Chapter 151 Settling-- Esme POV

Chapter 151 Settling-- Esme POV
Esme POV

“So did the mushroom tonic work or not?”
Rina glared at me. “After everything that happened, that’s what you want to know?”
“Oh, the tonic worked alright. Knocked her out for two hours. Which meant I only had two hours of peace and quiet. Looks like I missed all the fun.”
“I wouldn’t call being slammed every which way fun,” Zeron replied.
I kissed his bare chest. “I’ll make it better.”
He had red bumps and bruises all over his chest and arms. I dreaded looking at his back because I knew I’d find bites and claw marks.
“What did you do to my mother?” Rina demanded.
Zeron cleared his throat. “She killed your father and tried to kill me, so she’s been banished and imprisoned in the De Monte pack. You can’t fight this, Rina.”
“I’m not trying to. Maybe a little solitude will do her some good.” Rina flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Everything was dreamt up by her. All my thoughts and dreams were planted by her. I have nothing of my own. Not even this pack belongs to me.”
Zeron grunted. “We need to end this. I’ll forgive your crimes, Rina, but I don’t want you anywhere near my pack or my tribe packs.”
Rina nodded. “I’ll go. I’ll grant you the divorce. I just want this over with.”
“Alpha Zeron, honey,” My mother, Kinslee, approached us. My father was by her side, holding up the blanket around her.
“I can’t believe you came!” I left my mate and ran into their arms.
“We couldn’t just leave you, sweetheart. We heard about Dillon’s death early. We feared the worst,” Kyan explained.
“When Reya said her sister was here, I assumed it was Rina,” I said.
Reya scoffed. “Esme, why the hell would I refer to Rina as my sister? She should be calling me mother.”
Rina frowned. “I would never do that.”
“Speaking of sisters, we’ve all lost our dad,” Kinslee said, her voice cracked.
Rina groaned. “I’m not going to fall apart and need you two to hold me up. I only ever saw the man three times. I don’t care!”
Reya rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t going to hug you.”
“Great!” Rina scowled. “I wouldn’t want your filthy hands on me anyway.”
“You see, Kinslee! This is your fault.” Reya threw her arms in the air.
“Me?” Kinslee asked in shock.
“If you hadn’t taken my powers, I would have blasted her into oblivion or at least burned that pretty hair of hers off.”
I shook my head. But I found their bickering amusing.
Dad left Mom’s side and walked up to Zeron. I swallowed hard and held my breath. Every conversation they had ended in explosions. I’d had more than enough explosives to last me the year.
“You better take care of my daughter, Zeron,” Dad said.
“She means everything to me.”
Dad turned and smiled at me. “Will you come back and visit?”
Tears flooded my eyes. They were for more than just getting his blessing, but for everything we’ve been through to get to this point. I almost lost my mate, myself and my family. There was so much pain and uncertainty in our journey. Zeron saved me from being a slave in Alexi’s brothels and showed me dimensions of love and passion I didn’t know existed. Now that the obstacles were gone, I was sure he had more to show me.
We could finally sleep in the same room! The whole pack would know I was Zeron’s destined mate.
The curse killing the pack was dead, and Dana was gone. Rina was out of the way. We could start building the life we wanted. I ran into my mate’s arms. He wrapped his arms around me and picked me off the ground.
“Finally,” Zeron said.
“How lovely,” My mom said. “But I really did have something important to say before Rina and Reya started arguing! The De Monte Pack doesn’t have a ruler anymore. It’s still our home even though our dad betrayed us. It needs a ruler, or our home will be gone forever.”
“Why can’t you take it?” Rina mumbled. “The last thing I want to do is rebuild a broken pack. That’s too much work.”
Kinslee rubbed her forehead and sighed. “I’m the Queen Luna of the Vaneka Region. It’s impossible for me to have two packs!”
Suddenly everyone stared at Reya. She frowned at us. “Why are you all looking at me?”
“The pack’s yours, Reya,” I said.
She shook her head. “Oh, hell no! I left the De Monte pack a long time ago.”
“Yes, Reya, but we left because we had to. We were never welcome back. Dillon De Monte stole our legacy and our mother’s legacy. You don’t have the corrupt power of the destruction anymore.”
Dad placed a firm hand on his wife’s shoulder. “Kinslee, are you nuts?”
“Kyan, so much time has gone by. We’re different people now.”
Reya stared at the ground. She doubted herself. She had done many evil things, but the Reya I’d come to know wasn’t all bad.
“I think you’d make a great Luna, Mom,” I said.
She looked up from the ground and blinked rapidly. She couldn’t believe what she heard, but she was my mother. She put me first when it mattered the most and when it hurt the most.
“Y-You really think so, Esme?”
I nodded. Tears rolled down my cheeks. “Great Lunas make the hardest sacrifices. You’ve been doing that all along.”
Reya rubbed her eyes, but they still filled with tears. “Well, I guess Varro won’t mind. He’s going to be doing most of the work anyway.”
I laughed. I thought she’d say that.
“I-I guess we have to leave before an overambitious beta tries to take the pack from me,” Reya said.
I smiled. “Good luck.”
She wrapped me in her arms and squeezed. “I’ll see you again soon. Remember, don’t let anyone push you around.”
She kissed my cheek. She ran off to find her husband. I was sure Varro and his rogues joined the battle against Dana’s wolves.
Zeron rubbed my shoulder. “You must be exhausted, mate. Let’s go inside.”
“I’ll rest after your wounds are healed,” I argued.
He groaned, but didn’t fight me.
“Alpha Zeron,” Councilman Ian called.
The council members approached us. Zeron tensed and held me tightly.
“Are the pack members accounted for?” Zeron asked. He’d gone from tender to frighteningly authoritative Alpha.
“We had no casualties on the pack members’ side. For that, we thank you and the Lycan King.” Ian bowed his head. “But I can’t allow you to get ahead of yourself, Alpha.”
“What are you talking about, Ian? I’m not getting ahead of myself.”
Ian’s brows knitted together, and his shoulders slumped. “The rules haven’t changed. The divorce ritual must be completed, and then you must go three months before you marry again! It’s the law.”
“Fuck the law!” Zeron roared.
“Alpha, rules are there for a reason. Everything must go according to our traditions. An age-old curse has just been broken. We don’t want other problems!” Another councilman said.
“That curse wouldn’t be broken without Esmeray,” Zeron argued.
No, everything’s falling apart in front of my eyes.
“Rules are rules, Alpha Zeron. Three months and then you can marry who you wish.”
Zeron shook his head. “No, no, this can’t be happening.”
“I-It’s just three months. We’ll get through this. I’m not going anywhere.”
I took my mate’s hands and squeezed. I wanted him to know I’d stand by him.
“During this time, Princess Esmeray must return to her father’s pack,” Ian said.
What?
The mate bond flared, and I felt Zeron’s rage. I gripped his arm before he could attack the elderly councilman.
My father stood between Zeron and the council members.  
“Three months is all you need, isn’t it?” Dad asked.
“You just gave me your blessings. How can you take me home?” I cried out.
“Honey, Zeron needs this three-month period after his divorce. He has to tame his wolf, put his pack in order and make sure everything between his wife and him is completely over. You don’t need to be here when he’s airing his dirty laundry.”
“But Dad!”
“The Lycan King is right,” Ian said. “Look at the state of our pack. We are very vulnerable right now. Our pack needs its Alpha more than the Alpha needs his mate.”
“Besides, he can’t be distracted with taking care of you when he’s got other things to tend to,” another councilman said.
“I can handle myself!” I yelled.
Zeron pulled me into his arms. “We can get through this.”
“I don’t want to. We were so close. We did everything right. Now the stupid rules are keeping us apart.”
“Nothing, and I mean nothing, can keep us apart, my love.”