it couldn’t hide the natural charm she possessed. And looking at her now grey, dark brown hair and glimmering hazel eyes, it was no doubt that she was a beauty in her time, for her to harbor such thoughts, I couldn’t imagine it.

“Despite my uncertainties, I still chose to be the perfect mate and diligently looked after him when we started cohabitating. You remind me so much of my younger self Luna Irving.”

She smiled as she looked at me, her eyes tinged with nostalgia. I silently urge her to continue.

“I didn’t know why Eric was behaving like that but I was determined to hold onto my mate. I persevered for a year until one day, Eric threw some really harsh words at me. I couldn’t hold back and started crying. Eric was flustered at my sudden outburst and instantly started apologizing profusely. After a long talk, it turns out he was mad at me for not telling him we were mates! He actually had a crush on me since he was ten but couldn’t admit it for the fear of us not being mates. And when he did feel the mate bond, he assumed I hid it from him because I didn’t want him.” Mrs. Dale and I giggled at the sudden turn of events.

“It was a childish reason but we were both idiots” Mrs. Dale seemed to have returned to her youthful days as she reminisced about the past.

“You must love each other a lot. How is he doing these days?” Even though Mrs. Dale lived with us for the last two years, I never met her mate before.

“Ah Eric, he… he passed away” Mrs. Dale whispered in a hoarse voice, her eyes dull with sorrow.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know…”

“It’s alright. Been ten years since he left but it’s still kinda hard talking about it. Even though I thought I’d be the one to leave first…” Mrs. Dale trailed off, her voice already cracking.

I couldn’t fathom the pain she must be going through. Every werewolf dreaded the loss of their mate, it was the most brutal thing in the world.

It’s not only the dead who are pitiful but their loved ones who die everyday in their memory. I wanted to ask how he died, but Mrs. Dale looked so despondent I couldn’t bring myself to question her.

“Our time with each other was short, just ten years. But every day was full of bliss, we cherished each other, respected each other but most of all we loved each other. We never had any kids, he was afraid I wouldn’t pay attention to him anymore.” Mrs. Dale giggled ruefully as she spoke.

“Our memories together are what kept me going till now.” She said as we kept walking, it was remarkable how Mrs. Dale was able to pull herself together after losing her mate. There are quite a few examples of werewolves going insane from heartbreak and killing themselves to accompany their mates in the afterlife.

I noticed we were getting closer to our destination. The mid-summer sun blazing over our heads.

“So you see Luna Irving, when someone cares about you, then even if it’s only a little bit they wouldn’t be able to bear the thought of hurting you, as it would hurt them more. When Eric saw I was upset, all his anger and resentment was thrown out of the window, that’s when we realized how important communication is in a relationship” Mrs. Dale continued as she smiled at me. “In a healthy relationship there isn’t only selfless love and sacrifice, but a balance between give-and-take.”

How could I not understand what she was trying to convey? Through her own experience, Mrs. Dale was subtly reminding me how Gayle never treated me as an equal worthy of his attention.

But I was just as hopeless, I continued torturing myself by loving Gayle, I just can’t bring myself to let go…

While I was lost in contemplation, we already reached Ash and my house. I invited Mrs. Dale into the house and poured us some water to quench our thirst. It looked like Ashlyn wasn’t home yet.

I hadn’t even sat down when I felt Luna Mia trying to contact me through the mindlink. I was scared shitless. Did she find out?