Chapter 56 056
Chapter 56
Thalia's POV
A week passed without any major incidents.
The rumors continued but they became background noise after a while. I learned to ignore the stares and whispered comments. Learned to focus on the people who actually knew me versus strangers passing through with secondhand stories.
Work at Miller's kept me busy. We were preparing for winter, which apparently meant stocking up on everything from blankets to preserved food. Miller taught me his system for tracking inventory and ordering supplies. It felt good to learn something practical, something that had nothing to do with packs or Alphas or legal battles.
Margaret came in most days now that her husband could watch the baby in the mornings. She was easy to work with and didn't treat me any differently despite everything that had happened. That meant more to me than she probably realized.
"You're getting the hang of this," she commented one afternoon while we reorganized the storage room. "My father's already said he wants to keep you on permanently."
"Really?" That surprised me. I'd figured Miller was just being kind by keeping me employed during all the chaos.
"Really," Margaret confirmed. "You're reliable and you work hard. That's all he cares about. The pack drama doesn't matter to him."
It mattered to some people though. A few regular customers had stopped coming to the store. Not many, but enough to notice. Miller never mentioned it but I saw him crossing names off his order lists.
"Is it because of me?" I asked him directly one day.
Miller looked up from his ledger. "Is what because of you?"
"The customers who stopped coming."
He sighed and set down his pen. "A few people are uncomfortable with the situation. They don't want to get involved in pack politics even tangentially. It's not personal."
"But they stopped coming because I work here."
"They stopped coming because they're scared," Miller corrected. "Of Varian, of pack retaliation, of standing out. That's on them, not you. I'm not going to fire someone who's done nothing wrong just because a few customers are cowards."
His words helped, but I still felt guilty. Miller's store was his livelihood and I was costing him business.
"If it gets worse—" I started.
"It won't," Miller interrupted firmly. "And even if it did, that's my problem to handle. Not yours. Stop trying to fix everything."
That evening I was walking home from work when I saw someone standing near my cottage. My heart jumped until I recognized the figure.
It was my mother.
I hadn't seen her since the day I left Varian's pack. She looked older than I remembered, more tired. She was wearing a heavy cloak against the cold and carrying a small bag.
"Mom?" I approached slowly, not sure if this was real.
She turned and her face crumpled when she saw me. "Thalia."
We stood there awkwardly for a moment. I didn't know what to say. Didn't know if I should be angry or relieved or what.
"Can we talk?" she asked quietly. "Please?"
I unlocked the cottage door and let her inside. She looked around the small space, taking in my modest life here.
"It's nice," she offered. "Small, but nice."
"What are you doing here?" I asked. Not hostile, just confused.
My mother set her bag down and sat at the table. She looked exhausted. "I had to see you. Had to make sure you were alright after everything that happened."
"I'm fine."
"Are you?" She studied my face. "I heard about the hearing. About the ruling. Everyone in the pack heard about it."
"I bet Varian was thrilled," I muttered.
"He was furious," my mother confirmed. "He's been impossible to deal with since it happened. Taking it out on everyone."
Part of me felt guilty about that. The rest of me thought he deserved it.
"Why are you really here?" I pressed. "You could have sent a letter if you just wanted to check on me."
My mother looked down at her hands. "I wanted to apologize. For not standing up for you more when everything happened with Shelly. For not fighting harder to keep Varian from exiling you."
"You tried," I allowed. "You said you did."
"Not hard enough," she insisted. "I was scared of losing my own place in the pack. Scared of what Varian would do if I pushed too hard. So I let him send you away and I've regretted it every day since."
I didn't know what to say to that. Part of me wanted to tell her it was fine, that I understood. But another part was still hurt that she'd chosen her security over defending me.
"I've left the pack," my mother announced suddenly.
That got my attention. "What?"
"I left," she repeated. "Three days ago. I couldn't stay there anymore. Not after what Varian did to you. Not after watching him spread lies about you to save his own reputation. I told him I was done and I walked out."
I sat down across from her, stunned. "But that's your whole life. Your friends, your home, everything."
"My daughter is more important than all of that," my mother stated firmly. "I should have realized that sooner. I'm sorry it took me this long."
"Where are you going to go?" I asked. "What are you going to do?"
"I was hoping I could stay here," she admitted. "In Greystone. I don't expect to live with you or anything like that. I know we need to rebuild things between us. But I want to be near you. I want a chance to be the mother I should have been."
I didn't know how to feel about this. Relieved that she'd left Varian? Worried about what it meant for her? Uncertain if I wanted her in my life after she'd let me down?
All of those things mixed together into something complicated.
"This town isn't exactly welcoming to wolves right now," I pointed out. "There's been a lot of tension because of me. People might not want another pack refugee showing up."
"Then I'll deal with that," my mother replied. "But I'm not going back to Varian's pack. And I'm not going anywhere far from you. You're all I have left."
There was a knock on the door before I could respond. I opened it to find Ruth standing there.
"Sorry to interrupt," Ruth began, then noticed my mother. "Oh. You have company."
"This is my mother," I introduced them. "She just arrived from Varian's pack. She left."
Ruth's eyebrows went up. "Did she now. Well, that's interesting timing."
"I wanted to be with my daughter," my mother explained.
Ruth looked between us, assessing the situation. "You'll need a place to stay. The inn's got rooms available. Not cheap, but fair rates."
"I have some savings," my mother offered. "I can pay."
"Good," Ruth replied. "Come by tomorrow morning and we'll get you settled. For tonight, you two probably need to talk."
After Ruth left, my mother and I sat in uncomfortable silence. There was so much to say that I didn't know where to start.
"I know I don't deserve your forgiveness," my mother finally ventured. "And I'm not asking for it right away. But I want a chance to make things right. To be part of your life again, if you'll let me."
I looked at her tired face, saw the genuine remorse there. She'd given up everything to come here. That had to count for something.
"Okay," I agreed quietly. "But we take this slow. I'm not ready to just forget everything that happened."
"I understand," she responded quickly. "Slow is fine. I just want a chance."
She stayed for another hour. We talked about small things, avoiding the heavy topics. When she finally left to get a room at Ruth's inn, I felt drained.
My mother was here. In Greystone. Planning to stay.
I didn't know if that was a good thing or just another complication in an already complicated situation.
But at least she'd tried. She'd walked away from her whole life to be here.
That was more than most people would do.