“That's ironic considering how you brought me here,” Autumn said, folding the document carefully. “But at least it gives you a written guarantee.”
Jacob nodded. “So, do you accept my offer? One month, Autumn. One month to decide our future.”
Autumn took a deep breath, weighing her options. She could fight, try to escape, and possibly end up with Jacob becoming even angrier and more dangerous. Or she could take this offer, participate for a month, and earn her legal freedom at the end of it.
“Very well,” she said finally. “I accept your offer. One month.”
Jacob’s smile widened, a mixture of relief and triumph. “You won’t regret it, Autumn. I’ll prove to you that we’re meant to be together.”
“Don’t get too cocky,” Autumn warned, raising her glass. “This is just a chance to prove that you can keep your word, nothing more.”
Jacob raised his own glass. “For a second chance, then.”
They resumed dinner in a slightly lighter atmosphere. Autumn felt the weight lift off her shoulders. At least now she had a clear way out, with a written guarantee from the Alpha Council.
“Will you dance with me?”
Autumn stared at his hand hesitantly. “No dance music…”
As if on cue, the classical music changed to a slow, romantic waltz. Jacob smiled. “I’ve got everything set up.”
Reluctantly, Autumn took his hand and let Jacob lead her to an empty area beside the dining table.
She put one hand on Jacob’s shoulder, while he held the other tightly. His free hand snaked around Autumn’s waist, pulling her a little closer than was necessary for a formal waltz.
They began to move to the music, their bodies swaying in surprising harmony. Autumn couldn’t deny that they had always been the perfect dance partners their movements synchronized as if they could read each other’s minds.
“Remember the anniversary party three years ago?” Jacob asked softly as they twirled. “We danced like this all night. You were wearing a baby blue dress, and all eyes were on you.”
Autumn did remember that night. It had been one of the most beautiful nights of their relationship before Jacob’s father died, before everything changed.
“I remember,” she said softly. “You told the whole pack that I was the perfect mate the Moon Goddess had chosen for you.”
Jacob looked at her deeply, his amber eyes gleaming in the chandelier light. “And I still believe it, Autumn. You are the one for me.”
“Give me a chance to prove that I can change. That we can build something better than before,” Jacob continued, his eyes radiating a sincerity Autumn rarely saw.
Autumn took a deep breath, the scent of the night filled with pine and dew refreshing her mind. She gently released her hand from Jacob’s grasp.
“You’re asking me to trust you again, after everything that’s happened. That’s no small ask, Jacob.”
“I know,” Jacob nodded. “But that’s why I’m giving you a month. To rebuild that trust, one step at a time.”
Autumn walked to the edge of the balcony, gazing out at the forest that stretched out under the moonlight. In the distance, she could hear the howls of wolves probably members of the pack on patrol.
“What makes you think this time will be different?” she asked without turning. “How can I be sure you won’t go back to being the cold, authoritarian alpha that drove me away?”
Jacob stepped closer to her, standing beside her without touching her. “Because I’ve known what it’s like to live without you, Autumn. And it’s a hell I don’t want to go through again.”
He pointed toward the pack’s housing complex in the distance. “While you were gone, I began to see the error of my ways. The pack did not prosper under my harsh leadership. They obeyed out of fear, not respect. That was not a healthy pack life.”
Autumn stared at him in surprise. “You admit that?”
“Yes,” Jacob nodded. “Diana helped me see things differently. She reminded me that the strongest packs are those led by an alpha and a luna working together, complementing each other not those controlled by one iron fist.”
“Diana told you that?” Autumn didn’t hide her surprise. Diana had always seemed fiercely loyal and rarely questioned Jacob’s decisions.
Jacob chuckled. “Surprised? She may be a loyal Beta, but she’s also not afraid to tell me the truth when everyone else is too afraid to speak.”
A long silence fell between them. Autumn saw a side of Jacob she had rarely seen vulnerable, open, admitting his mistakes. This was the Jacob she had loved before her father’s death changed her.
“I can’t promise that things will go back to the way they were,” Autumn said finally. “Too much has happened between us.”
“I’m not asking for things to go back to the way they were,” Jacob turned to Autumn, his gaze intense. “I want to build something new something stronger, healthier. We can learn from our past mistakes.”
Autumn felt her walls beginning to crumble. There was a sincerity in Jacob’s words that was hard to ignore. However, her memory of Jacob's dark side was still too fresh.