Chapter 157: Mending What Was Broken

Chapter 157: Mending What Was Broken
(Gretel's POV)

I woke up slowly, stretching lazily under the soft, cool sheets. The room was quiet, filled with morning sunlight coming through the elegant curtains.

The luxurious bed I now shared with my mate felt warmer and safer after our passionate reunion last night.

A small smile crept onto my face as I remembered how passionately Devion had held me, how he kissed me, driving away all the pain of our separation.

It had felt like he was trying to make up for every day we’d been apart.

I turned, half-afraid he’d vanished again like a dream. But his side of the bed was empty. Panic clutched at my chest. What if it had been a dream?

Just then, the doors to the bathroom opened, and Devion stepped out, damp from a shower, his dark hair dripping slightly, a towel hanging loosely from his neck.

“Good morning, my Luna,” he said with a smile that almost made my heart skip a beat.

Relief flooded me as he walked over and pulled me into his arms. I melted into him, letting my worries slip away. He was real—here with me.

After we got dressed, we strolled out into the gardens. Devion seems to want to spend some time in the sun; maybe it'll help him recharge.

I followed his lead, soaking in the peaceful energy. The soft breeze, the blooming flowers, and the beautiful chirping sound of birds was really a gift to mankind to enjoy.

For a brief moment, we seemed unbothered by war, betrayal, or fear. Just us—me and my mate, together again.

When we returned inside the large building, we made our way to the kitchen. There, I saw my mother and Jazmine standing at the counter, surrounded by mixing bowls, flour dust, and fruit.

My heart leaped in my chest.

I still didn’t know how to behave around Helena—my birth mother. After so many years apart, what could I even say to her?

Devion gave my hand a supportive squeeze before stepping away to let us have some girl time alone.

I cleared my throat. “So… did you sleep well?” I asked. It felt awkward, but it was a start.

Helena gave a soft laugh, one that sounded almost oddly like my own. “Very well. The best I’ve had in years,” she said with a small smile.

There was something familiar in her face, something that pulled me closer despite the sting of abandonment.

“Do you need help?” I asked. My hands needed something to do—anything to keep me from overthinking.

“I’d love that. We’re making some light snacks for everyone,” she said, handing me a cutting board and a knife.

We fell into a gentle rhythm. I helped chop fruit and shape dough, just like I used to do with Aunt Melinda when I was little—and more recently with Jazmine.

The scent of warm pastries filled the kitchen, stirring memories I didn’t know were still in my head. It felt… comforting.

After a while, Helena spoke softly. “I know you must have a lot of questions, Gretel. I want to tell you everything—when you’re ready. But please know one thing: I never stopped loving you, even when I was away. You were there in my thoughts, in my dreams. I missed you every single day.”

Her voice trembled, maybe with emotion, and her dark eyes—so much like mine—looked at me, full of something like pleading.

I put the dough down slowly. My hands trembled as I did. “I waited for you,” I whispered.

“At first, I thought you’d come back. I was only seven. I didn’t understand much. Aunt Melinda said you had urgent matters and would return. So, I waited. But years went by. No word. No letters. Nothing.”

I swallowed hard, feeling my throat tightening. “Eventually, I told myself you probably never cared. You didn’t show much affection back then anyway. You were mostly distracted, distant.”

Helena opened her mouth to explain, but I raised a hand. I needed to say this now or I might not be able to.

“So I stopped waiting. I swallowed all the hope I had for your return. I learned to live without you. Aunt Melinda wasn’t the most reliable guardian, and my father… well, he was never there to begin with..."

"...I felt alone for most of my life. Sometimes angry. Sometimes numb. I almost convinced myself that I’d never get any love— even though I didn't know what I did to deserve this from you.”

Helena stepped forward and wrapped me in a hug. Her tears soaked into my shoulder as she held me tightly, like she was scared I’d vanish.

“I’m so sorry, Gretel,” she sobbed.

“Leaving you was the most painful decision of my life. If I’d had another option—any other way to protect you—I would’ve never left. You were my love, my most precious thing.”

I didn’t say anything. I just listened. It seemed like she needed to say more too.

“I wish I could’ve taken you with me,” she continued.

“But I was being hunted. After your father—Hayden—found me again, he came with his soldiers, trying to drag me back. He was possessive and cruel. I had to run before he found you too.” She added.

I pulled back slightly, watching her face twist in what looked like pain. “It wasn’t Hayden himself at first—it was his pack. They threatened to kill me if I became his Luna. They wouldn’t accept a human mate..."

"...Years later, I learned Hayden killed most of them. I got scared of him then. I couldn’t let him have us. I didn’t know what he was capable of doing to us too.”

So it was true. My father had done that as Aunt Melinda said.

“I memorized your face as much as I can that night before I left,” she said softly.

“You were sleeping. I kissed your forehead and ran. I led his hunters away from the cottage to keep you safe. That was all I could do then.”

Her voice cracked again, and she sobbed quietly into her hands this time.

I stood there, trying to take it all in. The wolf who attacked me in the woods, giving me that scar—that must’ve been one of Hayden’s men, it seems, trying to find us again.

Her fear, her silence when I asked about this, her disappearance, it all seems to make sense now. And suddenly, the resentment I’d held onto for so long began to fade.

I see her differently now—not as the mother who abandoned me, but as the woman who made one of the hardest choices a mother could.

She sacrificed her happiness for me. My heart softened, and without thinking more, I pulled her into a hug.

I cried too. We cried together, whether from pain or relief, I couldn't quite guess.

But this moment felt like a new beginning. The space between us, carved out by years of distance and heartache, now had the chance to be filled with understanding.

It wouldn’t be easy, and it wouldn’t be quick—but it was a start. And that was enough for now. I just pray our paths won't separate again after we've found each other.