175

175
Lucy
“You mean...” Scarlett leaned forward, her brow furrowed as she processed this revelation. “You were the real heir to the pack?”
“Yes, I was.” I nodded, remembering my father’s disappointment, his warnings that I chose to ignore. “My father disapproved of our relationship, but fate had other plans. We were fated mates, so my father had no choice but to accept him. He introduced him to the pack as his friend’s son and my mate.” I paused, memories rushing back with painful clarity. “No one in the pack knew the truth—except Diana.”
“This is… shocking, Mother.”
“Yes, it is," I replied, my throat tight with emotion. The bitter taste of past betrayal lingered on my tongue as I continued, “I loved him. I loved him enough to relinquish my position as Alpha so he could take over after my father passed away.”
The pain of betrayal resurfaced, causing my chest to constrict. “But he... he repaid my love with treachery. He poisoned me, weakened me, and drove a knife through my heart with his own hands.”
I watched as my daughter’s face twisted in horror, her breath catching audibly. She reached for Finn’s hand, holding onto it tightly.
“And Amber’s mother—your personal maid—she was killed as well?” Scarlett asked.
“Hmm.” Her question pulled me back to a memory that still had the power to wound. The image of Elara’s loyal face, her body crumpled beside mine as we both lay dying.
“She was also killed by your father. All the rogue attacks were planned by him.” Bitterness coated each word. “He was still a rogue at heart, and I’m sure he called on his old allies to attack the pack—just to pin my death on them.”
My voice broke as the full weight of what happened afterward crashed down on me. “But I never imagined he would make you suffer too. I’m so sorry.”
“It wasn’t your fault, Mother,” Scarlett insisted, her eyes fierce with sentiment. “If anyone is to blame, it’s Father.”
“We’ll get our revenge and take our pack back,” I vowed.
The pack was mine by birthright, and it would be my daughter’s after me. The time for pretenders was over.
“Count me in,” Finn said suddenly. “I guess it’s time I avenge my father’s death as well.”
I turned to him, surprised. “Your father is dead?” The question came out sharper than I intended, laced with shock.
“Yes.” His expression darkened. “He was killed because of the same man you’re talking about,” he replied, his jaw clenched so tightly I could see the muscles jumping beneath his skin.
“You mean Alaric?”
“Yes, ma’am—”
“Ma’am?” Scarlett interrupted, a small smile playing at her lips despite the gravity of our conversation. “Or Mother?”
A flush of embarrassment crept up Finn’s neck, softening his hardened features. “Mother,” he corrected himself.
The word sent a warm glow through my chest. Mother. Not just to Scarlett now, but to this young man who clearly adored her.
“He planted forged treason documents in my father’s pack—evidence that he wanted to be king,” Finn continued, his voice growing hollow with remembered pain.
“He destroyed his reputation, destroyed our pack...” He paused, swallowing hard against visible emotion. “And to crown it all, he was executed—without even the king’s order. My mother was murdered. My sister, Grace, vanished without a trace.”
His voice cracked on his sister’s name. “Even though my father asked me not to take revenge—he asked me to live well—but how could I, knowing Alaric is still breathing?”
His suffering was evident in every line of his body. Another family torn apart, another legacy of pain.
“I guess it wasn’t easy for you to accept Scarlett as your mate once you learned who her father was?” I asked gently, already knowing the answer. The gods had a cruel sense of humor sometimes.
His expression shifted to surprise as he was taken aback by my keen observation. A moment of embarrassment flickered across his face, but he quickly composed himself, standing tall and meeting my eyes with a sincere and open look.
“Yes, Mother,” he admitted. “I rejected her at first, thinking she was sent by her father to destroy me too.”
“I understand you,” I said softly, reaching out to touch his arm. “It’s not easy to accept your enemy’s daughter as your wife.” I smiled sadly, acknowledging the bitter irony of their situation. “If I were you, I would’ve done the same.”
Relief flooded his expression. “You’re not holding that against me, Mother?”
I shook my head, feeling a surge of maternal affection for this young man who had found his way to loving my daughter despite the odds. “Why should I? You accepted her in the end, despite her father’s sins. That’s what matters.”
I glanced between them, seeing the invisible bond that connected them, feeling the depth of their bond. “I have no right to destroy her happiness—not when I can feel it so clearly.”
“Alaric is our enemy,” I said. “We will take him down.”
“Yes, Mother,” Scarlett agreed, her voice taking on a steely quality that reminded me so much of myself at her age. The softness of our reunion was giving way to something harder, more focused. “I can’t wait to make him pay—for you, for Finn, and for me.”
She turned to Finn, and I saw the Luna she had become—powerful, decisive, a true leader. “Send the beta to Stone Ridge Pack. It’s time to send Nina back. It’s time for her to pay for her sins.”
Pride swelled within me as I watched her—my daughter, my legacy, my heart. In her, I saw myself reborn, but stronger, wiser, more whole than I had ever been.
Joy, fierce and protective, filled my chest as I looked at my daughter and her mate. We had found each other again against impossible odds. And now we would fight together, a family united by love and purpose.
“It is time for revenge,” I agreed.
The broken pieces of my life were finally coming together—not as they had been before, but as something new.
Something stronger. I had my daughter back. I had a son in Finn. And soon, we would have justice.
We would never be torn apart again. This, I swore by the Moon Goddess herself. This time, I would be the mother Scarlett deserved—fierce, protective, and unstoppable in my love.
Watch out, Alaric, I thought, a cold smile spreading across my face. Your reckoning has arrived.