The One He Left Behind Chapter 02

The One He Left Behind Chapter 02

I was born in a tiny pack out on the borderlands, surrounded by thick woodland with only a narrow road leading out to the rest of the world.

There were no pup schools here, and the nearest training camp was miles away on the other side of the mountain ridge.

I was neither the strongest eldest son nor the favored youngest child. I was the one everyone knew could be cast aside without a second thought.

When I turned twelve, our pack arranged a pen pal exchange with the royal Shadow Pack.

On a whim, I wrote a two-page letter filled with curiosity and questions about the world beyond our woods.

Everyone told me not to get my hopes up. Wolves from wealthy, powerful packs would never look twice at someone from the borderlands like me.

A month passed, and I’d nearly forgotten all about the letter, until one afternoon an elder handed me a reply.

The paper was crisp and clean, the handwriting elegant and neat. Every single one of my questions was answered patiently, and the signature at the bottom read Killian Sterling.

I hid behind our cottage and read that letter over and over, then carefully penned my response. From that day on, I had a pen pal.

I learned he was two years older than me. He loved sparring during border patrols and hated practicing calligraphy.

A year later, my family announced they could only afford to send one child to the advanced academy, and the choice would be made by a random draw. I was not even allowed to take part.

That night, curled up under my blanket, I cried as I wrote my final letter. I told him I would never get proper training, and that I might never get the chance to meet him. I never dared hope for a miracle, but one found me all the same.

A week later, an elder called me over and said an anonymous benefactor would cover every penny of my tuition.

Tears of joy streamed down my face. I thought the Moon Goddess had finally taken pity on me.

Letters from him grew fewer after I started school. Even when I sent multiple messages in a row, I got no reply.

My heart ached, but I kept studying and training hard, and graduated with top marks. It was then that the pack elders finally told me the name of my sponsor.

Killian.

It had been him all along.

I left at once for the Shadow Pack lands, determined to repay his kindness. I could no longer deny the truth. Through all those letters, my wolf had already fallen in love with him. But when I finally reached his territory, reality struck me hard.

He’d lost his sight during a surprise raid. That was why he’d never written back.

Blindness had plunged Killian into utter despair. His temper turned brutal, and he locked himself away in his den for days. When his emotions spiraled out of control, he smashed everything within his reach.

His mother visited him every day at first. But his father had many illegitimate children, all fighting fiercely for power and favor. Once Killian became a blind, broken heir, his father kept his distance.

Eventually, even his mother stopped coming.

The servants grew lazy and careless too. No one wanted to deal with the blind, volatile prince.

Rage burned bright inside my wolf the moment I learned everything that had happened.

I began visiting his chambers every single day, slowly pulling him back from the edge of total collapse.

Seeing how dedicated I was, his mother offered to hire me as his full-time caretaker.

“Perhaps you really can help him,” Elinor said with a weary sigh.

Things were far from easy at the start. Killian hated having me around. He tried to drive me away with his violent temper and cruel words.

But I stayed. I never ran.

Then came a terrible stormy night. Thunder split the sky open, and rain lashed hard against the windows. I was delayed on the way and arrived later than usual.

He was huddled in the corner of the room, shaking violently, his face deathly pale. I wrapped my arms tight around him and hummed the lullaby my mother used to sing to my little sister.

That night changed everything. After that, Killian never tried to chase me off again.

I stayed by his side for three full years.

Little by little, he found his footing again, and his vision slowly began to heal.

A quiet understanding grew between us, and our wolves grew deeply bonded.

I let myself dream—silly, shameless dreams of a future where we would stand together side by side.

Shortly before his sight fully returned, he turned his still-clouded eyes toward me, his voice dropping to a soft whisper. “When I can see again… will you be my mate?”

I looked at his face and nodded without hesitation.

He laughed and lifted me up, spinning me around across the grass.

Yet in the end, when he knelt to propose, it was not me he chose.