*Molly*
I wasn’t sure what to think when Seth said that my mom is involved with this whole mess. She’s proper and caring and I can’t imagine a world where she would have such a deep secret. I drug Seth down to the small library I found earlier, the one that bears my mom’s name. I thought that, perhaps, somewhere that meant something to her would make her feel more comfortable and since it’s named for her, it seemed like a good place.
“Your dad linked me and said they will be here in a few moments,” Seth says from behind me as I just stare up at the old, worn sign with her name.
“I knew our parents were friends,” I say, looking at him as he lifts a book from a shelf. “I didn’t realize that they were THIS close though. The kind of close where you give up your family.”
He nods, placing the book back on the shelf and walks over to me. He puts an arm around me and places his other hand on my stomach, smiling. “Whatever it is, whatever she has to say, stay as calm as you can.”
“I know,” I tell him with a smile. It’s sweet how worried he is about this little guy feeling my emotions and the possibility it could him. I had to shift with the twins, and nothing, NOTHING can compare to the fear I felt running away and delivering them without a doctor. I’m sure he’ll be just fine, but I can’t ever tell him that, because it means so much to me that he cares.
I smell them as the door to the library slowly cracks open. My mom steps in, wearing jeans and hiking boots and not a drop of makeup. She looks so beautiful, but she doesn’t look like herself as she steps in and looks up at the sign, a sad smile on her face.
“Can you handle a hike?” she asks, not looking at me, but we all know she’s asking because I’m pregnant. “Nothing hard, I swear.” I look between her any my dad. Neither of them are really dressed for a hike, but my dad does have his cane today.
“Of course, Mom.”
“The last time I was here I was unloading boxes of books with your father,” she says, turning to walk out the door. “He gifted them to the pack to celebrate the new library. He didn’t know when he purchased them that I was his mate.”
I nod and we follow her in silence as she weaves us through the woods. She’s right, it wasn’t anything too difficult. There are some spots that are overgrown that Seth helps me through and some slippery rocks that she diverts us around, probably more for my dad than me. I realize quickly, though, that she knows the area so well.
We reach a clearing with a small stream flowing through it. It’s absolutely beautiful and reminds me so much of my meadow out in the rogue land. The sun is shining brightly, and the wind gently blows through the trees, making the place seem so magical.
Dad sits on a large rock at the water and pulls mom into his lap. In all my life, as open and loving as they are, I can’t ever remember seeing him do that. He slips his fingers into the edge of her shirt, touching her skin, just as Seth does to me when I need him to help calm me. She must be so upset.
I’m not sure what to do, and I look to Seth, but he just shrugs at me slightly. I walk over and take a seat on a rock next to them and dad offers me a small grin. Seth walks over, standing in front of me.
“I became a member of Pink Moon Pack right here,” she says, staring down at her hands. “Your father didn’t know it when he sat down, but it was on the ground right here where Alpha David cut my hand and drank my blood to bring me into the pack just before we both cut our hands and shared each other’s blood, forming a bond to name me the Luna here.”
I don’t know what to say, so I don’t say anything, listening to everything she has to say. I glance up at Seth who, thankfully, has decided to do the same.
“I found out later, after I met your father, that it was all just lies, but I didn’t know then. I was fifteen and my family was murdered. My parents, my brothers, all of them. I shifted and ran here for safety.”
“You shifted at fifteen?” Seth asks, and I feel absolutely shocked at her words.
She nods, leaning her head on my dad’s shoulder. “Audrey’s dad, your grandfather, was the Beta here. They agreed to keep me safe. The Alpha had just taken over, he was only nineteen. There was a huge attack just before I came and they lost a ton of people, including his parents and his mate he hadn’t marked yet. He offered to take me as a chosen Luna so I would have the protections of a Luna.”
She pauses, a tear rolling down her cheek. As much as I’ve tried, she refuses to look into my eyes. I look up to my mate, concerned and see his furrowed brow. “How was that possible, Celeste?”
My dad speaks up, his hand gently rubbing her back. “It was a bond that he researched. He told her it would break when she was marked by her mate. It turned out, though, that he didn’t actually know if it would. It also required the King’s approval, which he did not have.”
“But it did break,” I say, not fully understanding.
Mom shakes her head. “We don’t actually know if would have. King Joseph removed him as Alpha and cast him out as Rogue before your dad marked me, taking care of it in the only way we could be sure would break it. I couldn't be bonded as Luna to a man who was no longer an Alpha.”
I nod, beginning to understand.
“I need you to know, Molly, I love your father. So much,” she tells me, finally looking at me.
“I know Mom,” I tell her, knowing that it is the absolute truth. There’s never been one single moment where I thought they didn’t love each other.
“I was so young, and I was so in love with David,” she says with a sniffle.
Hearing his name sends alarm bells off in my mind and I look up at Seth, knowing that he has realized the same thing. There's no doubt in my mind that he is the very same man Lucas has chosen to lead the rogues.
“Oh, Molly,” she says, a pained look on her face. “I never wanted you to know any of this. I’m so embarrassed by everything that happened.”
“Mom,” I say softly, hating that she has to tell me anything she doesn’t want to. “I… I need to know his last name. I’m not asking as your daughter, I’m asking as the Queen. I think we may have a problem.”
She stares at me, a look of panic on her face. Finally, my dad speaks up. “Mingan. We were friends. Your dad knew him as well, Seth.”
I look up at Seth, unsure what to do. I want to be kind to my mom, let her tell me in her own time, but we just can’t. Not if he’s trying to take control of a pack.”
“Randall,” Seth says, surprising me as he takes a seat on the ground in front of me. “He’s my uncle’s pick to lead the Rogue pack. We need to know everything. Everything. It’s not just family secrets, it’s the safety of the kingdom.”
A look passes between my parents and it breaks my heart. There seems to be so much that my mom has hidden from me, and would still like to.
“He trained your mother,” my dad says, his eyes never leaving hers as he holds her tightly. “You’ve seen her wolf. She’s big, and she’s strong. He trained her and had her go out for territory breaches. David did not take prisoners, he only killed. After a few years, your mom took out a wolf that crossed over, and it was an Alpha’s sister.”
My mom stares at my dad, his hands firmly placed on her as her lip trembles. It’s killing me to see her like this, so I move closer, reaching over and taking her hand. None of this seems to have been her fault, but she’s so upset. My dad never, ever asked my mom to help with any security, and now I understand why. He wasn’t just treating her like a delicate female, he was protecting her from her past.
“Audrey and Peter know all of this?” I ask and my dad nods. “They lived through it with us.”
I sigh, looking at my mate who I know isn't going to like what I’m about to say. “I think it may be best to all meet together,” I say as his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “It’s no longer just family issues. There are concerns for the entire kingdom."
Aksara