What if I broke again?
I gritted my teeth, grounding myself. I had broken before. And I had put myself back together.
Maddie knelt in front of me, her hands resting on my knees. “You’ve already won,” she said. “No matter what happens out there, you’ve already won.”
I blinked hard, trying to steady myself. She smiled and stood, pulling me to my feet, and with one last tight hug, she led me out.
My hands were clammy, sweat beaded on my brow. I could almost hear it, the swell of music, the breath of the crowd before the curtain rose.
I stepped onto the stage. The air was warmer here, warm with the anticipation of the crowd.
I moved to center stage. Dropped to the pristine spot where the solo began. The wood beneath me gleamed, newly laid and polished with a mirror sheen. Reborn, just like me.
The lights came on.
Not the overhead fluorescents, but the soft golden wash of stage lights. The warmth of them lit my skin, made me feel seen. Real.
Then the music began. My cue.
And so, I danced.
The first movement was slow, cautious. My limbs were unsure, like a puppy testing new legs. But then I caught my reflection in the wings, and saw myself.
The girl who had survived monsters. Who had risen from the ashes of everything they'd tried to take from her.
I didn’t dance like I used to. I danced with a fire in my soul.
Every breath, every lift, every spin was a rebellion. A prayer. A promise. I could do this. I was doing this.
Then I looked. Looked at the crowd as I moved. Saw my alphas watching me with pride on their faces. I Imagined my parents in the front row, just as they once were. Then I saw it, two empty seats with their names on and my old broken ballet pointe shoes seated on them. I inhaled a cry. Had they done this for me? Had my alphas made a space for what should be? I looked over at them and Anders smiled, then placed his hand on his heart. They had!
I had never been so ready to cry and so ready to dance, scream and jump for joy. I felt alive. Existing purely in that moment. That move. Every cell in my body tingled with the love I felt for them all. Each person in my life had touched it in such a beautiful way. Now, I was blessed with my pack. Marked and claimed, with a promise to love and cherish till death do we part. My alphas. They were my lovers, my friends, my soulmates, and my life. I smiled. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Tears blurred my vision, but I didn’t stop. The music carried me. Lifted me. I moved like I was shedding every wound, every scar, until I was nothing but light, motion and fire.
My body moved of its own accord, remembering steps even when I couldn’t. When the final note swelled, I collapsed into the last position, heart stuttering in my chest, sweat trailing down my spine.
Silence.
And then... applause.
From the crowd, and from them.
Blake. Anders. Zach.
They stood in the center aisle, clapping like they had never seen anything more beautiful. And in their eyes, I believed it.
Blake was the first to reach me. He climbed the stairs and crossed the stage in three long strides. I ran into his arms, burying my face in his chest. He held me like he never wanted to let me go.
“You did it,” he whispered.
I laughed, the sound cracked and wet with tears. “We did it.”
Anders appeared next, pressing a bottle of water into my hand, ever the caretaker. He smoothed a stray lock of hair from my face.
Zack grabbed me around the waist and spun me, grinning like the devil he was. “Told you,” he said. “Told you the world hadn’t seen the last of Summer Rayne.”
I clung to them all. Salty tears cushioning my lips.
The theater lights dimmed behind us as we left the stage, but I didn’t look back. I didn’t need to. It would always be there now.
Waiting.
That night, we returned to our shared home. Our safe place. We curled into one another on the massive bed. Snuggling with pillows, blankets, and laughter. I was safe. Loved.
Blake pulled me into his arms and kissed me, taking his time to explore every inch of my mouth. I lost myself in that kiss. Then, he pulled back, looked me in the eye, and said, “I love you, sweetheart. Always and forever.”
The End.
