Chapter 265
I sat in front of Kaius’s door the whole night, pleading and begging, but he never did come, and finally ! rose. My legs were numb from sitting so long on the cold, hard floor. Dawn was breaking, soft light filtering through the windows at the end of the corridor.
I had lost him, and it took me this long to see that. I hadn’t only lost Frost; I had lost Kaius’s love too.
As I staggered back to my own quarters, my body aching with exhaustion and grief, I tried to make sense of how everything had gone so terribly wrong. How did my life turn into this? One moment it all felt like a fairy tale, one I didn’t want to wake up from, and now it was a complete nightmare.
Pack members I passed in the hallways gave me a wide berth, their expressions ranging from pity to hatred. They’d heard about Frost’s death, about my role in bringing Kaius back, but rumors about what had truly happened spread like wildfire. Some claimed I’d betrayed the pack, others that I’d saved it.
In the following days, I moved through the pack like a ghost, performing my duties as Luna mechanically, speaking only when necessary. Some days I questioned the point of my own existence; I had no use remaining here, and yet, I didn’t want to leave, maybe because I still had hope that one day Kaius would forgive me,
foolish
A foolish hope, after everything I’d seen in his eyes. But hope was all I had left.
The knock at my door went unanswered for so long that whoever it was would have been justified in leaving. I couldn’t bring myself to face another pack member’s pitying look, another reminder of my new reality. But the knocking persisted, gentle but insistent.
“Go away,” I finally called, not moving from my position curled on the window seat.
“Elowen, it’s me.” My mother’s voice cut through my apathy, drawing me to my feet before I’d even made the conscious decision to
move.
I stumbled to the door, yanking it open to find her standing there, her expression a mixture of concern and love that broke through the numbness I’d been hiding behind.
“Mom, I’ve missed you.” I collapsed into her arms, tears I thought had long since dried up flooding my eyes once more.
“I’ye missed you too.” She held me tightly, her embrace as comforting now as it had been when I was a child.
“I’m sorry. I left you at the door; I just wasn’t in the mood…” I began pulling back slightly to wipe at my tears.
“It’s alright, Elowen; I understand,” she assured me, closing the door behind her as she entered the room.
She looked around, taking in the disarray that reflected my mental state–clothes strewn about, dishes piled on surfaces, curtains drawn against the daylight. If she was shocked by the state of things, she didn’t show it.
“I guess you are here to communicate the date of your wedding ceremony to me?” I asked, trying to sound normal, trying to show interest in something beyond my own misery.
“No. Actually, I and Gabriel broke up.” Her voice was steady, but I detected a note of sadness beneath the calm.
“What?” I stared at her, genuinely surprised. “Why?”
I just feel like it’s wrong.” She glanced away, her hands fidgeting with the strap of her bag.
“That isn’t reason enough, mom.” I knew my mother; there was more to this sudden decision.
She sighed, meeting my eyes with reluctance. “Elowen I know about what happened–at least I know some part of it–and I know
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Chapter 265
that Kieran was a bad guy; he is the reason you are in pain, and he the same reason the Beta was killed. Gabriel told me the truth, even if the pack has no dea about that. Gabriel covered up for Kieran, just to protect his honor, one he didn’t deserve
Understanding dawned, and with it came a fresh wave of pain. “Mon what went on with Kieran and me has nothing to do with your relationship with Gabriel, He makes you happy, and that’s all that matters.”
“No, Elowen, I can’t do that… I just can’t.” She shook her head firmly
“You were the one that said you would live your life and let me make my own decisions, I reminded her, a hint of my old stubbornness returning.
“I know… but that is easier said than done, and I care about you, Elowen; no matter what, you will always be my daughter, and you will always come first, even before my own wants, and so I cannot marry Gabriel.” The sacrifice in her voice broke my heart all over again.
“And what if I tell you that I want you to do just that? The fact that am unhappy doesn’t mean you would have to too, so I want you to go back to Gabriel and make things straight with you, because if he told you the truth about Kieran, It means he cares, and he had no hand in this; he had no idea about Kieran’s plan.” I surprised myself with the vehemence in my voice.
“You are practically sending me away; I just got here.” She smiled slightly, the first hint of lightness in our conversation.
“Yes, I am. I want you to live your life and enjoy it. I would be awaiting the date for the wedding ceremony.” I meant every word. If nothing else good could come from this nightmare, at least my mother deserved her chance at happiness.
“Elowen, thank you so much,” she said, her eyes shining with emotion.
“No, thank you, because you’ve always been there for me.” I hugged her again, drawing strength from her presence.
She pulled back, studying my face with maternal concern. “Elowen, if you and Kaius were meant to be, then nothing can stop that from happening.”
The naivety of her belief struck me like a blow. “I’ve lost him, mother; he is not the same person he used to be.”
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