Her voice seemed to tremble in awe as she said my name, and I barely held back a tremor that threatened to run me through.

“Fallyn.”

I had already felt it when I passed her window on the way up, but now it flowed through me, stronger. Just a small reach from me.

Elizabeth.

It had always been her.

All the years that had passed seemed like ten seconds now that I was in front of her again.

She remembered.

It was the warmest thought that came to mind.

It had been so long.

She remembered me. My name. She’d said it.

She hadn’t forgotten me, just like I hadn’t forgotten her.

Suddenly, I was fourteen again. I was sixteen. I was taking her flying through the sky.

“I want him as my protector.”

And then the ever-present thought that kept me awake at night sometimes quickly followed those words…

“You’re a hero.”

But, she would have expectations of me, wouldn’t she? It was troubling to think of that at all. What if I couldn’t live up to them? What if she… I mentally shook the thoughts away.

We were true mates.

None of that mattered.

At least, none of it should, so long as both of us agreed…

I smiled at her, forgetting that all for just a moment and really looked at her. Awe was truly written all over her face. It was like she wasn’t sure if I was real.

I was. And she was adorable. Her mouth was even open a little bit as she stared at me, like she’d had no control over it. I wondered if she could even tell which expression she was giving me right now.

“Elizabeth.”

A small tremble ran through her body. She looked different than what I had imagined she’d be. It was better. Much better.

She was real.

She’d grown up a lot since I’d last seen her.

A mature young woman.

Stunningly beautiful with her messy curls and casual clothes.

I reached forward tentatively and tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. Her eyes managed to get even wider and I felt my smile grow as a blush started to creep up her face.

So… I could have this kind of an effect on her too?

“Hey, Fallyn!”

Adam shouted my name from the ground. I held her gaze a second more before sending myself into a dive, backwards, pushing off with my hand. I spread my wings out more as I got closer and I landed lightly on the ground, a few feet from the Alpha over all Alphas. Adam, Elizabeth’s father. I glanced back up at the window and saw her, peering dangerously out over her windowsill. Our eyes met again and I felt like the luckiest man alive.

My heart was beating wildly in my chest at the fact that we were true mates. I was giddy. I was nervous. I felt like I couldn’t wait for the next steps, yet I knew I would. I would earn this somehow.

Her trust.

Her friendship.

And maybe… someday…

I sighed.

Despite all of that awe and wonder, I had seen a trickle of fear in her eyes. I knew she wasn’t afraid of me. She was afraid of us. I tore my gaze from hers and greeted her father.

She was afraid of what we were.

And that’s when the doubt began to creep up into the back of my mind. Despite fate’s calling upon us, were we already doomed?