Married To The Billionaire Alpha King-Chapter 103- Alira

103

~Elara’s POV

When the last reporter lowered their microphone, Darlon turned to me. His eyes held that mix of love and fire I had known for lifetimes, and before I could even take a breath, he leaned in and kissed me again. It wasn’t rushed or forced. It was slow, full, and warm. The kind of kiss that made my knees feel weak, and my heart feel loud. The cameras clicked at lightning speed, and the reporters screamed like they had just witnessed the most dramatic moment of the century. Some even shouted, "Again! Again!" like they were desperate for another scene.

I pulled away, breathless, my cheeks burning, and he whispered against my forehead, "I love you, sweetheart."

I whispered back, "I love you too," before the noise swallowed us again.

After that, the press conference continued for a few minutes more. People cheered, some clapped, some kept taking pictures like they were worried we might disappear. And then finally, it was officially over. David came up, bowed a little, and told Darlon that the cars were ready outside.

"I need a moment," I told them softly. "I want to use the restroom before we leave."

"Take your time, sweetheart," Darlon said as he brushed his thumb gently over my hand. "I’ll be waiting right outside."

The hallways were quieter as I walked away, the noise from the conference fading behind me. I reached the restroom, closed the door, and leaned on the sink for a second just to breathe. I looked at my reflection. The dress, the hair, the makeup, the new confidence in my eyes. It still felt strange, like I was wearing two lives at once. The past one and this one.

Then my phone rang.

Janae’s name flashed across the screen.

I answered quickly, "Janae?"

Her voice exploded with excitement. "Elara! Oh my goodness! You are everywhere. I mean everywhere. Social media is blowing up. People are praising you, saying you look like royalty, calling you a real Luna. And Princess Lira? They are destroying her in the comments. Some are even saying karma finally did its job!"

I blinked and stared at myself in the mirror. "Really?"

"Yes! Your name is trending. And the way Alpha Darlon defended you? They are saying it is the most romantic thing they’ve heard in ages. I swear if you search your name, it’s all you, you, you!"

I laughed softly, a little overwhelmed. "I’ll check it. I’ll call you back soon."

"Okay! I love you! Don’t forget to tell me everything when you get home!"

"I won’t," I promised, and hung up.

I opened the social media app, and there they were. Thousands of comments. Some sweet. Some shocked. Some jealous. Some hateful. But most were positive and supportive.

"She is so beautiful."

"She looks perfect next to the Alpha."

"Finally, the real Luna."

"She fits the crown better than Lira ever did."

Then there were a few dark ones, too.

"She doesn’t deserve him."

"She probably bewitched him."

"She’s not pretty. Just a normal girl."

For a second, I felt that old sting in my chest. But then I breathed out and let it go. Not everyone would love me. Not everyone had to. The ones who mattered did.

I was about to leave when something strange happened. A tingling sensation crawled across my skin. It began softly at my fingertips, like tiny sparks of heat, then slowly moved up my arms, to my shoulders, down my spine. It spread to my chest, then my legs, like something waking up inside me. Something old. Something that had been sleeping for a very long time.

My breath hitched. I placed a hand over my heart, trying to steady myself.

"Wait... what is this?" I whispered, even though I already knew. Deep down, I felt like I had always known.

I looked at the mirror again, and that was when it started. Silver hairs, like thin threads of moonlight, pushed through my skin. Soft fur brushed across my arms, my shoulders, my neck. My eyes glowed in the reflection, bright and sharp like a wolf’s. I gasped, stepping back, but there was no fear. Not even a little. Instead, there was this deep, strange excitement. Something familiar is calling me home.

The prophecy. My memories. My soul is finally finding its shape again.

Then everything shifted. My body changed, but there was no pain. It felt like stretching after a long sleep. Like taking a deep breath after years of holding it in. My bones reshaped. My skin expanded and softened under the fur that spread like snow across me.

In seconds, I was no longer human. I was a wolf.

A pure white wolf with silver eyes.

I stared at myself in the mirror. My wolf stared back. Strong, alive, and real.

I took a step closer to the reflection, and something inside me responded. A presence. Not threatening. Just there. Warm and gentle, like a second heartbeat.

Then I heard her. Not with my ears, but inside my mind.

"Elara," she said softly. Her voice sounded like wind through trees and soft snow at night. "I have been waiting for you."

My wolf.

My other half.

I didn’t speak with my mouth. I just thought it, and she heard me. "Who are you?"

"I am you," she answered. "But I am also me. The part of you that remembers what the heart forgot. The part that never died."

I stepped closer to the mirror, pressing my paw against it. She mirrored me perfectly. Her silver eyes looked kinder than I expected. Like she already understood every version of my life. The broken one. The lost one. The one that finally came home.

"Do you have a name?" I asked gently.

There was a soft pause, like she smiled inside my head.

"Yes. My name is Alira."

A familiar warmth filled my chest. Something clicked into place, like a missing puzzle piece I didn’t even know was missing.

"Alira," I repeated. "It’s nice to meet you."

"And it’s nice to finally be seen," she replied.

For a moment, we just stood there. Wolf and girl. Past and present. Two halves of one soul. Then slowly, carefully, I shifted back. The fur disappeared. The glow faded. My bones returned to their human shape. My dress settled back against my skin.

I was human again... but not the same.

I pressed a hand to my chest, still catching my breath, and whispered to my reflection, "Welcome back."

Alira’s voice echoed inside me, calm and certain. "We are whole now."

And for the first time in a long time, I felt it too.

A laugh escaped me.

I pressed a hand to my chest and whispered, "Darlon must hear about this. He will be so glad to see me wolf out, and I can’t wait to tell him."

Just as I reached for the door, my phone buzzed again. I looked down.

"Aunty Stella."

My heartbeat slowed. My hand froze on the screen. Her name alone could pull old memories out of locked boxes. Painful and cold ones. The kind that made me forget I deserved softness. The kind that told me I wasn’t enough.