The moment I stepped into the Pack House, the air thickened with tension. A very familiar scent clung to the walls, and I knew it was his scent–faint whiskey, wolf musk, and regret–something that hit me the hardest.
Marcus Nightshade, the powerful Alpha of Shadow Walker Pack, greeted me, his bloodshot eyes snapping to me like a predator starved for light.
He stood like instinct had dragged him to his feet, but halfway through the motion, he hesitated. His foot hovered, then fell back, as if an invisible leash–like pride and guilt–yanked him into stillness.
Classic Alpha Marcus.
Always wanting to look composed. Never desperate. Never the one chasing. Never the one asking.
But I hadn’t come back for him.
Not for old flames or half–buried memories.
came back for the boy who once called me Luna.
Without a word, I walked past the Alpha, my shoes echoing on the stone floor, and headed
oward her, Elder Saska.
‘When can I see Lucas?”
asked, my voice low.
She gave a slow nod like she’d been waiting for this.
‘You can see him now. Come with me.”
We didn’t shift for the journey–too fragile, too serious.
The doctor led us to the infirmary wing. The sterile halls were quiet, but not empty.
Spirits lingered here, spirits of wolves too broken to howl.
When I stepped into Lucas’s room, time stilled.
froze the moment I saw him.
The once–spirited boy with fire in his eyes now lay motionless.
Pale.
Fading.
His wolf hadn’t stirred in weeks.
My chest caved in.
I thought I had numbed myself to this.
But the sight of him, so small in that massive bed, barely breathing, dragged all the years I’d raised him back to the surface.
Every scraped knee. Every shift under the moonlight. Every time he called me “Mom.”
I moved to his side, brushing his damp curls from his clammy forehead.
“Lucas…
My voice cracked.
“Lucas, it’s me…”
He didn’t move.
I tried again. And again. Still, nothing.
On the fifth try, his fingers twitched.
Then suddenly, his hand snapped up and gripped my wrist like a dying pup clawing for life. “Mom?”
His voice was hoarse, unused.
“You’re here. Right? Is that really you? You came back…”
I held his hand.
“I’m here, sweetheart. I’ve got you. Just open your eyes.”
It took him a moment, but when he did, and saw me–really saw me–he gasped.
Then he surged upright and threw himself into my arms.
“Mom! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean what I said. I didn’t mean to call you a traitor, or a murderer. didn’t know. I was stupid. I was hurting…”
His sobs tore through him, shaking his frail frame.
“I don’t want Ava. I want you. Please… come back to the pack. Come back to us. Dad still needs you. I need you….”
I held him through the storm, one hand stroking his back like I used to after his first nightmare post–shift.
Then I looked up, and I saw Marcus.
He stood in the doorway like a ghost, his eyes hollow, unreadable.
The moment our gazes met, he flinched.
Like the guilt cut deeper than claws ever could.
But not like before. This time I felt nothing.
When Lucas finally stilled, I turned to Elder Saska.
“I did what you asked. I brought him back. That’s all I came for.”
Lucas panicked. His fingers clung to mine.
“Don’t go! You said you’d stay! You said-*
I pulled my hand away gently.
“I’m not your mom anymore, remember? Kaela was your mother by blood. I was only here because the Alpha marked me. That mark is gone now. And so am I.”
I turned and walked out without looking back.
Behind me, I heard Lucas sob like the world had ended.
I didn’t stop.
Chapter 21
5:02 pm G D
Outside, the late afternoon sun painted the forest gold. I let it wash over my face as I thought of the next pack lands to visit–the places Mother always dreamed of seeing. We’d barely begun our journey. It wasn’t over yet.
But just as I reached the trail down to the gate, a hand seized my wrist.
I turned, and there he was. The Alpha.
Marcus Nightshade.
His chest heaved.
He must’ve run. The Alpha, once proud, now looked wrecked.
Desperate.
“Brianna…
He rasped.
‘Please. Just listen.”
I didn’t speak. Just stared, waiting for what he had to say.
‘I made mistakes.”
He said.
‘More than I can count. Five years of taking you for granted. Of letting you carry the weight of a Luna while I chased ghosts.”
His voice cracked.
‘Lucas needs you. I need you. Let’s try again. I swear on the Moon Goddess, I’ll make it right.”
shook my head.
‘We’re unbound, Marcus. We’re divorced. The bond is broken. We’re no longer mates. I think we should move on. Try Ava–she seems more your type now. She always did crave the title more
han the role.”
said, my voice low, my expression unreadable.
Shapter 21
