True Alpha's Chosen Mate-Chapter 284: Final Act I: The new dawn II

The imperial palace was ruined, some castles were razed from the intense battle between vampires and werewolves. It was safe to say it won’t recover anytime soon.

Edge made his way to the chapel within the imperial palace, standing in front of it only to see it was the only place that wasn’t touched. Maybe because no one fought in this area. The light coming from the moon, or what Edge believed as he hadn’t paid attention to the ball of light in the sky, shone down on the chapel where wolves worship and pray to the moon goddess.

"This place is good for you, right?" he whispered, gazing down at Ida, who was in his arms. He smiled bitterly. Just as he was about to walk inside, he halted and looked up. When he looked down, the white snow had already landed on the two of them.

"You said you don’t want to get married during winter since it’s cold," he muttered, pulling her body closer to him as he moved forth.

Edge had a plan. After marrying her, he would take her to the place where the two of them first met. It was somewhere in between Belcoot and the Capital; the time when Ida was on her way to the mating season while Edge had to take some time off because of failing to protect their luna.

Although his meeting with Ida was something Edge didn’t really remember as he simply helped her out of the goodness of his heart. Ida remembered everything as she had openly told him it was love at first sight.

He wanted to remember. He wanted to go to the place she couldn’t forget.

So, since she couldn’t forget that place, he wanted to bury her in that place so he wouldn’t forget about that place either. What a tragedy, indeed. For her to remember a place where she found love, and for him to remember it because that was where his love rests.

While he marched towards the doors of the chapel, Edge hummed a low tune. It wasn’t his intention to be known as the humming wolf because he used to mumble a lot, but this was the only time he hummed a tune. Along with it was the soft whoosh of the wind, as if it understood the woes of his heart.

However, when he was by the entrance of the chapel, Edge stopped and gazed down. As soon as he did, a teardrop landed on her pale cheek, tightening his grip around her shoulder.

"I’m sorry..." he whispered, throwing the thought of the slight movement he felt as hallucinations. "I’m sorry..."

Edge lifted her up, planting his lips on her forehead, while tears flooded his face. "I’m really sorry..." — for realizing his feelings too late.

Sorry for taking her for granted. He was sorry for speaking harsh words to her and everything. There was a long list of why he was sorry, but only those two words, "I’m sorry," were the only words he could churn out.

"Mhm..." Suddenly, while he was frozen on the spot, repeating the words of apologies like a broken record, he heard her moan mildly. But alas, he treated it as part of his imagination.

"I’m sorry..."

Ida winced as she opened her eyes, only to hear someone mumbling and crying. Her brows furrowed, feeling the vibration of his chest against her arm.

"Edge?" she called and this time, his back stiffened completely. Ida gazed up when he slowly drew his head back and gazed down at her.

For a moment, the two of them stared at each other. Ida blinked countless times, baffled at why his face was all sweating with tears overflowing in his eyes.

"Edge, why are you..." trailing off when her last moments alive surged in her head like a flash flood. Her mouth fell open, eyes dilating as she remembered him ripping her heart out of her chest.

"Oh, my God!" she gasped, groping her chest until she noticed the snow on top of her. "What...?"

She raised her hands, seeing that she seemed to glow. Turning her eyes at Edge, Ida was rendered speechless as the two of them were covered with this faint glow that was akin to the moon.

"Are we... in heaven?" she asked, snapping him out of his thoughts before dropping her to the ground. "Ah!!"

Ida winced and glared up at him, rubbing her buttocks as he seemed to have not changed. Now, with that pain that suddenly struck her, she was certain this wasn’t heaven!

"Are you for real!? After ripping my heart out of my chest — literally ripping my heart out of my chest, you will just throw me?!" she gasped, berating him while he just looked at her blankly. "After my dramatic end, I still didn’t have your heart? Goodness... did I really fall in love with a wicked man just as Hugo said? How can you ignore my heart when... wait, didn’t I just die?"

Ida tilted her head as she gazed down at her body once again. She placed her hand over her chest where the white glows were concentrating, feeling her muscle directly. They were already healing and there was no more hole in her chest.

"You..." Edge blinked countless times just to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating. After blinking and seeing her looking up at him, he slumped to his knees to see her at eye level. "You’re alive...?"

His brows suddenly furrowed as he was finally made aware of his surroundings. Earlier, everything that was going on in his surroundings didn’t matter to him because all he could think of was marrying her and the place they would go right after. But now that she emerged from the dead, Edge had finally realized the warmth of the white substance slowly covering the land of Ronmin.

"Ahh..." he rocked his head before twisting his neck, catching the white ball in the sky. While he gazed at it, Ida’s gaze followed where he was looking, only to crease her brows.

"What is that?" came out a confused voice, tilting her head to the side. She then heard him say, "The lamb’s and everyone’s soul."

"Huh?"

Edge didn’t reply anymore as he pressed his lips into a thin line, smiling subtly. He was one of the chosen wolves, handpicked by the original wolf himself. Hence, for some strange phenomenon, he sort of understood what was currently going on.

"Edge, what do you mean by that?" Ida asked, causing him to set his eyes back on her. Her brows rose when he suddenly smiled at her.

"It means we get to marry."

"Oh, is that so...? Huh?"

His lips stretched as his eyes softened. "Will you marry me?" he asked without beating around the bush, chuckling when Ida suddenly scratched her head and tugged her earlobes.

"Wait, I think I am hearing things. For some reason, I thought you were suddenly proposing marriage to me. Ha ha!"

"I love you." This time, she froze, setting her gaze back to him, wide-eyed. "I love you, Ida. I didn’t realize that until I lost you, but I don’t want to make the same mistake again. Will you marry me? Right here and now?"

There was a moment of silence at the urgency of his tone. Ida stared at him blankly, trying to process his sudden proposal, which she never thought she would hear in this lifetime.

"Wait. Did you just say you love me? And wants to marry me?" she asked for clarification, seeing him nod as a response. "Really?"

"Really."

"Hope to die?"

"I don’t want to die, but losing you also felt like dying."

Ida pursed her lips and cleared her throat, recollecting her thoughts. "No."

"Huh?" This time, Edge was the one who tilted his head, puzzled.

"I said no. I’m refusing your proposal." Ida assisted herself up, dusting off her ripped uniform before pointing a finger at him. She raised her chin, looking down at him arrogantly.

"Do you think I’m that easy, hah?!" she huffed, watching him knit his brows in confusion. "Do you think I will say yes after having my heart ripped out of my chest?! Boy, you messed with the wrong woman! If you want my hand in marriage, you have to go through the eye in the needle!"

Edge blinked and only snapped out of his trance when she stomped her feet away. "Hey! Didn’t you say you want to marry!?"

"I did! Back when I was alive!" she looked back and smirked evilly. "But I was dead and came back. So everything is null and void!"

"What?!" Edge hurriedly sprung to his feet to follow her. "I said I love you! Please marry me! I can’t live without you!"

Her lips stretched even broader until her teeth were showing while listening to his confession. But just as she said, she wasn’t easy. She did the chase first, but he killed her. Even though she was aware it wasn’t his fault, it was fun to experience being chased after.

"I know, I know!" she giggled and glanced back at him without stopping in her tracks. "Still, you have to convince me that you really love me and not because you pity me."

"You better learn courtship, my boo," she added.

Edge let out a deep exhale, stopping in his tracks while planting his hands on his hip. His eyes remained on her, shaking his head as there was no doubt she had returned. Still, his lips stretched as his eyes softened.

"Ida, wait for me! Give me a chance to show you my love!" he jogged, following her only to pick up his pace when she also started running. "Wait! Ida! I love you. Come back!"

Just like the two of them, many had encountered the miracle of losing their loved ones, only to have another chance to be with them once again. Something they would always be forever grateful for.