Chapter 163: It's over

Olivia

Orlando’s weight pressed against me as I helped him stand. His breathing was ragged, but his smile barely contained the euphoria of the moment. We were alive. We had survived. Franco lay dead behind us, and we didn’t spare him another glance; he didn’t deserve it.

"This way…" Alana led us toward the city, her eyes shining. I braced myself for more attacks, more death, more suffering. The battle had only just reached this place. But what we found was different. As we neared the office building, we saw people running, soldiers embracing. And then, we heard the shouts—like rolling thunder, growing closer.

"The war is over!" "We’ve won!" The Wolves cheered. We had won. The city was safe. Peace had been secured. Warriors emerged from the shadows—some wounded, others embracing one another, tears in their eyes. Unable to hold back, I turned to Orlando and pulled him into a tight hug.

"We did it!" he exclaimed, his voice breaking. "It’s finally over, Luna!" Alana took our hands, her expression a mixture of pride and gratitude.

"It never would have been possible without you," she said, her voice thick with emotion.

"I…"

"It’s true, Luna. Without the Alpha, without the doctor and her miraculous vaccine… But without yo, your ideas, the drones, the noise, only the goddess knows how many more lives would have been lost," Orlando said, and a lump formed in my throat. We walked through the city, hearing the wail of ambulances. Mr. Daniel stood nearby, covered in dust and dried blood but alive. Stretchers carried the wounded toward the hospital.

I looked around. The fire that had once consumed the city was now dying out like a defeated beast. I wanted to see what else needed to be done, what more was required. But a familiar, desperate voice called my name before I could speak.

"Olivia!" My heart stopped. I turned, and there he was.

Christopher staggered toward me, his clothes torn and stained with blood, his hair disheveled. But his eyes, his eyes, held nothing but relief and love. Without thinking, I ran to him, throwing myself into his arms.

"I thought I’d lost you," he whispered, clutching me desperately. And I wept. I was so grateful. We had been through so much.

"I’m here. I’m okay," I choked out through my tears. "You’re alive!" Christopher cupped my face in his hands, studying me as if he couldn’t believe it. "I was worried," he admitted. "But my wolf told me you knew how to defend yourself. Everyone’s been talking about the drones, the signal, how you gave us the advantage we needed. And I knew it had to be my mate. My Luna." I laughed through my tears, unable to speak.

"The world of wolves has changed forever, and it’s because of you, my love, my beautiful Luna," he said firmly. "Now, there will only be peace. I’ll make sure of it—you’ll see." As we walked through the city, we realized we had captured more prisoners than we’d expected. Joaquin and his people had planned something far worse than we had imagined. But the Alpha would restore order. The city would never fall again. When Orlando told Christopher about Franco, I saw fury flash across his face.

"If I could, I’d bring him back just to kill him again," he growled through clenched teeth. "How dare he! I swear I saw him move—that leech!" he spat angrily. I didn’t doubt him for a second. Christopher never left my side. He kissed me, stroked my face, and held me close as if having me near was the only thing that mattered. That day, we visited different parts of the city. Very few humans knew how close they had come to danger. Aaron had reported that there had only been a minor attack and a few fires, but everything was now under control. That night, I saw torches in the distance. We went to the battlefield. It had already been cleared, but I knew—so many had died here.

Funeral pyres burned in honor of those who had given their lives for peace. Grief hung heavy in the air, but so did gratitude. Christopher stepped forward and faced the crowd. His voice was clear and strong, and at that moment, I knew he was truly an Alpha, an extraordinary leader.

"Today, we say goodbye to the brave souls who gave everything. No words can ever be enough to thank them for their sacrifice. Without them, we wouldn’t be here. But their legacy will live on in each of us, in every step we take, in every laugh we share, in every day of peace we now have. We will not forget them."

"We will not forget them," the wolves echoed, touching their hearts. A respectful silence followed, then murmurs of gratitude and muffled sobs. Soon, we would have to talk about the future, about the hunters, about Silver Claws. But for now, we just wanted to breathe.

On our way home, I paused, taking in our surroundings, our life. He held my hand, gazing at our apartment with nostalgia.

"What will we do?" I asked. He smiled.

"That’s a good problem to have, don’t you think? Where will we live? What will we do? As long as we’re together, nothing else matters." For the first time in a long time, there was no tension, no immediate danger. Just us, in our home. The war was over. And all that remained was the future. Our future. Christopher stood before me with an expression I had never seen before. His eyes burned with intensity, but it wasn’t the fire of battle. It was something deeper. Love. Tenderness. Devotion.

"I want you to be my Luna, Olivia," he said suddenly, his voice rough with emotion. "I want us to live together. I want to be your husband—if you’ll have me."

The world seemed to stop. My lips parted in surprise, my heart pounding.

"Chris…" I whispered, unable to say more.

He smiled, that smile, the one that always disarmed me, and continued:

"There’s a ceremony I think you’ll like… if you accept. If you accept the city, the pack. Everything. I can give you everything because you’ve already given me so much." Then, to my absolute shock, he dropped to one knee. Tears filled my eyes.

"There’s no ring… yet," he admitted with a soft laugh, as if he could barely contain his happiness. "But there will be. I promise." I couldn’t wait any longer. Not after everything we had been through. Not after the fear of losing him forever.

"Yes," I said, my voice shaky but firm. "I accept." Christopher let out a shaky breath as if he had only just remembered how to breathe. He shot to his feet and wrapped me in a fierce embrace, lifting me off the ground.

"No more secrets. No more lies," he vowed, pressing his forehead against mine. "I’ll be yours completely, my Luna." And with those words, I knew—everything I had ever dreamed of had finally come true. That night, as we got ready for bed, I watched him take out the framed coin, holding it like a treasure. I smiled as he lifted it up.

"In the end, it did bring me luck. See? Your father was right. You were right." Christopher looked at me and intertwined his fingers with mine.

"We’ve been through so much. All I ever wanted was you… and now, I have you."