Chapter 75 - Lost II - The Royal Hybrid

Tatiana’s POV

It had been a year since the attack. A year filled with tasks and tests, not only to rebuild our packs but also on a more personal level.

Chad had given me the potion to finally fix the bond between me and my mates. The second I had taken it, my heart began hurting as I felt everything they had felt ever since I disappeared and they got to feel everything I had felt. It wasn’t exactly the best day we had had, but once the pain had dimmed down, we were just happy to once again be connected.

Shortly after that, Gabriel, Hayden, and I completed our mating ceremony, and after that, Zaya had begun prepping us all to take over the pack.

I would never have known how much work there was in that before I was in it. Not only did it take a lot of planning to set it all up, but we, because the royal moon pack was the pack above packs, had to go around to other lands, to greet every new coming Alpha. It helped that mom and dad knew some of them and that Chad was taking over from his father, but meeting those who were complete strangers was nerve-wracking, to say the least. Most of them were too stunned to speak because they were meeting with what they called the Royal hybrid, while others simply had a hard time dealing with the fact that there would be two Alphas and one Luna. They thought of it as giving the already powerful pack more power. I had tried to calm them down by reassuring them that this wasn’t about power as much as it was about love; that we respected the mating bond that had been created and that we hoped they would too.

It took some convincing, and to be frank, I wasn’t sure that they would ever truly accept it despite what they said.

Old school, my dad had called it. He had warned me that some of the old geezers would be frowning upon having two mates, but that they also respected the moon goddess enough to never try to interfere with her decision which left us where we were now.

“Do you really think I need to wear such a fluffy dress for the ceremony?” I asked with a small frown on my face.

The dress was big, almost like a ball gown and it was covered with lace that got stuck everywhere. The first time I had to walk through a door with it on, a piece of lace got caught in the door handle and I nearly ripped it.

“You look stunning,” my mom assured me. “This dress has been worn by many queens before you.”

“It shows,” I whispered, more to myself than to her.

“I know,” she chuckled. “But the elders will respect you if you wear this and for the feast afterward you can always change.”

“What a woman won’t do for peace,” I sighed and pulled at the shimmering lace that covered the dress.

“I am done with your hair,” she smiled and gave my shoulders a little squeeze. “Now for the last part.”

I didn’t have time to ask her what it was. Shortly after, I felt the coldness of a chain around my neck and when I looked down, I saw that it was the Luna’s necklace itself.

“It is beautiful mom,” I whispered gently as I let my fingers glide over it.

“It is. And so are you. You have earned it,” she whispered. “I will go see if Dimitri and Thomas have found their way yet and check if everything is as it should be.”

I nodded and took another look at myself in the mirror.

It wasn’t before I heard the door close that it hit me. Thomas and Dimitri were here, which meant that their kids were here too.

I had learned that Thomas had given his son Jack, the title as alpha a few months before the attack. He was a nice guy just like his father, but he was also a bit too cocky and what I hated the most was that he was a shameless flirt. Something that ticked off both Hayden and Gabriel.

Kira, on the other hand, Dimitri's daughter, was a delight. She was sweet and very well-mannered; however, she also had a mouth on her. She was definitely not someone to boss around and wherever she went, she had people's respect. Expect for the elders of course. With them, she was in the same boat as I was. They didn’t see her fit to become a Luna because how could she possibly rule her pack without an Alpha by her side. Luckily for her, her father didn’t think she would need one. At least not for now.

“Can I come in?”

Chad’s voice knocked me out of my thoughts. I turned around and saw him there standing in his tuxedo.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you,” he said slowly.

“No, it is fine, what's up?” I asked.

“Well, I have someone here who would like to see you if possible.”

He sounded very nervous and wouldn’t really meet my eyes.

“Sure,” I said slowly, trying to sound surer about it than I actually was.

He took a step back and reached out into the hallway and when he pulled his arm back a figure followed.

“Hi,” Cassandra whispered.

“Hi.”

I didn’t know what to say to her. I had, since I learned of my true identity, thought that she was against me, only to later find out that she had it worse than I did. And all because of me.

“I know I am probably the last person you want to see, and I don’t blame you for that. I just wanted to come here and apologize. I know it won’t do much or bring back all the years that you lost here, but…” she trailed off. “I am truly sorry.”

I took a deep breath and watched her eyes closely, searching for anything but the serenity that was in them, but I saw none.

“I forgive you,” I said quickly, almost rushed.

“I, what?” she stuttered out.

“I forgive you,” I repeated, this time slower. “I have learned a lot over the past two years, and one of them is forgiveness. It doesn’t mean I will forget, because I most likely never will, but if I can forgive Chad, then I can forgive you too. After all…” I paused and took her hand. “You were one of those who let us to victory.”

She sniffled as I pulled her in for a quick hug.

“Oh, look at me. I am a mess and now I am wrinkling your pretty dress,” she mumbled and took a step back.

“No worries,” I chuckled.

“I will take my leave now, uhm, but I will see you both during the ceremony,” she smiled and bowed before stepping out.

“That went better than I had thought,” Chad grinned. “Thank you for doing that.”

“After everything she has been through, she deserved it. The peace of mind. She deserved that much,” I sighed. “Speaking of peace of mind…”

“Before you ask, no,” he said and held his hands up. “I have not been to see him, and I don’t plan to.”

“Are you sure?” I questioned. “He is your dad.”

“That might be, but he deserves to rot in that cell all by himself,” he scoffed. “Actually, he deserves worse than that, but it will have to do.”

I knew better than to try and convince him otherwise. Ever since we had learned that we couldn’t strip Killian of his wolf, we had a cell special made just for him and Chad had not been there even once. Kathleen had gotten a cell of her own and as much as it pained me to see her in there, I had to remember everything she had done which resulted in me not visiting her, so I couldn’t really blame Chad for not visiting his dad either.

“Maybe one day I will be able to connect with the moon goddess again and find a solution to all of this,” I shrugged.

“Maybe, but until then, he stays right where he is.”

I nodded and smiled before fixing his tie.

“It was crooked,” I pointed out.

“Thanks, now I am ready, but are you?”

“More than ever,” I smirked and walked ahead. “Are you coming, or do you plan to stand there all day?” I yelled back.

We reached the sacred hall where everyone was already standing, waiting only for me. Hayden and Gabriel were standing next to my mom and dad and Zaya was on the opposite side.

I hurried up to them and left Chad standing next to Cassandra.

“Now that we are all gathered, we can begin,” my mother said.

“Our daughter has found her mates, she has fought for this pack, for these lands, even when she had a battle of her own. She has proven herself worthy and so have they,” my dad said and gestured to Hayden and Gabriel, who both took one of my hands in theirs. “There is no one I trust more than them to take over for us.”

“So, when all is said and done, we are now ready to crown our new kings and queen.”

Zaya stepped in front of us and handed each of us a chalice. Hayden and Gabriel got silver ones and I got a golden one.

“Take the chalice in one hand and one by one you will hand me the other hand,” she instructed, and held her hand out to Gabriel.

“With this knife, you will be united as one,” she spoke as she put the knife against his palm.

“With the blood from your veins, you will be bound. With the will of us all, so shall it be,” she said out loud as she put enough pressure on it to make a cut.

She held it over the chalice and let his blood drop into it. She repeated the same with both Hayden and me before she, with a silk band, tied our chalices together.

“With each knot, you to us get bound

the lost from the past, the present has found

The royal moon pack will stand tall

with our kings and queen, let’s stand all,” she

chanted.

When the last words left her lips, the entire pack rose to their feet.

“For the last part of the ceremony, you shall drink from the chalices. Drink so that you will be bound to this pack by mind, connected to the land by body and to the moon goddess by heart,” she said and took a step back.

Once the liquid hit my tongue, I had to bite back my frown. The metal taste of the blood was easy to detect, but shortly after, the taste of sweet herbs thankfully took over.

Once the chalices were out of our hands, Zaya guided us to the front, so we were facing our people and as she took my hand I felt two small circular objects fall into it.

I looked down and saw not only one but two rings.

‘We had another one made,’ my dad mind linked me and as I eyed him on the side he smiled.

I turned to Hayden and Gabriel, and one by one I slid the ring over their fingers.

"Now you are both bound to me, connected to me, and connected to every single one of us," I said, not really knowing where the words came from, and just as the last word had left my lips, the necklace, that my mom had put on me earlier, along with the rings, began glowing, leaving everyone in the hall in awe.

“I present to you, your king and queen,” Zaya finished and bowed, and was quickly followed by the rest of the packs.

Hand in hand with both of my mates, I was now ready to face the future. No matter what it would bring.