Chapter 142: Pride and Joy

Chapter 142: Pride and Joy
The shadowy forest blurred around Meredith as she began to run through the countless trees. She was alone, yes, but there was something different now. Something she had just realized.
The forest, which she once feared the most, felt like the only path that could finally lead her toward the future she truly belonged to. All at once, she understood that what mattered most to her in this world—human and werewolf alike—was not waiting on the horizon ahead of her, but was instead the ones she had left behind.
Her lovely mates.
Her eyes stung and filled with tears as she realized how foolish she had been. How selfish and careless. If there were a worst person who had ever lived, it would undoubtedly be her, and she was ashamed of that truth.
After all, how could she dare to leave Damien, Xavier, and Magnus? How could she ignore and dismiss all the love they had given her? God, she was the luckiest person in the entire universe. And what had she actually done to deserve it?
Maybe nothing. But it did not matter now. What happened in the past stayed in the past. Now, she had the present to take care of. Right now, she had three little pups she needed to love and raise. And most of all, she had three mighty wolves she had to claim, whether they liked it or not.
After that thought, the ground pulsed beneath her paws, following the rhythm now thrumming in her chest. Her heart felt as though it might burst, as if it could no longer contain all the emotions she carried.
In the silence and darkness, she felt the bond again. That warmth that peeled away the cold, layer by layer, every time her mates were near. The threads that connected them. Every scent, every sound, and everything she saw became sharper and clearer. She felt as though she could fight the world and devour it whole.
Suddenly she sensed Damien’s earthy musk, Xavier’s wild spice, and Magnus’s intoxicating cedar. Beneath them all lingered the sweet scents of her sons, as though each had come from a different season. Marcus from summer, Daemond from spring, and Ksaver from autumn. And she was the winter. The one that always made all the difference.
Her heart surged. She knew she wasn’t chasing them. She was claiming them, pulling them back into her arms where they belonged. How dare she think they would leave her behind? After all, she was the Luna of the Moonlit Pack and its people.
She was their mate, and the only one they had. And she was also the mother of Marcus, Daemond, and Ksaver, a woman who had sacrificed her life to ensure that this harsh and cruel world would not easily sway them.
“I am their equal,” she thought. “All at once…”
And surely, they would never forget it again. She would not let them.
A thin branch snapped to her right. A flicker of fur darted through the undergrowth. She bared her teeth in a grin and veered left, cutting across the softer ground.
“Silly wolves,” she thought.
It felt as though they were trying to circle her, the way Meredith could sense them moving all around her like predators closing in on their prey. This time, however, they were not there to kill her.
It was probably Xavier’s tactic, and the thought made her smile widen, even though no one could see it. God, they were driving her crazier with each passing moment. But she didn’t care anymore. As long as they forgave her, she would let them toy with her, test her patience, and make love to her.
A low snarl echoed ahead, followed by a blur of fur charging straight toward her. She knew immediately it was Magnus. His size gave him away before the wind could even carry his familiar, intoxicating scent.
“Magnus Langley!” she shouted through the bond. And surely enough, she heard a peal of laughter that tickled the softest part of her ear. “Marcus Langley…”
She didn’t slow down. Instead, she launched herself into the air. Twisting midair, she used a tree trunk for leverage and landed behind him. The growl that rumbled from her chest sent sleepy birds scattering into the moonlit sky.
Magnus spun around, startled, and let out a playful roar. Marcus, who was clutching his head with his little fists, gasped when he saw her.
“Little Wolf,” Magnus rumbled.
“Mama…” Marcus added.
“One down…” she told them, winking.
She then darted forward, brushing past him, and charged deeper into the woods.
Magnus’s voice echoed through the trees. “I see she’s learned how to hunt well…”
After a long while, Meredith came upon a wide clearing. For a moment, it seemed empty, until Xavier dropped from above the tree line. His silver wolf landed hard in front of her, tail wagging, eyes gleaming mischievously.
Above him, Ksaver clung tightly, hugging him. Her heart swelled as she saw in Ksaver’s eyes the thing all mothers wished for their children. The thought that they had nothing to fear, for their parents would protect them, even at the cost of themselves.
She then skidded to a halt, growling at Xavier for orchestrating all this without her consent.
Xavier responded with a mock growl, ears flat and tongue out like a teasing pup.
“Hello, my gorgeous mate,” he called.
Behind him, Damien and Magnus soon appeared, and still clinging to their fathers were Daemond and Marcus, their laughter rising like the sun about to reign the sky.
Meredith’s soul ached with pride, while her wolf ached with joy.
“My little babies,” she whispered, calling to them.
Damien then padded into the clearing from the opposite side, his massive black wolf as dark as the night. His eyes were fixed on her so intensely that it made the air crackle.
For a heartbeat, the world stilled. Then, slowly, Damien’s wolf bowed its head to her.
It was not a challenge, of course, but a gesture of respect. As if Alpha to Alpha, recognizing each other.
Xavier’s and Magnus’s wolves followed suit, lowering their heads at the same time. The boys slid down from their fathers’ backs, blinking wide-eyed at the quiet scene unfolding before them.
“Mama? Are you okay?” Marcus whispered. There was awe in his voice as he looked at each of them, his eyes trying to make sense of everything.
Meanwhile, Ksaver stepped toward her, his small hand reaching out to her face. “Woah, you look like a queen of the wolves, Mama…”
Daemond’s eyes met hers. He blinked once, his eyes now full of tears. “You’re so beautiful, Mama...”
Everything now felt too much to bear and contain for herself. So, having no choice and not knowing what to do, Meredith instinctively lifted her head and howled into the sky.
The sound echoed across the forest, through the trees, and wrapped around the clearing. The scene almost felt like rebirth. Like a new beginning at the edge of forever.
The three boys stopped dead in their tracks, looking at their mother as if seeing her in a new light.
Magnus was the first to shift back, his tall, broad-shouldered form emerging from the wolf. He exhaled as his warm eyes fell upon her.
“You’ve never looked more terrifyingly lovely,” he said.
Xavier followed, grinning as he brushed back his hair and straightened himself. He murmured, “And now the pups know who really runs this family…”
Damien remained in his wolf form for a few moments longer, staring at Meredith. Then, in a blur, he returned to his glorious self—barefoot, shirtless, and heart-bared.
Now her mates all lay before her.
After a long sigh, Damien walked to her, hand outstretched.
“Meredith Rutherford,” he said softly, “please come home…”
Meredith shivered, as if hearing Damien’s soft voice for the first time in ages. Then, as if on its own will, her wolf receded into the depths of her body. The world seemed to dim as she finally returned to her human form, almost kneeling on the mossy ground.
Damien’s hands were already there, catching hers, pulling her to his heaving chest.
“I’m sorry,” she said near Damien’s ear, trying to stand despite everything. “Please forgive me, Damien…”
“Of course,” Damien answered, hugging her tightly. “I told you already, didn’t I? You were already forgiven before you even hurt us…”
That made Meredith breathe a little easier. But even so, it wasn’t enough to reassure her. It wasn’t even enough to quiet the last of the doubt clinging to her heart.
So, she kissed Damien passionately, fiercely, as if there were no tomorrow. As if the world might end if she didn’t pour everything she felt into that single moment.
Their lips were hungry for each other, yet still soft, long overdue and full of promises neither needed to speak aloud.
Around them, the boys whooped and giggled.
Marcus turned to Ksaver. “Ew, they’re actually doing it…”
Daemond rolled his eyes. “Let them, Marc,” he said. “It’s kinda nice, you see.”
“I know, right?” Ksaver whispered, staring curiously at his mother.
Magnus chuckled, scooping Marcus into one arm. Xavier lifted Ksaver as well, who immediately snuggled in, sighing happily.
After a moment, a familiar warmth pressed against Meredith’s side.
Magnus stepped closer, one large hand settling at the small of her back, grounding her. When Damien finally drew back just enough for breath, Magnus leaned in, brushing a kiss to her temple, then her lips.
“You came back to us,” he murmured. “That’s all I ever needed.”
On her other side, Xavier smiled softly, nothing like his usual teasing grin. He cupped her face gently and pressed a kiss to her forehead, then another to her lips, as if sealing something sacred.
“We’re better when we’re together,” he said simply. “Always have been.”
Meredith’s chest tightened as she stood there between them, held not just by arms, but by love freely given and freely returned.
She could not help but remember the first time she met them. She had been so scared, thinking they would kill her. But instead, she had never expected them to love her so obsessively and unconditionally.
The boys burst into laughter, pulling her back into the moment.
Marcus squirmed in Magnus’s arms, craning his head to see all of them at once. “Whoa… Mama has three kisses now,” he declared.
Daemond huffed softly, but a smile tugged at his mouth. “That’s because Mama has three mates,” he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “It makes sense.”
Ksaver nodded earnestly from Xavier’s arms, wrapping his little arms tighter around his father’s neck before beaming at Meredith.
“We’re so many,” he said. “And that’s my favorite part.”
Magnus chuckled, pulling Marcus closer and resting his forehead briefly against Meredith’s. Xavier shifted nearer too, until all of them were gathered in one close, lovely knot.
Damien knelt then, drawing Daemond into his arms once more. “Let’s go home… together,” he asked.
Meredith nodded, brushing a hand through her sons’ hair. “Yes…”
And so they walked, not as strangers or fractured souls held together by mere memories, but as a family.
And finally, at peace.