Chapter 109 Chapter 109
Chapter 109 Chapter 109
Tears welled up in Suki’s eyes seeing Brendan reunited with his family.
Not wanting to let go of his little sister, Brendan pushed himself to his feet and picked up Katherine at the same time, resting her on his hip. “You’re a lot heavier than I remember.”
She pouted. “You look a lot heavier too.”
“That’s what growing up does to us, aye,” he said, poking her stomach.
She giggled.
Brendan turned to his mother. “Mum,” he whispered.
Tears streamed down her face as she embraced him in a tight hug. “Oh, how I’ve missed you. I never stopped thinking about you.”
He sobbed, “I never stopped thinking about all of you. I’ve missed you too.”
“Look how tall you’ve gotten. I have to stand on my toes to reach you,” she said, gripping his shoulder and giving him a once-over, soaking in all his matured details.
And she was right. The last time she saw her son, she was the taller one, not by much, but enough to bend her knees a little to get to his height when needed. Yet now he towered not only over her, but over his father too – not by much, perhaps an inch or two.
Brendan turned to face his father, placing his sister down and standing tall as he approached. “Father,” he said, hesitation and anxiety laced in his voice. Even after being exonerated for the crimes he didn’t commit in Nighttide, there was a fear in the depths of Brendan’s stomach that his father would still not forgive him.
Standing before his son, he looked deep into his eyes as if he was searching for something.
Brendan swallowed thickly.
His father stepped closer, almost squaring up to him.
The tension made Reynard feel uneasy and protective. He clenched his fists, but Suki placed her hand over his, settling him and encouraging him to wait.
“My son,” he began in a sigh. “What a man you’ve grown to become, and no thanks to me.”
Taken aback, Reynard and Suki shared a confused glance.
Brendan shook his head. “Father–”
He held up a hand, silencing him. “I listened to the facts when I should have listened to my heart and instincts. I should have listened to you. In my heart, I knew you could never have done such a thing. You were as shocked as the rest of us that day, and you were so scared,” his voice cracked. Clearing his throat, he continued, “I was blinded by my desperation to help your brother. I sensed his desperation to prove himself; I thought training him would fix and guide him, but I only made him worse. I don’t deserve your forgiveness for what I said to you, but–”
This time, Brendan silenced his father by pulling him into a tight hug. “We’ve all said things we didn’t mean. You didn’t know. I’ve never held it against you.”
Squeezing him tightly, Brendan’s father thanked his son, deep down feeling he didn’t deserve such forgiveness.
Alpha Wilder calmly interjected, speaking to the rest of the room, “That covers everything for now. We won’t keep you any longer; please go back to your packs and don’t hesitate to reach out to each other if you need aid. Now more than ever, we need to work together.”
Slowly, the room began to empty. Those who remained were Brendan, his family, Suki, Reynard, Alpha Wilder and Alpha Conri.
Suki and Reynard glanced at each other once more, confused. They stood at the same time.
“Sir,” Reynard began.
Suki continued, “We aren’t being punished?”
Alpha Conri furrowed his brows and tilted his head. “For what crimes? Saving the werewolf race from total annihilation?”
Blushing at his sarcasm, Suki cleared her throat and specified, “For not disclosing the truth about our bonds.”
“And breaking the rules I swore to follow to live here,” Brendan added, pulling away from his embrace with his father.
Taking hold of Suki’s shoulder, Alpha Conri squeezed her and smiled softly. “You all did it to protect one another; it all worked out in the end. Given the circumstances, we’ve decided not to extend the issue further. Just know this is new territory for everyone; all werewolves will be learning alongside you three, so be prepared for a long adjustment period for everyone.”
“Yes, sir.” She smiled, looking at Rey.
He smiled back at her.
With that concern banished from her mind, something else took over that sent Suki spiralling. Her smile vanished.
Reynard mirrored her concerned expression. “Ki?”
‘Brendan – he’s not a Rogue anymore,’ she said faintly down the bond, almost a whisper.
When he realised what she was referring to, Reynard looked at Brendan. They all came to the realisation together.
‘And he’s not a true person of Moonstone...’
“I can go home,” Brendan sighed.
His mother stepped closer and smiled. “Yes, you can come home. We can mend what we broke. I want to know everything you got up to all the years you were gone, the good and the bad.”
Brendan looked back and forth between his family and his mates. Suki leaned into Rey’s chest. He couldn’t feel how either of them felt about the situation, like they were purposely blocking out their feelings down the bond to not sway his thoughts.
He had a big choice to make: Leave Suki and Reynard, shattering their bond, and go back to Nighttide, where coming and going from the pack is not freely allowed, to be with his family. Or he could choose to stay in Moonstone and be with the two new and heavily important people in his life, but never see his family or Nighttide again.
Or maybe…
Squeezing his eyes shut, Brendan took in a deep breath before speaking. “The entire time that I’ve been a Rogue, all I’ve wanted was to be proven innocent and to be allowed back home in Nighttide to be with my family, my friends and people again.”
“And now you can do that, son,” his father said, holding out his hand.
Suki turned her head towards Rey, leaning into him more as he wrapped his arms around her, not wanting Brendan to see how heartbroken she felt. They all were heartbroken at the idea.
He shook his head. “That’s not what I want anymore.”