Too Late To Want His Moonlight Back

1

Finally!

Melena Roland stepped out of arrivals, suitcase rolling behind her. Her black hair fell over one shoulder, slightly messy from the flight, and her gray eyes moved over the crowd with quiet focus.

Three years in Levy Country had changed her. She'd spent those years studying, researching, and building a name for herself. She'd grown tougher too.

Still, none of that stopped her heart from racing when she spotted Mark Thorne.

He was waiting near the front of the terminal, tall and broad-shouldered. His blond hair looked slightly tussled, like he'd run a hand through it one too many times while waiting.

The second she caught a whiff of his pheromones, her wolf stirred.…warm cedar with a clean citrus edge.

A smile spread across her face."Mark!"

She barely remembered crossing the distance between them.

One moment she was standing by the gate. The next she was in his arms.

His scent wrapped around her instantly, soothing the loneliness she'd been carrying for three years. Her wolf practically melted against his Alpha presence.

Goddess, she'd missed him.

Mark pulled her closer and kissed her hard.

"Lena," he muttered against her lips. "Do you have any idea how much I've missed you?"

When he pulled back, she laughed breathlessly. "Probably less than I've missed real food."

That earned a bark of laughter from him.

"Still thinking with your stomach?"

"After twelve hours on a plane? Absolutely."

He grabbed her suitcase. "Come on. I'll feed you.”

Outside, Hamilton hit them with cool night air and that faint mix of salt from the bay and pine from the distant hills. The city looked polished, expensive, and slightly intimidating.

Mark opened the car door for her.

“Still doing the gentleman thing?” she asked as she slid in.

“Don’t get used to it,” he said.

“Too late.”

Inside the car, Melena had already kicked off her heels the second the door shut. “Freedom,” she muttered, leaning back into the seat like she’d just escaped captivity. Tablet in hand, she was barely paying attention to anything except getting her brain back online after a long flight.

Mark was driving smooth and easy, one hand on the wheel, the other resting on her thigh. His thumb traced slow little circles that kept sending annoying sparks through her nerves.

“Ten minutes,” he reminded her. “I got us a reservation.”

“Good,” she said without looking up. “Because if I eat another sad airport sandwich, I’m filing a formal complaint with aviation.”

He snorted under his breath.

That’s when she saw it.

A headline flashed across her screen and she immediately made a face. “Oh my Goddess… this guy again.”

*Zane Rider Closes Another Deal, Shiver Corp Dominates Pharma Again.*

She scoffed loudly. “This man is so full of himself it’s actually impressive. Like, congrats, you own half the industry, do you want a trophy or a personality?”

Mark glanced at her."Who?"

She turned the screen toward him. "Zane Rider. I met him again at that summit two years ago and he looked at me like I was a bug or something.”

“Oh”

“He tried to recruit me. I said no so fast it probably bruised his ego.”

Mark let out a low laugh, squeezing her hand.

“Forget him,” he said easily. “You don’t need Zane Rider. You’ve got me. Twilight’s fine. I’ll back whatever research you want, no stress. We’re good.”

There it was again…that calm Alpha certainty in his voice, like everything he said was already set in stone.

Mark wasn’t just her boyfriend. He was the chairman of Twilight Corp, one of those fast-growing pheromone tech companies making bank off scent-based products for wolfless individuals. Somehow, even with his schedule packed to the brim, he still made space for her research.

And honestly… she loved that about him.

She exhaled, setting the tablet down. “Yeah… you’re right.” Then she squeezed his hand. “Gosh I f*****g missed you.”

For a second, everything felt easy. Warm. Safe.

…..

Velvet Moon Restaurant sat up on a hill, all dark wood and soft gold lighting, with huge windows showing off Hamilton’s glowing skyline.

They were seated in a quiet corner, and Melena immediately decided she approved of the food situation. The smell alone was doing things to her appetite.

Mark kept her laughing through the first half of dinner, telling her funny stories about board meetings. “So this guy actually tried to pitch me a merger using a PowerPoint with Comic Sans,” he said, shaking his head.

“No,” she laughed. “That should be illegal.”

“It felt illegal.”

For a while, it was just them again. Easy. Familiar. Almost like nothing had changed.

Then Mark went quiet suddenly.

He reached into his jacket.

Melena paused mid-bite. It's really happening.

He opened a small velvet box.

Her brain stopped for half a second.

Inside was a diamond ring that definitely did not come from a casual purchase.

“Melena Roland,” he said softly, “three years apart just proved what I already knew. You’re the one for me. Marry me.”

Her throat tightened immediately. She blinked fast, then laughed a little through it because her emotions clearly didn’t know what to do with themselves.

“Mark… you’re f*****g insane,” she whispered.

But she was smiling.

“I mean that in a good way,” she added quickly. “Yes. Of course… “ she trailed off when the restaurant doors slammed open loudly.

Every fork paused mid-air as a woman stormed in.

Small, curvy, red hair wild under the lights, ocean-blue eyes locked straight onto their table. And the worst part…she looked unsettlingly similar to Melena. Same bone structure, same general build, just softer.

Before anyone could react, she dropped to her knees right in front of their table.

“Please,” she cried brokenly. “Please don’t take him from me.”

The entire restaurant collectively lost its mind in silence.

Melena just stared. “…What?”

The woman grabbed the edge of her dress desperately. “I’ve been with Mark for three years. I can’t lose him now!”

Melena slowly turned her head toward Mark.

The color had drained from his face.

“Delilah,” he said, voice sharp with panic, “what the hell are you doing here? This is insane.”

So her name was Delilah.

Delilah shook her head hard. “You told me I was special. You said she was just a memory. But then she came back and you acted like I didn’t exist.”

A few people at nearby tables were now openly watching like this was the best thing on the menu.

Melena’s wolf stirred under her skin…low, irritated, not fully out but definitely awake now. She didn’t move though. Just sat there, very still.

“Mark,” she said calmly, too calmly, “explain. Now.”

He dragged a hand down his face. “Lena… listen. She was just… during my rut. You weren’t here. I needed…something. She’s an Omega like you, she was around, it wasn’t…it didn’t mean anything. You’re my real mate. My first love. You know that.”

That landed wrong in every possible way.

Before Melena could even respond, Delilah shoved her phone forward.

A pregnancy test screenshot.

Positive.

For a second, Melena didn’t move or blink.

Didn’t even breathe right. It felt like her brain had just… stalled, trying to process something that didn’t make sense.

“…What?” she said again, but this time it wasn’t confusion. It was disbelief.

Her eyes flicked from the phone to Delilah, then slowly to Mark.

The ring on the table suddenly looked ridiculous. Heavy, sparkling, completely out of place.

“How...could you Mark!”