Chapter 177 177

Chapter 177 177
Arielle's POV

Mandy looked between us, her eyes wide, her jaw slack. Then she scoffed, the sound sharp and cutting. "What the fuck was just going on here?"

I almost stuttered, my voice cracking. "You... M...Mandy—"

She snapped, her voice rising. "I asked what the fuck was just going on?!" She walked up to us, her gaze dropping to the shirt I was wearing—his shirt—and her face twisted with disbelief. "Have you guys been... together?" She shook her head, her lips parting in horror. "Damn. Goodness."

"Mandy, I'm sorry, it's not—"

She held up her hand to my face, cutting me off. "Damn you. Geez, you've been fucking him?"

"No, it's not—"

"Shut it!" Her voice cracked with fury. "You're one of those sluts too who wanted to get in his bed. Holy cow, I thought you had dignity after Logan thrashed your heart. You're cheap. Goodness..."

Aeson's voice cut through, low and firm. "Enough!"

Mandy grunted, her eyes blazing, and turned, stomping up the stairs.

"Mandy!" I attempted to go after her, but his hand caught mine, stopping me. "Aeson, she's—"

"Stop it." His voice was insistent, his grip firm. "Let her go."

I looked at the stairs as Mandy disappeared into her room, and my shoulders dropped. The tears were approaching, burning at the edges of my eyes.

He cupped my face, clicking his tongue in disapproval. "No, no, no. Don't cry. You don't have to shed a tear over this."

"Aeson." My voice trembled. "This... Mandy is angry. I should go and—"

"No." He shook his head. "I'll talk to her."

"She won't—"

"Listen to me." His gaze held mine. "Trust me. Go. Just go."

I looked at him, reluctant. "Arielle. Trust me. Okay?"

I nodded slowly, and he kissed my forehead before turning and heading up the stairs after Mandy.

\---

I stepped into my cottage, closing the door behind me and leaning against it. The weight of everything pressed down on me, and I felt a tear slip down my cheek. My wolf stirred, her voice soft in my mind. She'll come around. Give her time.

I shook my head. "No, I just can't feel alright. Mandy is my best friend. She must be feeling hurt badly, thinking I made a fool of her."

You didn't make a fool of her, my wolf insisted. You followed your heart. There's nothing wrong with that.

"But she doesn't see it that way," I whispered. "She sees it as a betrayal even though it's a misunderstanding
And maybe it is. I should have told her. I should have been honest from the start about how I was feeling about him."

You couldn't have told her before you understood it yourself.

I pushed off the door, my steps heavy as I moved into the living room. My wolf was quiet now, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I stopped in the middle of the room, my hands clenching at my sides. I wanted to send Mandy an apology message, but I realized I had lost my phone in the woods last night.

I growled in frustration, running my hands through my hair.

Then the telephone rang. I barely got calls from that line. I walked over and picked it up.

"Hello, dear."

I blinked. It was my mother. Her voice was so affectionate, so warm; it was rare for her. "Mother..."

"What's going on?" she asked. "I tried to reach you last night, but you weren't reachable. Sheila did too, and then she gave me this telephone number, so I tried it."

"Oh." I paused. "I... misplaced my phone. That's just it. I'll get a new one soon." I swallowed. "Is... everything alright?"

There was a brief silence on the other end, and when she spoke again, I heard the joy in her voice, the unmistakable happiness. "Your father is finally awake, Arielle."

My heart stopped. "What?"

"Yes. I'm so happy. I can't even express how happy I am. He's in good condition now."

A smile spread across my face, tears of joy mixing with the ones of sadness. I couldn't believe it. After all these years, my father was awake.

"Are you serious?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Dead serious," she said, and I could hear the smile in her voice. It was the kind of smile I hadn't heard from her in years, genuine, unguarded, and free. I realized she was shedding tears of joy already, having finally shed the tough skin she had worn all these years like armor.

"This is the best news I've had, Mother," I said, my voice thick with emotion.

"My girl…" She paused, and I heard her take a shaky breath. "He mentioned your name first when he woke up. The very first word out of his mouth was your name."

I felt a warmth spread through my chest. "Ah, of course he would."

We laughed in sync, the sound light and freeing. "How did he wake up?" I asked. "I mean…what happened?"

"There's a cure," she said, her voice bright with excitement. "It's called the Elixir of Renewal. It's a rare, ancient potion that rejuvenates souls and gives broken wolves new life. I've been struggling to get it for years—searching, bargaining, and offering everything I had. But it's so rare that I'd almost given up hope." She paused, her voice trembling. "Can you imagine? Someone had it delivered to us unexpectedly. It just appeared at our doorstep."

"Who was it?" I asked, my brow furrowing.

"I don't know. It was anonymous. It must be someone your father had done good for—someone who was so grateful that they wanted to do this huge favor for him."

"Oh." I smiled. "That's great to hear."

There was a brief silence, and then her voice softened. "It's been a while, Arielle. Will you come over? Your father wants to see you so badly."

"Yeah." I nodded, though she couldn't see me. "I want to hear his voice now."

She passed the phone to him, and I heard his voice for the first time in ten years. "My princess."

Tears welled up in my eyes, and I let out a shaky laugh. "Father."

He chuckled, a hearty sound that filled my heart with joy. "Are you okay?"

"I'm better than ever, my dear," he said. "Thanks to the potion."

"Wow." I wiped my eyes. "This is a miracle."

"It is, dear." He paused, and I could hear the smile in his voice. "It's a rare potion. I could tell your mother must have been so frustrated, searching for it like crazy over the years just to get me awake and yell at me again."

"Stop it, Hades!" I heard my mother shun him in the background, and he laughed again. I joined in, the sound filling the room.

"When did you regain consciousness?" I asked.

"We got the potion last night," she said, taking the phone back. "I gave it to him, and over the night, his recovery was super fast. His wolf healing heightened. It was incredible to see your father waking up like he was just in a deep sleep."

"That's amazing," I breathed.

"Where are you?" she asked.

"I'm..." I looked around the cottage and shut my eyes as I lied. "I'm in the college dorm. My room. I was just resting. Couldn't make it to class today. I was a bit sick."

"Dear," she said, her voice warm with concern, "come home soon. I'll make you your favorite soup."

I felt a lump in my throat. She had never spoken this way over the last decade—so motherly, so caring. "Yes, I will."

"You can come today, right?"

"Today?" I hesitated. "Um, no. Weekend. I'll come during the weekend."

"Okay," she said. "I'll be waiting. We both will."

“Alright.”

We talked a little more, and then she said, "I love you, Arielle."

"I love you too, Mother."

The call ended, a smile spreading across my face. After all these years, my father was awake. And he wanted to see me. Above all, Mother has returned to her usual self. The loving and caring Luna.

I felt elated, my heart soaring with joy. I wanted to settle on the couch and let the happiness wash over me, but then the doorbell rang.

I straightened, my mind racing. Aeson. Oh god, I hope he succeeded in cooling Mandy. I opened the door, my joy mixing with returned anxiety.

"Did you—" I started, but the words died in my throat.

I froze.

It wasn't Aeson.