Chapter 123
Kara
"Yes." Blake didn't even hesitate, and the certainty in his voice made something in my chest squeeze tight. "Anyone who disrespects our Luna will learn that lesson in blood if necessary."
God, why is that so hot? What's wrong with me?
I found my voice before the tension could snap completely, forcing words past the lump in my throat. "I'm grateful they defended me." I kept my tone steady, meeting Victoria's stare even as my pulse thundered in my ears. "Tyler crossed a line. He needed to understand that a Luna isn't someone who can be insulted without consequence."
Translation: Fuck around and find out.
Cole's hand found mine under the table, warm and solid, his thumb stroking over my knuckles in a gesture so gentle it made my eyes sting. Through the bond: You never need to apologize for us protecting you.
I know. I just wish protection didn't require broken bones and hospital stays.
Liar , my wolf snorted. You're glad Tyler's suffering. You want him to suffer more.
...Okay, yeah. Maybe I do.
Victoria set down her fork with a soft clink , and I braced for impact. "How noble. Teaching the pack through violence."
"Respect," Asher corrected coldly, his black-ebony scent wrapping around me like armor. "We're teaching respect ."
For me. They're teaching respect for me .
The girl they used to call Carrot. The debt slave. The worthless charity case.
How the hell did we get here?
Finally, she pushed back her chair slightly. Napkin discarded on the table like a gauntlet. "I'm curious, Kara." Her voice was silk over razors. "Are you truly planning to stay? Or are you just waiting until high school graduation to disappear like your parents did?"
The accusation hit like a physical blow, punching the air from my lungs.
You bitch.
My wolf surged forward, hackles raised, fury blazing white-hot. Show her. Show her you're not afraid. Show her you're not running.
Show her you're not like them.
"I've already completed the marks on Asher, Blake, and Cole." I kept my voice honey-sweet, even as my hands trembled with rage beneath the table. Met her gaze without flinching, without looking away, even though every cell in my body screamed to submit to the former Luna's dominance. "The mate bond is a permanent biological binding, Victoria. Severing it would kill all four of us simultaneously."
I paused, letting that sink in. Watching her face pale. "So unless you want to lose three sons, you'd better get used to me being here. Forever ."
Checkmate, bitch.
Through the bond, I felt Blake's savage satisfaction, Asher's quiet pride, Cole's fierce joy flooding into me like sunlight. Their support wrapped around me like armor, making me feel invincible and terrified all at once.
I just threatened the former Luna. In her own house. At her own dinner table.
I'm either the bravest person alive or the stupidest.
Victoria's face went sheet-white, then mottled red. But she rallied quickly, her smile twisting into something uglier, more vicious. "How... thorough of you. Only a madwoman would chain her entire future to someone else so completely."
Or only someone desperate to belong somewhere. Anywhere.
But I didn't say that. Instead, I leaned forward, my wolf's dominance bleeding into my scent—white musk and snow sharpening into something with teeth . Something that said Luna in no uncertain terms.
"Or only someone truly in love would trust like that. I'm sorry you don't understand that kind of faith, Victoria." I let my gaze sweep over her three sons, my mates, my Alphas . The men who'd tortured me, marked me, claimed me. "But I don't need your blessing. I have everything I need. And they're entirely mine."
The words hung in the air like a declaration of war.
Holy shit, I actually said that. Out loud. To her face.
I'm going to die. She's going to kill me in my sleep.
Marcus exhaled heavily, the sound of a man who'd given up trying to control his family. " Enough ."
But Victoria was already standing, her movements jerky with suppressed rage. She began clearing plates—roughly, aggressively, porcelain clattering against silverware with sharp, violent sounds that made me flinch with each crash.
Careful, or you'll break the fancy china. Then who will you blame? Me, probably.
"Mom—" Blake started to rise, his protective instincts flaring through the bond.
"I'm tired ," Victoria cut him off without looking back, without even acknowledging his existence. "Clean up yourselves."
She stalked toward the kitchen, spine rigid, her cedar-and-lily scent trailing behind her like poison smoke.
The dining room door swung shut with a definitive slam .
And I sat there, heart hammering, hands shaking, wondering what the hell I'd just done.
You stood up for yourself , my wolf said proudly. You didn't back down.
Yeah. And it felt fucking amazing.
And absolutely terrifying.
---
Blake (through the bond): Baby, go to our bedroom. Wait for us. We need to talk to them.
The command was gentle, but firm. I hesitated, every muscle in my body tense. "I can stay—"
Asher : This is between us and our parents. We need to make them understand boundaries. You don't need to endure more of her attacks.
Translation: We're going to have a screaming match and we don't want you caught in the crossfire.
Cole : We'll be up soon. I promise.
Promises. They're good at promises now. Whether they keep them...
Stop it. They've kept every promise since Hawaii. Give them credit.
I nodded, rising from my chair on unsteady legs. Three pairs of eyes tracked my movement—gold, blue, protective. Hungry. Possessive.
Mine , the bond whispered. All mine.
But curiosity killed the cat, and this Luna was no exception.
Fuck being obedient. I want to know what they're going to say.
Instead of going all the way to the bedroom, I stopped at the second-floor landing, pressing myself against the wall where the shadows were deepest. My enhanced wolf hearing picked up every word from the dining room below, clear as if I were standing right there.
Blake's voice, raw with fury that made my stomach clench: "So you'll never give her a chance, will you? Mom?"
"Chance?" Victoria's laugh was bitter enough to curdle milk. "You want me to celebrate watching my sons throw away their futures for a girl whose parents destroyed my brother?"
There it is. The truth beneath all the bullshit.
I'm not Kara to her. I'm Connor's daughter. Celeste's spawn. The living reminder of her failure.
My chest tightened, tears burning behind my eyes. I blinked them back furiously.
Don't cry. Don't you fucking dare cry. You're stronger than this.
"Connor destroyed himself!" Cole's voice cracked with emotion, and I felt his anguish through the bond like a knife to the gut. "Celeste didn't force drugs into his veins or debts down his throat. He made his choices, and Kara had nothing to do with any of it!"
Thank you, Cole. Thank you for seeing me as separate from them.
"She looks like her mother—"
And there's the real problem. I have my mother's face. Her hair. Her eyes.
I'm a ghost haunting Victoria's house. A reminder of the woman she blames for everything.