What If Rian Never Found Luca?
Rian's POV
I'm in the city, about to investigate the human witness from the rogue attack.
My phone rings. "Alpha, emergency at the northern border. Need you immediately."
"I have to—"
"Now, Alpha. It's urgent."
I hesitate. Then leave. Handle the border crisis.
By the time I return to find the human, he's gone. Moved. Vanished.
"Can't track him, Alpha," my scouts report. "He's human. Left no scent trail."
Luca Carter. The name on the cabin's mailbox.
I never find him again.
Ten Years Later
I'm still alone. Unmated. Lonely.
The pack worries. An unmated Alpha isn't stable long-term.
"You need to find someone," Damon urges.
"I had someone. Once. For a moment. And I lost him." I stare at Marcus's grave. "Maybe I'm meant to be alone."
"That's not—"
"It's fine, Damon. I'm fine."
I'm not fine. But I'm functional.
Luca's POV - Same Timeline
I never forgot the wolf attack. The golden eyes in the darkness.
Sometimes I dream about him. The wolf who protected me.
"You okay?" my boyfriend asks.
"Yeah. Just thinking." I force a smile.
The boyfriend doesn't last. None of them do. They're not... him. The phantom wolf I can't forget.
Twenty Years Later - The Meeting
I'm at a conference. Art and wildlife conservation.
He walks in—tall, handsome, commanding. Golden eyes.
Our eyes meet across the room.
Recognition. Instant. Undeniable.
"You," I breathe.
"You," he echoes.
We're drawn together like magnets.
"Twenty years ago," I say. "Wolves in the forest. That was you."
"How did you—?"
"I never forgot your eyes." I touch his arm. "I looked for you."
"I looked for you too. Couldn't find you." His hand covers mine. "I'm Rian."
"Luca."
"I know. Never forgot your name."
The connection is instant. Powerful. Like twenty years didn't pass.
"Coffee?" he asks.
"Definitely."
Six Months Later
We've been inseparable since that conference.
"This is crazy," I say, lying in his arms. "Six months and I'm moving across the country for you."
"Six months making up for twenty lost years." He kisses me. "I should've found you sooner."
"We found each other eventually. That's what matters."
Five Years Later
"I have to tell you something," Rian says nervously.
"What?"
"I'm... not exactly human."
He shifts. Black wolf. Golden eyes.
I should be shocked. I'm not.
"I knew," I admit. "On some level. Those eyes. They've haunted me for twenty-five years."
He shifts back. "And you're not running?"
"Are you kidding? I've been looking for you since I was twenty-three." I pull him close. "You think a little supernatural revelation scares me?"
"You're insane."
"I'm in love. With a werewolf. Apparently." I grin. "Any other secrets?"
"You're my fated mate. Have been since that night twenty-five years ago."
"Then claim me. Properly. Finally."
He does. Twenty-five years late. But perfect timing anyway.
In this universe, they lost twenty years.
But found each other anyway.
Proving fate is patient.