Juan's POV.

I lost my mind completely, searching for Sunny everywhere like a madman. I searched the forests, the cities, the borders - every possible place she could have gone. But I couldn't find even a trace of her sweet scent. She had simply vanished like smoke in the wind. She only left me a letter, and my mom Isabella handed it to me with sad eyes, "This is from Sunny, son."

I took it immediately, my hands shaking as I unfolded the paper to read her familiar handwriting: "Please don't search for me. I will come back in two years. If you love me, then you will wait for me. I'm doing this to protect everyone I care about."

"Two years?" I whispered, reading the words over and over again. "How can she ask me to wait two years?"

I didn't know what I should do with myself, with this burning pain in my chest. I turned the werewolves' kingdom upside down, searching every pack, every territory! I even ventured into dangerous rogue territory, risking my life to find any clue about her whereabouts. But I couldn't find her anywhere.

"Alpha, we've searched everywhere," my beta reported, exhaustion clear in his voice. "There's no trace of her scent anywhere in our territory."

"Then search beyond our territory!" I had roared back. "Search the human cities, search the vampire lands if you have to!"

"But Alpha, that could start a war-"

"I don't give a damn about war! Find her!"

Somehow, after weeks of fruitless searching, I started to believe that maybe this was the right thing, that maybe fate was testing us both. I had to wait for her, wait for destiny to decide our future. Even so, my heart was in constant, unbearable pain, like someone was slowly carving it out of my chest with a dull knife. But I had to wake up and face reality - I had to look after my people who depended on me.

I was the alpha, after all. My pack needed their leader to be strong and focused. My father wanted to hand me the throne officially - I was twenty-eight years old, a grown man who had already wasted too much time. I had lost ten precious years when I was in a coma, ten years I could never get back.

I rubbed my face roughly, suppressing the tears that threatened to fall down my cheeks. I had to be strong for everyone, had to be the rock they could lean on. But I wondered constantly what would happen to her and where she could have gone. This uncertainty was fucking with my mental state, driving me slowly insane.

The worst part was knowing that the rogue alpha Marcus and the vampire king both wanted her desperately. Everyone wanted Sunny - she was like a prize that every powerful creature desired to possess.

Zena, my former luna, laughed cruelly as if she was making fun of the entire situation, enjoying my pain. "She left you! She's smart, I'll give her that. She wanted all the alphas and the king of vampires to search for her like some precious treasure."

I raised my eyebrow, warning her with my voice, "Shut up, Zena. Don't test me right now."

She scoffed and walked closer to me, her voice dripping with malicious pleasure as she tried to hurt me more. "I bet she ran away with someone else, some other man who caught her eye. And she's probably having fun right now, laughing at how pathetic you are. Maybe making love to her new lover while you sit here crying like a child."

I growled, my wolf stirring dangerously inside me, "I said shut the fuck up!"

I didn't want to beat her to death, even though every fiber of my being wanted to rip her throat out. She was the mother of my pup, after all, and my son needed his mother, no matter how terrible she was.

But she didn't stop bothering me with her evil, poisonous words, pushing me further toward the edge. "She's beautiful on the outside, sure, but with a body covered in disgusting bruises and scars. I bet she's ugly and rotten from the inside, damaged goods. I don't know how you could really want to sleep with something so broken and used."

That was the final straw. I stood up and instantly slapped her fucking face so hard that the sound echoed through the room. "You shut the fuck up right now, or I will kick you out of here! I will throw you back onto the streets where you belong, you ugly, jealous bitch!"

She held her reddening cheek, fury blazing in her eyes, "I'm not ugly! But you are completely blinded by Sunny's magic, can't you see that?"

I tilted my head, suddenly interested despite my anger, "What magic are you talking about? Explain yourself."

She inhaled and exhaled heavily, her anger making her reckless with her words, "You didn't know that she learned black magic in that school, not nursing like everyone thinks? She's been casting spells on you!"

She was obviously a fucking liar! The accusation was ridiculous because I had fallen in love with Sunny long before she went to any school, long before she could have learned any magic.

I laughed hysterically at her desperate attempt to poison my mind against the woman I loved. She stood up, her face serious, "I didn't say a joke, Juan. I'm telling you the truth!"

I rubbed my chin and looked at her with disgust before spitting directly at her face, "You did tell a joke, and a bad one. Because I have loved Sunny since she was only one year old, you stupid bitch!"

Then I clutched her hair tightly and dragged her out of my private chambers, ignoring her screams and protests. My son screamed from across the room, "Dad! Don't beat Mom! Please don't hurt her!"

But I didn't stop - I was beyond reason now. I pushed her roughly in front of everyone, in front of my siblings and my mother, forcing her down to the floor. I commanded her with absolute authority, "From now on, you will work as a maid in this pack. If you don't want to accept that position, then get out immediately, but you will never see your pup again."

She fumed with rage, her true nature finally showing, "A maid! You want me to be a maid? I left the vampire king's bed to become a fucking maid in your pack?"

That's when my mom Isabella spoke up, her voice calm but firm, "No, dear. The vampire king kicked you out because he wanted Sunny, not you. All of them want Sunny - not because of the prophecy only, and not just because she holds special powers, but because she's pure and good, unlike you who's cheap and used."

I was amazed by my mother's insight - she was gifted with the ability to read the past and the future, to see into people's minds and hearts. Her words always held truth and wisdom.

"Is that really true, Mom?" I asked her, desperate for any information about what had happened.

My mom nodded with certainty, "Yes, son. She's not a good woman - she never was. But Juan Jr. is definitely your son, and that's what matters now."

Then my mom walked closer to me and patted my head gently, the way she used to when I was a child, "Don't worry about your son, sweetheart. I will explain everything to him when he's old enough to understand. Now go back to your real responsibilities. I want you to be the true alpha this pack deserves. Take care of our people who look up to you."

Yes, at least I knew with absolute certainty that I had to wait for Sunny, no matter how long it took. Because she was the purest, most beautiful thing that had ever happened to me in my entire life. She was worth waiting for, worth fighting for, worth dying for.