Chapter 172: Chapter 172 Confessions at the Airport
Elara
I drove straight to the airport like a woman possessed, my hands gripping the steering wheel so tight my knuckles went white.
I bought a ticket on the next available flight to Bogotá. The earliest departure wasn’t for another three hours, but I didn’t care. I’d wait all day if I had to.
Now I sat in the departure lounge, staring at the gate number on my boarding pass while travelers rushed past me with their rolling suitcases and Starbucks cups.
D.E. Dominic and Elara.
Those red letters carved into that ancient stone wall kept flashing through my mind. His handwriting spelling out my name like it was something sacred.
I thought about all the times I got it so wrong.
The cruise tickets I’d given him and Vincent. How Dominic had come storming back, demanding to know what the hell I was thinking.
Then there were the Super Bowl tickets I’d handed him. How he’d stormed around with that angry expression for two whole days afterward, silently fuming like I’d personally insulted his entire family.
Now I understood why.
Every gift had been a slap in the face.
Every "thoughtful gesture" another way of telling him I saw him as just a friend. Just my husband’s business partner.
Just anyone but the man who’d been quietly, desperately in love with me while I remained completely blind.
The man who’d carved my name into stone with the devotion of someone who’d been holding onto hope for years.
For the first time in my life, I felt this overwhelming, desperate need to see someone. Not want. Need. Like my next breath depended on it.
I needed to tell Dominic that I finally understood. That I knew the answer to the question he’d been asking me without words for months.
I wanted to tell him that if it was him, I was willing to try.
He wasn’t supposed to return until tomorrow. But I couldn’t wait that long.
Every minute felt like torture, every hour like forever. I needed to see him today.Right now.
My friends would think I’d completely lost my mind, flying to South America to chase after a man.
Maybe I had.
I needed to look into those amber eyes and give him my answer in person.
No phone calls, no texts, no hiding behind technology like a coward.
He’d put his heart on the line for me over and over again. He deserved that much.
My wolf stirred restlessly beneath my skin, pacing with an urgency that matched my racing pulse.
We both wanted Dominic.
"Now boarding Flight 847 to Bogotá, all passengers please have your boarding passes ready."
I grabbed my carry on bag and practically ran toward the gate, my heart pounding against my chest with equal parts fear and excitement.
I was really doing this. Flying halfway across the continent to tell a man I might be falling in love with him.
Moon goddess help me.
Author
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, Alpha Dominic stared at his Beta through bloodshot eyes. "The peace negotiations are settled. The territorial disputes are resolved. Handle the final paperwork. Book me on the next flight home."
His Beta blinked. "Alpha, what about tomorrow’s treaty signing ceremony? All the pack leaders will be there for the official documentation."
One sentence from her. "I miss you, a little." And for the first time in his career, Alpha Dominic was abandoning his perfectionist standards for a woman.
Alpha Dominic had always been the Alpha who dotted every i and crossed every t. Who stayed until every detail was perfect, every agreement ironclad. His pack’s safety depended on it.
"Tell them I have the flu. Don’t want to risk getting anyone else sick."
His Beta stared. "Alpha, you’ve never left anything unfinished before."
[Alpha, you look completely crazy.
The Alpha who once stayed three extra days to negotiate water rights is skipping out on his own peace treaty signing?]
--
Alpha Dominic had just reached the airport when his phone buzzed.
He glanced at the screen and answered immediately. "Hello."
"Dominic, which hotel are you at? I’m in the city. Can I see you?"
His throat went dry. His wolf surged forward, recognizing their mate’s voice across the crackling connection. His voice came out rougher than intended. "Where are you?"
"Airport exit, about to get a taxi."
Alpha Dominic heard the terminal announcement in the background. Without thinking, he spun around and broke into a dead run toward the exit. "Stay right there. I’m coming."
His heart pounded against his chest. His Alpha aura flared uncontrolled, making humans instinctively step aside.
He didn’t care.
Meanwhile, Elara stared at her phone, frowning slightly.
She’d flown halfway across the continent to make some grand romantic gesture, and now she was just standing here letting him pick her up?
But her pulse quickened at the thought of seeing him.
Dominic’s wolf pushed him faster, lending supernatural speed to his human form.
Terminal announcements, rolling luggage, chattering voices. Everything faded to background noise.
Every instinct screamed at him to reach his mate. Now.
He burst through the sliding doors, chest heaving. His enhanced senses immediately picked up her scent through the crowd.
There. Long hair, standing on her tiptoes searching the crowd, that familiar scent that made his wolf go crazy.
Alpha Dominic didn’t hesitate. Didn’t slow down. Didn’t think.
He closed the distance in seconds, wrapping his arms around her from behind and pulling her against his chest.
The moment he touched her, his wolf finally settled. The restless energy that had been driving him insane for days just melted away.
Elara gasped, then turned in his arms. "Dominic?"
He held her tighter, resting his chin on her hair. His voice came out muffled. "Surprise visit?"
His hands shook slightly where they pressed against her back. Like he was afraid she might disappear.
Elara’s cheeks burned. She ractically rolled over in submission at his touch.
She looked up at his messy hair, the wild look in those amber eyes.
Her eyes grew glassy. "Dominic, I have my answer."
She reached up, cupping his face with shaking hands.
The words tumbled out raw and honest. "I saw what you wrote on that wall, and I finally got it. It’s always been you, hasn’t it?"
Her voice cracked. "Dominic, I like you."
He stared down at her, amber eyes blazing. That devastating smile spread across his face. "What a coincidence. I like you too."
Then, right there in the middle of the crowded airport, surrounded by strangers and chaos, Alpha Dominic cupped the back of her head and kissed her.
It wasn’t gentle. It was desperate and claiming, the kind of kiss that marked her as his in every way that mattered. His other hand spread across her back, pulling her closer.
His wolf finally, finally had what it had been searching for all these years.
