Chapter 155 The Road Home
Malia’s POV
The roar of Aiden’s motorcycle was a rhythmic, guttural snarl that cut through the silence of the winding mountain roads. For the first time in months, the sound didn’t feel like a warning; it felt like a song of liberation.
I sat behind him, my legs hugging the sleek frame of the bike and my arms wrapped tightly around his waist. I pressed my cheek against the leather of his jacket, breathing in the scent of him—woodsmoke, cold rain, and the underlying pheromones of a powerful Alpha who was now irrevocably mine.
The wind whipped my hair back, tugging at the strands like it was trying to pull the last remnants of Mooncrest’s heavy atmosphere away from me. As we banked into a sharp curve, the towering gothic spires of the college finally vanished behind a jagged ridge of pine and granite.
We were leaving the citadel. We were leaving the lawsuits, the cameras, and the stares. For today, I wasn't the Mooncrest Heir or the owner of a multi-million dollar trust. I was just a girl going home.
The ride was long, an hour of blurring trees and the gray ribbon of the highway, but I didn't mind. The physical distance between me and the school seemed to act as a balm for the silver fire still humming in my marrow. Every mile we traveled made the weight of my new crown feel a little lighter. Aiden reached back with one hand, his fingers squeezing my knee for a brief second—a silent check-in. I squeezed back, letting him feel through the bond that I was okay. That I was more than okay.
When the scenery began to shift from wild forest to the familiar, dusty outskirts of my hometown, my heart gave a nervous hitch. We passed the diner where I’d worked double shifts, the rusted sign still creaking in the breeze. We passed the cracked sidewalk where I’d waited for the bus that took me to a life I wasn't prepared for.
Finally, Aiden slowed. He turned onto a gravel driveway that crunched under the tires—a sound that lived in the deepest parts of my memory.
He killed the engine. The sudden silence was staggering.
"You ready?" Aiden asked, pulling off his helmet and shaking out his dark hair. He looked at the modest, slightly weathered house with a curious, respectful gaze. This was a far cry from the Moonfall mansions or the marble halls of the college. This was where the "scholarship girl" had been forged.
"I think so," I whispered, sliding off the bike. My legs felt a bit shaky, but not from the power this time. Just nerves.
Aiden dismounted and reached for my hand. His palm was warm, his touch a steadying force that reminded me I wasn't facing this version of my life alone anymore. Together, hand in hand, we walked up the porch steps. The wood groaned under our weight—a familiar greeting.
I reached out and knocked on the door. One. Two. Three.
The door swung open almost instantly. My younger cousin, Sofia, stood there. Her jaw dropped, her eyes widening as they swept over me—taking in the expensive leather jacket Aiden had lent me, the healthy glow of my skin, and the faint, unmistakable aura of power that I couldn't quite dampen.
"Malia?" she breathed, her voice cracking.
Before she could say another word, she looked past me at Aiden. She gawked, her face turning a bright shade of pink as she realized the literal Alpha of the Moonfall family was standing on her doorstep holding her sister’s hand.
Inside the house, I heard a voice. A voice that had been the backdrop of my childhood, usually sharp with worry or exhaustion.
"Sofia? Who is it? If that’s the landlord again, tell him the check is—"
Rosa stepped into the hallway, her phone pressed to her ear. She froze. Her eyes locked onto mine, and the phone slowly slid down from her face, though I could hear a muffled, professional voice still talking on the other end.
"Malia," Rosa whispered. She looked at the phone, then back at me. "I... I was just on the phone with the school. Principal McLunar's office."
My stomach flipped. "They called you?"
"They told me everything," Rosa said, her voice trembling. She dropped the phone onto the side table, ignoring the caller. "They told me about the... the bloodline. About the inheritance. About what Madame Vesper did."
She stepped forward, her eyes scanning me with a desperate, maternal intensity, looking for the scars, for the trauma, for the girl she had sent away months ago.
"They told me you own the school, Malia," she said, her voice barely a breath. "They told me you’re a Mooncrest."
The tension in the room was thick enough to cut. Behind Rosa, my two stepsisters, Elena and Mia, drifted into the hallway. They were usually loud, usually complaining about something, but now they were silent, their eyes darting between me and Aiden like we were creatures from a myth. They stared at Aiden’s boots, his expensive watch, the sheer physical presence he commanded.
"Is that... is that him?" Mia whispered, goggling at Aiden. "The one from the news? The Moonfall heir?"
Aiden didn't flinch. He gave a polite, measured nod. "Aiden Moonfall . It’s a pleasure to finally meet you."
Rosa didn't seem to care about the Moonfall name or the money. She walked straight to me, her face crumbling. "Malia, I’m so sorry. I didn't know. If I had known what that school was, if I had known what your mother was hiding you from, I never would have let you go."
"Rosa, it's okay," I said, my own voice breaking.
"It's not," she insisted, tears finally spilling over. "I pushed you to go because I thought it was your only chance. I thought I was helping you escape this life, and I sent you right into a cage."
She reached out, and for a second, she hesitated, as if she wasn't sure if she was allowed to touch the girl who was now a sovereign power. I didn't let her wait. I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around her, burying my face in her shoulder.
She smelled like home—lavender laundry detergent and the faint scent of the floral shop where she worked. She clung to me, sobbing quietly, her hands stroking my hair just like she used to when I was a child having nightmares.
"I’m okay," I whispered into her neck. "I’m safe. Aiden kept me safe. Rowan and Cian, too."
Rosa pulled back, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. She looked at Aiden, her gaze softening. "Thank you. For looking after her when I couldn't."
Aiden bowed his head slightly. "She’s the one who looked after us, more often than not."
Rosa let out a watery laugh and ushered us further into the house. "Come in, come in. Don't just stand on the porch. Sofia, get them some water. Girls, stop staring at the poor man, you’re acting like you’ve never seen a person before."
We sat in the small, cramped living room. It felt tiny now, compared to the sprawling suites of Mooncrest, but it felt warm in a way the college never had. Aiden sat on the edge of the faded recliner, looking slightly out of place but doing his best to fold his large frame into the space.
My stepsisters sat on the floor, still gawking at him.
"So," Sofia said, leaning forward, "is it true? You have like... millions of dollars now? And a castle?"
"Sofia!" Rosa hissed, swatting at her.
"It's okay," I laughed, feeling a genuine lightness in my chest. "It’s true. There’s a lot to deal with. Lawyers, executors... the High Council."
"And the school?" Mia asked. "You’re really the boss of all those mean teachers?"
"In a way," I said, glancing at Aiden. He winked at me. "But mostly, I’m just Malia. I’m still the girl who grew up in this house."
Rosa took my hand, her expression turning serious. "The school officials... they mentioned your mother. Aurora. They said she left all of this to protect you."
I nodded. "She did. She knew she couldn't stay, so she built a world where I’d be safe once I grew up. It took me a long time to understand that."
"We’re so proud of you," Rosa said, her voice thick with emotion. "Not because of the money or the title. But because you stayed yourself through all that madness. I saw the videos, Malia. I saw you fighting. I knew it was you, even when your eyes were..." She trailed off, shivering.
"I’m learning to control it," I assured her. "It’s part of me now."
We spent the next few hours talking—really talking. I told them the parts the school officials had left out: the bond with the Moonfall brothers, the beauty of the Silverwood Preserve before it turned dark, and the friends I’d made like July and Freddy.
Aiden was a natural. Despite his intimidating status, he answered my sisters' endless questions about wolf life and Moonfall estates with a patience that made my heart melt. He told them about the motorcycles, the training, and how Malia Mooncrest was the only person in the world who could make him listen.
As the sun began to set, casting long, orange shadows across the living room, a sense of profound peace settled over me. The "Mooncrest Days" had been a storm, but this—this was the clearing.
I looked at my family—the woman who had raised me as her own, the sisters who had shared my room and my secrets. Then I looked at the man sitting beside me, the mate who had bled for me and would do it again.
I realized then that my mother hadn't just left me an empire. She had left me a bridge. A bridge between the girl I was and the woman I was becoming.
"You’re staying for dinner, right?" Rosa asked, already heading for the kitchen. "I don't care if you're a billionaire or an Alpha, you're both too thin. I'm making the roast."
Aiden looked at me, a grin tugging at his lips. "I think we're staying for dinner."
"Definitely," I said.
I followed Rosa into the kitchen, helping her pull the plates from the cupboard. For a moment, it felt like nothing had changed. But as I caught my reflection in the window—the faint silver shimmer in my irises catching the twilight—I knew everything had.
I was home. But I wasn't just a guest in this life anymore. I was the architect of it.
And for the first time in my life, I wasn't afraid of the future. I was ready for it.