Chapter 141: The Hunt Begins

Chapter 141: The Hunt Begins

Marcus suddenly grinned as he turned to her, his dimples appearing as he giggled. “More than Papa too?”

At his words, all three men stiffened. Damien, who was still on his knees beside Daemond, suddenly straightened, his eyes narrowing slightly as he stared at Marcus. Xavier, who had Ksaver still clinging to his chest, let out an amused chuckle.

Magnus, who had his arms still wrapped around Marcus, raised a brow before glancing at Meredith.

“Well?” he drawled teasingly. “You heard him. More than us?”

Meredith blinked. Then, slowly, she smirked. “Much more...” she teased, and the little boys giggled while the men groaned.

“Traitor,” Xavier muttered, though there was a soft smile on his lips.

Marcus beamed up at Magnus, his arms tightening around his father's neck. “Don't worry, Papa, I love you too.”

Magnus froze, his mouth parting slightly. “Say that again, my Little Warrior."

Marcus grinned, his tiny hands reaching up to pat his father's rough, stubbled cheek. “I love you, Papa...”

Magnus let out a shaky breath before pressing his forehead against Marcus’s. “And I love you too, my son."

Nearby, Ksaver looked up at Xavier hesitantly. Xavier arched a brow, a smirk playing on his lips.

“What is it, kiddo?”

Ksaver swallowed, his eyes searching Xavier's as if trying to find something. Then, in a small voice, he asked, “You won't leave us, right?”

Xavier's grin faded. A shadow passed over his handsome face, but he quickly recovered, placing his hand on top of Ksaver's head.

“Never,” he said firmly. “I swear on my life, my Little Knight.”

Daemond, who had been quietly watching, turned back to Damien. Unlike the others, he didn't immediately rush forward. Instead, he studied Damien carefully, as if trying to piece everything together.

Damien waited. His heart pounded inside his chest. He had never been afraid of anything in his life—except for this. Except for his own son.

But then, Daemond reached out, gripping Damien's shaking fingers. “I need you, Papa...”

Damien let out a shuddering breath before pulling Daemond into his arms once more, tighter this time.

“Don't worry, nothing will ever separate us again, my Little Hero..."

Meredith took a shaky step forward, then stopped. Because this moment… this belonged to them. Her heart ached. Her soul healed. She felt like everything was now falling back into the way it was always supposed to be.

After a while, Meredith suddenly broke the silence. “But Damien… the woman you were with on the bed—” She cleared her throat. “Is she your new mate?”

Damien’s gaze darkened for a moment. He shook his head slowly. “No. She’s not.”

He took a slow breath, searching Meredith’s eyes as if to anchor himself. “It was all an act. To fool my parents. To keep them from worrying, from interfering, from tearing us apart.”

Meredith’s heart swelled. “Really?”

“I’ve never loved anyone else more than you, Meredith,” Damien said quietly. “Not ever.” He swallowed hard. “And the child she bears—it’s not mine. It never was. Do you really think I would make love to someone else?”

His words hit Meredith like a wave. Tears welled up in her eyes, spilling over before she could stop them.

“I—” she choked, the ache of years flooding through her. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

Damien reached out, his hands trembling slightly as he cupped her face. “I was afraid. Afraid you wouldn’t believe me, or that I’d lost you forever.”

Her tears traced warm paths down her cheeks as she looked into his earnest eyes.

“I never stopped loving you,” he whispered. “And I never will.”

Meredith let out a shaky breath. “I love you, Damien,” she whispered, and in that moment, the distance between them began to fade.

A golden glow slowly spread across the sky, spilling its warmth over them. At long last, they were all together. And they had a lifetime to love and forgive one another, for everything they were and everything they were not.

“We're back,” she whispered. “We're finally home...”

Magnus, Xavier, and Damien suddenly straightened. They glanced at each other before turning toward their sons, who still clung tightly to them. A grin suddenly spread across Damien's face.

“So, little wolves, do you know what it means to be part of the Moonlit Pack?”

Ksaver, Daemond, and Marcus looked at him and asked curiously, “What?”

Magnus smirked, cracking his knuckles. “It means we can do this.”

Magnus stepped back as a growl rumbled from his chest. Bones cracked, fur erupted, and within mere seconds, a massive brown wolf stood mightily.

Ksaver gasped. “Whoa…”

Marcus bounced excitedly. “Mama! Mama, look!”

Daemond and Ksaver stared breathlessly, mesmerized by the sheer size of Magnus’s wolf.

Then, Xavier stepped forward, rolling his shoulders. “Oh, please, Magnus, let the pups see the best wolf.”

He grinned before tilting his head back and howling loudly. In an instant, his body rippled and shifted until a massive wolf stood where he had been.

Daemond's hands curled into small fists. His heartbeat quickened. “That's… so cool!” he said.

That's when Damien stepped forward. He didn't smirk like the others. Instead, he simply locked eyes with Daemond. And without a word, he shifted.

For a long moment, there was silence.

Then, Daemond stepped forward. His small fingers trembled as he reached out. Slowly, he touched the thick fur of Damien's wolf.

The moment he did, a powerful sensation rushed through him. Something inside him stirred. Something ancient. Something his blood had always known.

His wolf.

Meredith gasped softly, sensing the moment her son recognized the part of him that had been waiting to awaken.

Xavier and Magnus stared at each other and then smiled.

Daemond looked up at Damien's wolf with glowing eyes. “Teach me,” he whispered. His tiny hands tightened in his father's fur. “I want to be strong like you, Papa...”

Damien's wolf let out a slow exhale. Then, he lowered himself, offering his back.

Daemond hesitated only for a moment before he climbed onto Damien's massive back.

Marcus, seeing this, immediately ran toward Magnus’s wolf. “Me too! Me too, Papa!”

Ksaver giggled as he stared at Xavier. “I wanna ride one too, Papa!”

Xavier's wolf huffed loudly. Then, before Ksaver could even ask, he scooped him up onto his back with a flick of his snout.

As the wolves took off into the forest, running together beneath the rising sun, Meredith knew... this was where they truly belonged forever.

Hearty laughter echoed through the forest as Damien, Magnus, and Xavier, along with their sons, dashed deeper into the woods. Their paws barely made a sound against the ground, their powerful bodies moving effortlessly between the towering trees.

“Wait...” Meredith stumbled forward, her chest rising and falling as she clutched her hands into fists.

“Damien?” she called.

Did they just leave me? she thought.

“Xavier!”

Did they just abandon me here?

“Magnus!”

“No!” she gasped. “Daemond...”

She took a step forward, then another, but they were already gone.

“Ksaver...”

She whirled around, searching for them.

Nothing.

“Marcus...”

Only the wind rustling through the leaves, the distant hoots of owls, and the rapid beating of her own heart. She had just found them again, and now they were gone.

Her legs buckled beneath her, and before she could stop herself, she sank onto her knees. Tears welled in her eyes.

“No, please… don't leave me,” she whispered.

Then, a growl rumbled in her chest.

Something inside her stirred.

For so long, she had struggled. For so long, her wolf had remained buried beneath her.

But now… it wanted out.

No, she wanted it out.

Her tears stopped falling freely. Her breathing steadied.

She rose to her feet, wiping her tears.

“Shift...” she finally commanded.

Her bones cracked, her muscles stretched, and in a flash of light, she transformed into a magnificent white wolf. Her amber eyes gleamed as she growled.

Then she lunged forward into the day, her paws hitting the ground. She could hear them now. The distant howls of her mates. The lovely chuckles of her sons.

They're testing me... she told herself. Do they really think they can just leave me alone here?

With a powerful snarl, Meredith pushed forward, moving effortlessly through the trees.

“Well then...” A smile curled at the edges of her lips. “Let the hunt begin...”