Chapter 175 Bonus Chapter 4

Chapter 175 Bonus Chapter 4
The house was quiet when they returned.

Kane opened the door first.

Aria walked in with Emma beside her, her hand still resting lightly at her shoulder. The others followed behind them.

No one spoke right away.

They moved into the living room without discussion, like it had already been decided where this would happen.

The tree lights were still on.

Emma stopped a few steps in.

Aria noticed immediately.

“Sit,” she said gently.

Emma did.

Not on the edge like she usually would.

She sat fully, hands in her lap, shoulders slightly drawn in.

Aria took the seat beside her.

Kane stayed standing for a moment longer, looking at all of them, making sure everyone was where they were supposed to be.

Then he sat too.

Kai hovered for a second before dropping into the chair across from them.

Lily leaned against the armrest.

Leo stayed standing, just behind the couch, close enough without making it obvious.

The room settled.

It was Kane who spoke first.

“What you heard today,” he said, looking at Emma, “was not the truth.”

Emma didn’t look up.

“He said my father betrayed the pack.”

Kane shook his head once.

“No,” he said.

A pause.

Then, more clearly:

“That is not who your father was.”

Emma’s fingers tightened slightly in her lap.

Aria spoke next, her voice softer.

“Devon raised you,” she said. “But he is not your father.”

Emma looked up then.

Just slightly.

“What do you mean?” She asked, confused more than anything else.

Aria spoke next, her voice softer.

“Devon took care of you,” she continued. “He loved you. There is no doubt about that.”

Kane continued. 

“But your birth parents were Amanda and Jacob,” he said.

Emma’s breath caught slightly.

“I thought…” she stopped.

“You thought Devon was your father,” Aria said. “That’s what we all thought until we found out he wasn’t.”

Emma looked down again.

“Then why didn’t you tell me?”

Aria’s expression softened.

“Because at first, you were too young,” she said. “And as you grew older…”

She paused briefly.

“It became harder to find the right moment.”

Kane added, steady.

“You remembered Devon in your own way,” he said. “And we didn’t want to take that from you.”

Emma’s voice was small.

“I don’t really remember him if I’m being honest.”

Aria nodded.

“But you remembered enough to know he cared for you,” she said.

She nodded. 

“And he did.”

Emma swallowed.

“So what he said… about betrayal…”

Kane’s voice was firm.

“That is not your story,” he said.

Aria continued.

“Devon made choices that caused damage,” she said carefully. “But that is separate from who he was to you.”

Emma nodded slowly.

Then quietly she asked. “And my real parents?”

Aria leaned back slightly, her expression shifting.

“I didn’t know them as well as I wish I had,” she said honestly. “Amanda was my half sister, but I didn’t find out till later in life.”

Emma listened.

“But I knew enough,” Aria continued. “Amanda and Jacob were good people. They believed in what they were fighting for.”

Kane added, steady.

“Your mother actually…” Aria cleared her throat and tried to blink away the tears. “She saved my life,” she said.

Emma’s eyes widened slightly.

“She did?”

Aria nodded.

“Yes.”

A pause.

“She didn’t hesitate or think twice about it.”

Emma’s hands loosened slightly in her lap.

Kane spoke again.

“That is who your parents were,” he said. “Not what you heard today.”

Silence settled.

Emma sat with it.

Letting the pieces come together slowly.

Kai shifted in his chair.

“So Devon wasn’t…” he stopped.

“He was not your father,” Kane said.

“But he still took care of her,” Lily added quietly.

“Yes,” Aria said. “And that matters.”

Emma looked between them.

Then asked, softer:

“So I’m not…”

She didn’t finish.

Aria reached over, brushing her thumb lightly against Emma’s cheek.

“You are exactly where you are supposed to be,” she said.

Kane added, calm and certain:

“You are part of this family. That has never been in question.”

“Today doesn’t change anything,” Leo said from behind the couch.

Everyone looked at him.

“It doesn’t matter who raised you or who didn’t,” he said. “You’re still our sister.”

Kai nodded once. “Yeah.”

Lily leaned back against the couch near Emma. “Obviously. Why else would you be getting on my nerves every time.”

Emma let out a small laugh.

Aria watched her for a moment.

“Thank you for saving me.” Emma said. “I’m sorry you had to drop out of the games though.” 

“Don’t be silly,” Kane said. “No matter where we are or what we’re doing, we will always drop everything to come to your rescue.”

Then Kai shifted in his chair. “Yeah. Especially since they were losing out there.”

Kane leaned back slightly, one arm resting along the back of the couch.

“We were winning,” he added calmly.

Kai blinked. “You were fighting for your lives out there.”

The kids broke into laughter. 

“There’s no way of knowing since we didn’t finish,” Kane said. “ But we definitely would have won.”

Kai leaned back in his chair. “Still think you would have lost.”

Kane glanced at Aria.

“How about we prove it next year,” he said.

Kai perked up. “So you’re doing it again?”

Kane looked at Aria. 

“It was actually more fun than I thought,” Aria said, “I wouldn’t mind doing it again next year.”

“Mom and dad had fun?” Lily said. “Wow, this is a surprise no one saw coming.” 

“Speaking of surprises,” Kane stood.“I’ll be right back,” he said.

Aria frowned slightly. “Where are you going?”

Kane didn’t answer.

He stepped out.

A minute later, he returned with a folder in his hand.

He walked back into the room and stopped beside Aria.

She looked up at him.

He gave a small nod.

Aria turned to Emma.

Kane handed the folder to Aria.

She placed it gently in Emma’s hands.

Emma looked down at it.

Then slowly opened it.

Her eyes moved across the page.

Then stopped.

Silence.

Kane said it clearly.

“We want to adopt you. Officially.”

Emma looked up.

“You already…” she started.

Aria smiled faintly.

“You’ve been a Pierce for years.”

A pause.

“This just makes it formal.”

Emma looked back at the papers.

“We were going to wait until your birthday to give this to you.”

“Why now?” She asked, tears welling in her eyes 

Kane answered.

“Because you should never have to question where you belong.”

That settled it.

Emma’s hands tightened around the papers.

“And if you don’t want this,” Aria added gently, “nothing changes.”

Emma shook her head quickly.

“I do.”

Then softer:

“I do.”

Aria pulled her closer.

Kane rested his hand lightly at the back of her head.

The tree lights flickered softly behind them.

Nothing about the room had changed.

And yet everything had settled into place.

Emma sat between them.

Exactly where she was supposed to be.

And this time, she didn’t question it.

She believed it.