Beautiful. The buildings are a traditional style, the bricks more than a century old, the windows long and narrow, and massive trees that shade the sidewalks. The entire university is beautiful to look at, the whole day spent touring as the weather is beautiful. If anything, I cannot wait for the next chapter of my life to begin here.

The next chapter as I set forth on my passions and dreams as Flynn is beside me, going to the same university. Only, there's a difference between us, how one is free to study what they want and have the respect of their parents. How one is tied down, knowing that their dreams will be short lived as soon they will have to face the reality that a parent wants them to face.

"Really excited for all of this," I mention, turning to Flynn as we stand at the top of the stairs to the university's most famous building that overlooks the fresh green grass and students still here for summer that pass by. "Two months away."

"Two months," Flynn agrees, a smile upon his face as his mother is at the end of the stairs, capturing pictures of the school as she's been sending them to her sisters all day, bragging about her son. "Amory?" Flynn paused, looking back to the building behind us as the sun begins to set. "What if I told you that I don't want to be Alpha. That I don't want to take my father's place and run the pack." To werewolves, this decision is more important than the decision to get married.

"I would respect you because it requires so much time and patience to make that choice. I know that if that is what you truly want, then don't let it weigh you down," I reply, taking ahold of his hands. "Do you want to be Alpha?"

Flynn smiles, trying to combat the emotions with the pearly white flash of teeth as my heart swells. "I've never wanted it."

"Then don't sell yourself a unhappy future. Act upon your beliefs."

Flynn looks to his mother below, his eyebrows furrowing together as he watches her snap another picture. "She loves my father still after everything that has happened. She loves him and I can not fathom how she does," he whispers, pulling me in for a tight hug as I can tell he is suffering. "I fear that moving away for college...I cannot protect her from him." He pauses. "But I've never had to protect her before. She's always stood up herself."

She's never left him.

"My mother puts our pack right after me. She would rather face my father's wrath than leave our pack." I nod, watching as Luna Willow waves to us, a smile plastered across her face. "She really likes you, you know," Flynn comments. "She thinks of you as a daughter more than anything." My heart clenches.

"Does she know you don't want to be the next Alpha?" I ask, taking Flynn's hand as we walk down the steps.

"I think that deep down she knows, she just doesn't want to come to terms with it." I understand where Luna Willow could be coming from, how she would rather ignore the truth until the time comes for her reality to be shaken. We walk down, greeting the Luna as she talks about the plans for the rest of the day. We have a twenty minute walk back to our rental car and a short drive after that back to the hotel. Tonight Luna Willie plans on us dining out and then getting some sleep as we have an early flight tomorrow. "Did you like it?" Flynn asks his mother, watching as her face lights up as she rants about how beautiful the campus is and how well of a fit it is as well. If anything, I wonder what life will be like without her son. She's already lost one of her children, and the second Flynn tells her he does not want to be Alpha, how will she feel?

Walking through the campus, Flynn is beside me the whole time, the two of us excited for what the next four years hold. As the city gets closer and so does our parking spot, I look back to the college, knowing many memories will soon be made.

Once we are back in the city, we drive to a local restaurant that Luna Willow read about in a magazine, a restaurant located in the heart of the city. From throwing darts to playing pool to even just sitting down with family, it has what I would say sounds like a good time. The second we enter the building, the countless sounds of chatter and plates clinking together fill the air as we are seated immediately thanks to reservations. We take our seats, Flynn leaving to go and take care of a call as I am left alone with Luna Willow.

"He really likes you," she comments, smiling as she starts our conversation. I nod, looking over my shoulder to see Flynn outside, talking on the phone as my heart warms up. Just by looking at him my legs feel like jelly and my wolf does backflips. Turning back around, Luna Willow takes out her wallet, pulling what appears to be a picture from the small wallet. "This was Flynn at four years old, he was a little troublemaker."

I smile, looking at the young Flynn as his black hair is messy and wet as he holds the hose in his tiny hands. His green eyes look just past the camera to who I suppose is Luna Willow, a bright smile upon his face as he looks authentically happy. Before I was with him in a relationship, I had seen him smile, but never to were it seemed authentic. I had seen him smile on rare occasions, after a run or when a joke was told, but they never seemed real, as if he was forcing himself to use those facial muscles to sell a small lie. But now I see him smile more than ever, how every time they brighten my day as I just want that smile to be there forever.

"He's very tiny," I comment, knowing that now he is tall and built very nicely.

"He was very small until high school," the Luna adds. "His wolf was tiny too. I had a fear that he would grow up to be an omega." My skin pales for a mother to admit this to anyone, it's a big deal. It shows upmost respect. "He has Alpha blood yet I thought he could be the runt of the pack. Look at him now for goddess sake, he's tall and will be the next Alpha." I nod, looking back to Flynn as I no longer see him on his phone, but looking across the busy street. He's looking at something, but the cars passing by cover my view.

I raise an eyebrow, wondering what he sees as he sprints across the street, dodging cars as I stand up a bit in my seat. "Are you okay?" Luna Willow asks, concern laced in her words as I turn back around to face her. Is he in trouble? Did something happen? I'm scared.

"I-I need to go and check on Flynn I think...just see how he's doing," I whisper, the Luna nodding her head with suspicion as I take off.

Everything moves slow, how I take ever step closer to the outside as he's across the street now, frozen in place as I see his mouth move. By the time my hands wrap around the metal door handles and I push the restaurant doors open, I meet the crowd of the city. It's hard to see, pushing my way up the traffic of people as I try and see what is going on. Maybe I'm making a big deal out of nothing? Maybe something could be wrong? My eyes become like a tunnel, everything else blurred as only Flynn is clear. My eyes begin to feel pressure, my heart rate speeding up as I can hear the blood rushing in my ears.

I meet the end of the sidewalk now, a good glance on Flynn as he still moves his mouth. Waiting for the walking light to turn white, my nerves skyrocket as I don't know what is happening. The second the light turns white, I walk, my feet numb as I see him move and before my eyes is the most gorgeous woman I've ever seen.

Within raven-black hair that frames her oval face with soft curls, fair skin, a slender yet toned body, golden eyes, and a light dusting of freckles, she belongs on the cover of a magazine. She's everything I am not. She's grace and beauty, she's poise and elegance, and she's got a beautiful look to her. She's what girls strive to be when they are growing up and who people my age are jealous of.

She's who I could never be to him.

I watch as she pulls him in for a hug, tears forming as she holds him close, her arms wrapped around his strong frame as my throat runs dry. Once again, I am the other woman. I'm just the obstacle to their Prince Charming. I'm the ugly witch or dragon that has to be slaughtered like an animal for their dreams to come try.

She moves back from Flynn, saying words as he puts his hands in his pockets. He's nervous. As she offers him a lopsided smile, I watch as she kisses his cheek, looking to his eyes with tears in her own.

It's as if time has escaped them.

My heart breaks as I watch him pull her in for one last hug, saying words to her he may never tell me again as I feel the first tear slide down my cheek.

She is who I could never be to him. She is his mate.

Just as I am about to turn back, I watch as he lets go of her, nodding to a male that is standing by a parked car on the side of the road. The mystery man nods back, the woman leaving Flynn for the make as Flynn waves bye to the two of them. I catch view of the woman, of her hand, the ring upon her finger as I feel hope beginning to form within my chest.

Flynn turns around, waking back the way he came. Just as he looks up, our eyes meet, locked as my skin pales.

Time is nonexistent as he runs to me through the sea of people, reaching out for me as I stand frozen, not knowing what to expect.

He takes me, his hands in either side of my face as he pulls me in for a beautiful kiss, my body electrified as I close my eyes.

"Amory," he whispers, placing a kiss on the corner of my mouth. "Amory, I love you so damn much."

My heart melts.

"What was her name?" I ask, knowing the delicacy of the subject.

He shakes his head, leaning his forehead upon my own. "June, and she wanted to reject before I even told her," he pauses, taking in a deep breath. "She said the moment she saw me heading over to her, she knew I loved someone else and she told me she already found her special someone."

I smile as I know Flynn did this for him, for us, for me. He is in pain just as I was when I rejected Augustus, and just like Flynn, I will be there the whole journey as he feels his soul splitting into two. "I love you," I whisper, kissing his cheek as I pull away softly. "Now, your mom is waiting for us and is getting worried."

Flynn nods, looking at me with what I can only describe as adornment as he takes my hand. "Lets go then," he whispers, taking my hand as I look back to the car, looking at June. June, the woman I will never know but will always want to thank. June, the woman who had every right to my man but knew he loved someone else just as she did.

She waves to me, smiling as I nod back to her, offering her a smile as we both know this is the only time we will ever see one another. All we need is an acknowledgment of one another to be satisfied, knowing that we are happy with how fate has been defied and choices have been made.

As I look back to Flynn, I know one truth: I want to spend the rest of my life with him.