Moonlight’s chosen

Chapter 5

My father stayed behind after my mother stepped out. He looked to Fin. “Could you step out for a moment? I need to speak with my daughter.”

Fin looked torn but nodded, stepping out of the door.

“I need to apologize to you, my girl,” my father said, shaking me to my core. I had expected to be blamed for this, even though I couldn’t help it either.

My father took in my shocked face and nodded. “I’m not asking you to forgive me. I know the way I have treated you your whole life is unforgivable.

“I blamed you for not having an equipped heir. I did not want you to bear the weight of carrying an entire pack as a female, which was unfair of me. But it seems I was blessed with an heir who was more than equipped from the start—one the Moon Goddess herself chose—and I tried everything to go against her.”

A tear rolled down my face. I had hoped for years to hear an apology from him, but hearing it now didn’t take everything away.

“I want to say I’m truly sorry, from the bottom of my heart, and I am so proud to be your father. I wish I had been a better one to you before, but I will do my best to be better from this day forward.”

My body began to shake, and I didn’t realize what was happening until it exploded out of me—an invisible shot of power aimed straight at my father, knocking him backward into the wall and holding him there.

“So you’re saying that because I am some special chosen wolf, you’re proud to be my father and will do better?” I shouted. “But just being your daughter was never good enough for you to be proud of, or even just f*****g love me like a parent should love a child?”

“I—I always did love you,” he squeezed out, sounding strangled. “But I also blamed you, and that is my fault. I was wrong.”

Realizing it was me, I panicked. “I don’t know how to pull it back,” I cried. “All the rage from years of being blamed for something I never had any control over is leaking out at you, and I can’t stop it.”

“That’s okay,” he strained. “Let it out. I deserve this pain for all the pain I’ve caused you over the years.”

My mother walked in just as a final burst of power erupted from me. My father dropped to the floor, a trickle of blood running from his mouth as his head slumped.

My mother stared at me in shock. “Lacey, what did you do?”

“I don’t know. I’m sorry,” I cried, running across the room and dropping to my father’s side, repeating my apologies over and over.

“Dear child,” my father said weakly, “you don’t have to be sorry. That was minimal repayment after the way I treated you for years.” He coughed as he finished, blood splattering the floor in front of him.

“Get the healer!” I yelled to my mother.

Just then, Serene became loud in my head. Let me lead. I can heal him.

“No,” I argued. “You’ll just run to Fin. He can hold on until the healer arrives.”

I do not promise not to go to Fin, she replied, but I do promise to heal your father first. He does not have time to wait.

Before I could protest further, I caved and let her take the lead.

I was pushed to the back of my mind, watching my body move with no control over it. Serene squatted next to my father, placing her hand on his forehead. A bright light glowed beneath her palm. I had no idea how she was doing any of it.

Slowly, my father’s face filled with color and his breathing eased.

“There,” Serene said, standing. “He’ll be fine. He may be sore tomorrow—but he deserves that.”

Hearing the words come out of my mouth was strange. They sounded layered, like my voice mixed with hers.

I tried to push forward and take control back, but I hit an invisible wall.

“I’m not finished yet,” Serene said in our mind. “I promised I would heal your father first, and I did. Now I’m going to find Fin.”

“No, you are not!” I yelled, pushing harder. “I will not mark him.”

“I just want to speak with him,” she replied. “To feel connected to his wolf. I won’t let you brush off our mate and reject him without cause.”

“We already have a chosen mate,” I argued. “You haven’t even met him. How can you dismiss my love for him when you can feel my feelings?”

“I am not dismissive,” Serene said calmly. “I feel them. But I also feel what both of us feel for our goddess-given mate. I won’t make you accept him now—but I won’t let you destroy a bond crafted for us.”

I stopped fighting, guilt settling in. I had only been thinking of myself, not my wolf—my other half. I had a responsibility to her too.

“Okay,” I said. “Do not accept or mark him. Just speak to him.”

Serene followed his scent through the halls to the second floor of the palace, where two rooms sat on either side of a wide hallway leading to the third floor. She turned right and stopped at a large door, lifting our hand and knocking softly.

Fin opened it immediately. Seeing my silver eyes, he pulled us inside.

“Give Lacey control,” he demanded. “No one can see your eyes right now.”

“I avoided anyone seeing them,” Serene replied in that layered voice. “I wanted to speak with you. Let your wolf forward.”

“I can’t,” Fin said. “He can’t be trusted not to mark you immediately—and I don’t think you can be trusted either.”

Serene grinned. “I could make you let him forward,” she said, stepping closer.

I slammed against the wall in my mind, trying to break through.

Fin stepped closer, making Serene purr and me flinch. “Let Lacey have control,” he whispered.

Serene pouted. “I’m more fun right now.”

Fin smiled. “Give her control before she locks you away.”

The wall finally faltered, and I pushed through, taking control back. Serene pouted in my mind.