I stared at my reflection, smiling. The dress that Papa surprised me with was beautiful. Running my hand down the front of the dress, I hear a knock on my door. Turning, I open it to find James and Papa.

"Wow, Kathy... You look like..." James's voice faded as he tried to come up with a compliment. Papa's eyes misted over as his smile grew. "You look absolutely beautiful sweetheart. You look like a queen."

"Yeah, like a queen." I smile as a faint blush settles over my cheeks. Papa extended his arm towards me and I slipped my hand into it. James shut my door as the three of us slowly made our way to the ballroom. As I looked around, I couldn't help but notice that it still looked the same as it had the night I had first attended.

I watched as James slipped away, asking a rather stunning woman to dance with him. When she blushed but slipped her hand into his, I smiled. I had a feeling that James might have found his mate. Papa stayed beside me until he spotted a few men that he knew.

Smiling at him, I nod for him to go talk with them, letting my eyes scan the crowded room again. When I didn't see Alexander, I sighed softly. Leaving the ballroom, I slowly walk through the castle, admiring the view. Passing a familiar room, I smile as I see the open piano.

Looking around, I slip into the room and make my way to the bench. Brushing my fingertips over the keys, my eyes close as When the Love Falls by Yiruma, fills the room. I could feel my body relaxing as the music swells and then falls like a wave around me. So lost in the music, I didn't hear as some walked into the room, stopping until they were just a few feet behind me.

As the last note faded, a soft voice startled me. "We always seem to meet in the most unexpected places, don't we?" Slowly, I rose from my seat and turned around to face my mate. My eyes met his and I froze.

Alexander took a small step towards me. "After you disappeared the night we met, I went almost crazy trying to find you. I had my men searching everywhere for you, for any traces that might lead me to you. The years started to pass and the only thing besides Jackson that kept me sane, was the fact that I could still feel that you were alive."

He took another step towards me, his hand reaching out to tuck a few strands of wayward hair behind my ear. My breath hitched in my throat as I felt the sparks rushed through me. "When I saw you at Rhett's pack, I thought I was dreaming." Alexander's voice was soft, barely a whisper. "That second when I looked back up and you were gone, I almost swore that I was losing my mind, Kathleen."

Tears blurred my vision, falling down my cheeks. Alexander slowly wiped them away, a sad smile on his lips. "When I walked by and heard music, I thought I was hearing a ghost. Every year I would walk past this room, hoping that you would just appear. And here you are, looking every bit like a queen."

"That night when we met, I was already planning to leave. I couldn't stay under my mother's house any longer. And I never thought that I would actually run into you at the ball. I just kept running. I didn't know about your wife passing away; I just blocked out any news of you because I couldn't bear to hear that you were with someone else."

My eyes closed as I leaned my head into his hand. "When I heard that you were coming to Alpha Bane's pack, I didn't know what to do. I had just found out that I had a brother and that our father was coming along as well. So, I decided that if I could avoid seeing you until you left; maybe it wouldn't be so bad. But it hurt to stay away from you.

"Then that morning when I came down and saw you, my heart has never felt so complete and broken at the same time. I was so torn; I wanted to stay, to talk with you. But then Jackson spoke and the truth, or what I thought was the truth, slapped me in the face. I thought you were still married, still no longer mine. So, I did what I seem good at, I ran." My voice softens as I stop speaking, enjoying the sparks from Alexander's hand.

"When did you find out the truth?" His voice was barely a whisper; thick with emotions I couldn't put a name too. "A week after you and Papa left. James was talking to him on the phone when I got back from the clinic one night. He didn't know I was home and I overheard his conversation. He was talking about the council making you find a new queen, and then he mentioned that you were still mourning the loss of your wife."

I slowly open my eyes, meeting his gaze. "Papa wanted James to take over for him, so we came here. We're planning on getting a small cottage in Kent, James will stay with Papa during the week and then both of them will come and stay with me during the weekend. When we decided to come, I didn't know about the ball being tonight.

"Papa told us after he picked us up from the airport. I decided that I needed to see you, Alexander. I can't lose you again. I love you." The confession fell from my lips, bringing a shocked look to his face. "I've loved you since the day your hand grabbed mine to keep me from leaving. I couldn't keep how I feel from you any longer; not when there was a chance that I might have lost you again because of the council..."

I was cut off when Alexander suddenly pulled me towards him, his lips silencing me. My wolf howled with joy as my eyes fluttered shut, my hands pressing against his chest. Time seemed to stop as Alexander's arms wrapped around me, holding me close to him. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, he pulled away and my eyes opened. There was a fire in his eyes that I had never seen there before.

"Kathleen," Alexander spoke, his voice sounding heated as his hands slide down to my shoulders. "I want you to listen to me because I'm only going to say this once, understand?" I nodded as his eyes held my captive.

"I will not let you get away from me again. I was planning on going to the council tomorrow morning and announcing that I knew who my mate was and that I was going to get her, to win her heart one way or the other." I could feel the hot sting of tears in my eyes as I tried to blink them away. "You don't have to win my heart back Alexander... It's always been yours in the first place."

A smile bloomed on Alexander's lips as his eyes sparkled. I knew that he was about to kiss me again, when suddenly, someone cleared their throat. My head snapped towards the door, where they landed on my very confused looking father. "Kathy, King Tate, what's going on here?"