Chapter 198
128 Points
The morning after one of the best days of my life was slow and warm. I woke up in Astor’s arms, feeling the steady beat of his heart against my back. We didn’t rush out of bed because we didn’t
have to.
It just feels strange to wake up with absolutely no worries in your mind and it was exactly what we
needed.
For an hour, we just laid there, whispering about the future and listening to the birds outside.
But I knew there was one thing I had to do before I could truly move on. I had to face the woman who tried to replace me. My relationship with Ovelia has always been strange.
When my mating with Astor was first arranged and I came to stay in the pack she was indifferent to me and I was also trying to get my footing on everything so I paid her no heed.
Then she sort of became my teacher and she gave me what I would call tough love but I did learn from her how to be a proper Luna.
She didn’t pretend like we were the best of friends but I could live with that until everything happened recently.
“Are you sure you want to go?” Astor asked as I stood in front of the mirror, braiding my hair. “You don’t owe her anything, Faith. She chose her side.”
“I know,” I said, looking at his reflection. He was leaning against the bedpost, watching me with worried eyes. “But she is still your mother. And she is the grandmother of our children. If she is going to live on our land, I need her to understand the new rules.”
Astor sighed and walked over. He wrapped his arms around me and ki my neck. “You are too
good, Faith. Anyone else would have had her banished.”
“I’m not most Lunas,” I said, turning in his arms. “I’m also her daughter–in–law.”
We walked to the edge of the pack territory. The cottage was small and made of old stone and
wood.
It was far
y from the busy Pack House and it was quiet and almost deserted.
Ovelia was sitting on the small porch in a wooden chair. She wasn’t wearing her silk dresses or her jewels anymore. She wore a simple gray wool shawl and a plain dress. When she saw us walking
up
the path, she stood up. She looked like the weight of her mistakes had finally caught up to her.
“Astor,” she whispered. Her eyes moved to me, and she stiffened. “Faith.”
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“Mother,” Astor said. His voice was not mean, but it was not warm either. It was the voice of an Alpha talking to one of his pack members and not his mother.
“We came to see how you are settling in.”
“It is… quiet,” Ovelia said. She looked at her hands. “I have everything I need. The Omegas brought food this morning.”
I stepped forward. I didn’t wait for her to invite me up. I walked onto the porch and looked at her. I didn’t use my power to scare her. I didn’t need to. The power was just part of who I was now and it was present in my aura.
“Ovelia,” I said. “I didn’t come here to gloat. And I didn’t come here to make you feel bad.”
Ovelia looked up at me, her eyes red. “Then why are you here? To tell me how happy you are?” I honestly don’t blame her for thinking that is why I’m here because if there’s one thing I can never take back even though I know it’s not my fault, it’s the fact that my brother killed her mate.
“I’m here to tell you that the door to our house is closed to you,” I said firmly. “But the door to our hearts is not locked forever.” I didn’t want to lie to her or make promises that I will never be able to keep but I was extending a hand to her.
Ovelia gasped. She looked at Astor, who was standing behind me like a wall of stone.
“You betrayed us,” I continued. “You let a monster into our home because you were afraid of being weak. You tried to replace me with a girl who wanted to harvest my soul. That is something I cannot forget today.”
“I thought I was saving the pack,” Ovelia sobbed, finally breaking down. She sank back into her chair, covering her face. “Silas promised me that if we joined him, we would never have to worry about anything anf I thought you were too weak to lead next to my son.
I will never be able to understand her choices but I do understand her reasoning because as a mother I would probably do anything to protect my son too.
I knelt down in front of her and I took her shaking hands in mine.
“Look at me, Ovelia,” I said.
She looked at me through her tears.
“I am the Luna,” I said. “And I am here to stay. I’m going to raise Marco and Isabella to be the greatest leaders this world has ever seen. They will know who you are. They will know that their grandmother lives in this cottage.”
Ovelia’s bottom lip trembled. “You… you will let them see me?”
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thinking about what it means to be a real member of a pack. A pack isn’t about power, Ovelia. It’s about loyalty.”
Ovelia squeezed my hands. “I am so sorry, Faith. I was a fool. I see it now. You’re more of a Luna
than I ever was.
“I know,” I said simply.
I stood up and looked at Astor. He looked proud of me. He walked up and put his hand on my
shoulder.
“We are leaving now,” Astor said to his mother. “The warriors will check on you every week. If you need something, you ask them. But do not come to the pack.” I don’t want to interfere in their relationship because I know that sooner or later he will forgive his mother and I don’t want to pressure him into doing it because it has to be his choice.
“I understand,” Ovelia said. She looked at me one last time. “Thank you, Faith. For the mercy.”
As we walked back toward the Pack House, I felt a huge weight leave my shoulders. I didn’t hate
her. Hate is a heavy thing to carry.
“You handled that perfectly,” Astor said. He pulled me into a hug right there in the middle of the
forest path.
“I’m just a woman who wants a peaceful life,” I said, smiling up at him.
“Well, ‘Peaceful Faith‘ is very sexy,” he teased, wagging his eyebrows at me.
I laughed and swatted his arm. “Stop it! We have work to do. The Crescent Pack Elders are arriving for lunch, and Alice wants to talk to us about the wedding flowers.” They are getting married because Liam just wants everything to be official and I’m happy for them.
Alice has come a long way and especially because she has been dealing with the Guilt of everything that she did in the past and the truth of the matter is that she cannot go back and change it but she’s doing everything she can to turn over a new leaf and that’s commendable.
“Alice and flowers,” Astor groaned. “That’s going to take four hours.”
“Probably,” I said. “But she’s happy, Astor. She and Liam… it’s a miracle.”
“It is,” Astor said, his face turning serious. “I’m glad one of my best friends finally found his mate. Even if she is your bratty sister.”
“Hey!” I laughed. “She’s a changed brat now.”
This is what life should always feel like. I don’t want to hold any grudges and what I did today was
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