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176
Scarlett
I gazed at her, at Lucy, my mother. She was no longer the woman I thought I had lost, but a warrior reborn.
She had endured betrayal and emerged as a powerful force, a storm in her own right.
And I... I was her daughter.
“This changes everything,” I said. “Nina will answer for what she’s done—and so will Alaric. I won’t hesitate anymore.”
Finn stepped closer, his hand brushing mine. I met his eyes and saw it there; no hesitation, no wariness.
“We’ll do it together,” he said.
I nodded. “Together.”
We were still talking when someone knocked on the door.
“Come in,” I called out. I let out a breath as David walked in.
“Alpha,” he greeted with a bow, his eyes darting briefly to my mother before returning to me. “You called for me.”
Turning to our beta, I didn’t flinch when I gave my order. “Go to Stone Ridge pack. Tell them Nina’s presence is no longer welcome in their territory. She is to be returned to us—alive.”
“Yes Luna.” He bowed his head and left swiftly.
I turned back to Finn and my mother. “No more games, Mother. It is time to strike.”
The old Scarlett, the girl who used to be overshadowed by her father and sought affection and acceptance, was a thing of the past.
She died the day my father rejected me as his daughter. Today, a Luna stood in her place.
My mother’s eyes filled with quiet pride. “You sound just like I did before I fell in love with your father.”
I held her gaze. “Then maybe this time, love won’t make us weak. Maybe this time, love will be our weapon.”
Finn slipped his fingers between mine, his grip firm. “You already are.”
There was a strange comfort in knowing our pain had the same source. That my father had stolen from both of us. And now, that pain bound us in something deeper than vengeance.
It was justice. It was legacy. It was war.
“He won’t give up power easily,” I murmured. “He will want to put up a fight.”
“He doesn’t have to give it up,” Finn said darkly. “We’ll take it.”
A smirk pulled at the corner of my lips. “Then let’s start planning.”
Because this time, the daughter of the betrayed and the son of the wronged were coming.
We were coming with fire and fury.
“You should count me in as well,” a voice interrupted, smooth and unfamiliar.
I looked up to see the stranger who had come with my mother. She was tall and elegant, with a regal posture but warm eyes. I felt confused and guarded. What did she have to do with this?
“It has everything to do with me,” she said as if she was peeping inside my mind. “I’m Diana, your mother’s best friend.”
I turned back to my mother, noticing her softened expression. She nodded and reached out to take Diana’s hand. “She is Diana, my one and only true friend.”
“Pleased to meet you, ma’am,” I bowed my head slightly.
Diana approached me with elegance, closing the gap between us in just three strides. She lifted my chin with a soft touch, reassuring me, “You don’t need to lower your head. You’re my daughter in every meaningful sense.”
Her gaze met mine, tears welling in her eyes. “I regret not being there for you. I’m sorry you had to face those hardships on your own. Please, can you find it in your heart to forgive me?”
“It is okay, ma’am,” I responded. “It is nobody’s fault.”
But it was. It was my father’s, and Nina’s, and everyone who had stood by and watched as I was pushed aside, belittled, broken down piece by piece. Yet looking into Diana’s earnest face, I couldn’t bear to taint her with that bitterness.
“Allow me to help you,” she pleaded, her hands clasping mine. “I’m sure I can be of help to you.”
“Thank you, ma’am, for wanting to help.”
I sat down together with her as I listened attentively. She began sharing their childhood memories with me.
“I will introduce you to my son one day,” she concluded.
Curiosity stirred within me. “Your son?” I asked.
“Yes. Jack.”
That name rang in my mind. Jack. Is he the same person I’m thinking of?
“Do you mean Jack?” I repeated, my voice strained as I fought to keep my composure. “The Beta of Stone Ridge pack?”
“Yes,” she replied happily, oblivious to the storm brewing inside me. “That is my son. Do you perhaps know who he is?”
I exhaled sharply, feeling like I had shards of glass in my lungs. “Yes,” I said with a bitter tone, each word coated with resentment. “I know your son all too well.”
Next to me, Finn’s body tensed up, emitting a deep growl that escalated into a powerful howl, sending shivers down my spine.
“Isn’t that the same guy who planned to destroy my pack with Nina—Alaric’s daughter and Scarlett’s stepsister?”
Everyone stiffened. The room fell silent except for the sharp inhale of my mother.
Diana’s face drained of color, her hand flying to her throat as if to hold back a scream. “What! How could he do that?”
“He did exactly what I said,” Finn snarled. His eyes flashed with golden fury as he advanced on Diana. “And you. You dare step into my land claiming to help? Who knows if you and your son both planned my downfall?”
“Never," my mother declared firmly, stepping between them with a fierce determination that left me speechless. “Diana can never do that.”
We watched in awe as my mother passionately defended her friend.
“Mother, you can’t trust people so easily,” Finn murmured. “You don’t know what kind of son she brought up.”
“I can swear on my life,” Mother insisted, her eyes flashing with the same determination I’d seen in my own reflection. “My Diana isn’t the type to do that.”
“What about her son?” I asked, interrupting her. “He lied.” I trailed off, watching the color drain from her face. “He claimed he was just a guard escorting Nina… From Stone Ridge pack.”
“What?” Mother screamed.