Fated Luna

Chapter 11 – Old Photos

Alyssa



Jake’s grip on my hand was firm yet gentle as we walked toward the restaurant entrance. My heart raced with each step, unsure of what was coming next.

He pushed open the door, guiding me inside the warm, cozy space. I could smell fresh food from the kitchen, but my mind was too tangled up in thoughts of Jake and our awkward conversation in the car to even register it fully.

“Bernard,” Jake called out with a friendly smile as a tall man emerged from the back. He was just as tall as Jake, with a warm smile that reached his eyes.

“Jake,” Bernard greeted, but his gaze soon shifted to me. “Alyssa, nice to see you again,” He smiled at me as if we’d met before, but something in his eyes seemed amused.

I smiled back politely, but Bernard's next words hit me like a slap. “Looks like you’ve forgotten all about me, huh?”

I froze, my mind scrambling. Forgotten? I glanced at Jake, hoping for an explanation, but he just chuckled, the sound low and almost teasing.

“She was drunk the last time we were here,” Jake said casually, then pointed to a large two-story house behind the restaurant. “It was raining that night, so we stayed there.”

The way he smiled made my face flush hot. I knew exactly what he was hinting at, and it wasn’t the rain he was remembering. That house... it was where we... mated.

My heart thudded in my chest, and I tried to compose myself.

I straightened up, forcing a serious look on my face to hide my embarrassment. “I really need to go home,” I said, hoping to change the subject and end this awkward moment. “Aunt Jane is waiting for me and lots thing to do.”

Jake just smiled at me again, but this time it had a mischievous edge. “There’s no class tomorrow. It’s fine, Alyssa.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to figure out what he meant. “Professor Thomson, what do you mean?”

Before Jake could respond, Bernard spoke up, his tone shifting to something more serious. “Alpha Jerry is planning to announce something important in the next few days,” Bernard said, looking directly at Jake before glancing back at me. “Every pack member needs to be ready.”

The sudden change in atmosphere left me speechless. I stared between Jake and Bernard, stunned. “A-Alpha Jerry?” I asked, confusion swirling in my mind. “Do you two know him personally? I’ve never met him.”

There was a brief, meaningful exchange of looks between Jake and Bernard, a silent understanding that made me feel like I was missing something.

Then Jake turned to me, his eyes softening, but his words remained guarded. “Everyone knows Alpha Jerry, Alyssa,” he said simply. “Anyway, I brought you here for a reason. There’s something I want to show you.”

Before I could ask what he meant, Jake gently grabbed my arm and guided me out of the restaurant, leading me toward the house behind it.

My stomach twisted nervously as we walked, my mind racing with questions. We entered the house, and Jake led me upstairs, each step making my anxiety grow.

I felt my breath catch in my throat. Was he going to...?

But as if sensing my fear, Jake looked over his shoulder and smiled gently. “Don’t worry. Jerome doesn’t feel Amy now, so it’s not going to happen.”

His words only half-comforted me. My wolf, Amy, had been strangely absent since everything happened with Tom, and the idea of mating again with Jake’s wolf, Jerome, terrified me. I quickly looked away, focusing on anything but him.

We reached the second floor, and Jake stopped in front of a door. He opened it, revealing a large room. “Sit down for a minute,” he said, gesturing to a plush sofa near the window.

I sat, feeling uneasy. Jake walked to a shelf, pulled out an old photo album, and carefully took out one photo. He handed it to me.

I took the picture, my fingers trembling slightly as I held it up to the light. It was an old photo, faded at the edges, of a young couple holding a baby. The man and woman looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place them. “Who are they?” I asked, my voice soft.

Jake smiled, sitting beside me. “That’s you, Alyssa.”

I blinked in disbelief, staring more closely at the picture. As I examined the faces, it hit me like a lightning bolt. Those were my parents. But they were so young—my mom looked barely out of her twenties, holding me as a baby in her arms.

I looked up at Jake, my heart racing. “Why do you have this?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Jake’s smile widened as he pulled out another photo, this one even more surprising. It was of a little boy, no older than five or six, standing next to the baby—next to me. I recognized him instantly. It was Jake.

“Since the day you were born, we were already fated to be mates,” Jake said quietly, his eyes never leaving mine. His words hung heavy in the air between us, filling the room with a tension I couldn’t ignore.

My mind reeled as I tried to process everything he was telling me. I had known about mates for as long as I could remember, but never in a million years did I imagine that our fate had been sealed from the very beginning. “You’re saying... we were always meant to be together?”

Jake nodded. “Our families knew. They’ve known for years.”

I stared at the picture in my hand, my fingers trembling slightly. This whole time, everything had been planned, everything had been leading to this. My life, my decisions, even my failed relationship with Tom—it all seemed insignificant now compared to the truth staring back at me from the photo.

“I can’t believe it,” I whispered, shaking my head.

Jake leaned closer, his voice low and comforting. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but I wanted you to know the truth. I wanted you to see for yourself.”

My thoughts were spinning, and my emotions were all over the place. I looked at the photo again, my parents smiling up at me from the past. All this time, they had known. They had kept this from me. Why?

“What about Alpha Jerry?” I asked, my voice shaky. “What does he have to do with this?”

Jake’s expression darkened slightly, and for a moment, he looked hesitant, as if deciding whether to tell me something. Bernard had mentioned Alpha Jerry earlier, and the way both of them had looked at each other... something didn’t add up.

Jake sighed, leaning back against the couch. “There are things I can’t tell you yet, Alyssa.”

I frowned, feeling a surge of frustration. “Why not?”

Just as Jake opened his mouth to speak, Bernard suddenly appeared in the doorway, his face serious. “Jake, we need to talk. Now.”

Jake stood up, his expression tense. He looked down at me and then back at Bernard. “I’ll be right back,” he said, his voice tight.

I watched as Jake left the room, the door closing softly behind him. My heart pounded in my chest, my mind racing with questions I still didn’t have answers to. What was going on? What were they hiding from me?

I stood up, my hands still clutching the photo tightly. I had a feeling that everything was about to change—again—but I wasn’t sure I was ready for whatever came next.