The Rejected Substitute Luna

Chapter 14

Jasmine’s Pov

My heart was still beating like crazy from everything that had happened on the balcony last night.

After I kissed Fred right in front of Garrett, I barely slept a single second. Seeing the look on Garrett's face sent a storm of painful emotions through my body.

He still had a strange power over my mind. He crippled my thoughts and made me remember the feelings that I tried to bury five years ago.

But I could not let myself get distracted by him. I didn't come back to this territory for Garrett.

I came back for my mother.

Early the next morning, the pack house was buzzing with activity for the second day of the Alpha summit.

There was an awkward tension between Fred and me because of the kiss and the fact that we had to share the same room, but that didn't stop us from making it a productive day.

"I managed to call a border security meeting with Garrett's head guards," Fred whispered to me, keeping his voice very low. "I told them I noticed suspicious movements near the northern boundary line. That will keep all the main pack guards occupied at the outer gates for at least two hours."

"Thank you, Fred," I said, giving his arm a grateful squeeze. "Please be careful out there."

"You too, go to Willa's cottage, talk to her, and come back through the tunnels as fast as you can."

Once Fred walked away to draw the guards toward the main gates, I pulled a hood over my head and walked down the back corridor, opened a hidden door behind the kitchen, and stepped into the pitch-black darkness of the old service tunnels.

These tunnels were built decades ago underneath the pack house to move supplies in secret. The air inside was cold, damp, and smelled heavily of dust and wetness.

Every step I took brought back the painful memories.

I was on my way to my mother's house when my life changed 5 years ago, and I lost everything.

After twenty minutes of walking fast through the dark, I reached the door at the end of the tunnel and opened it.

I looked around making sure no guards were watching. The area was quiet. Just a few hundred yards away, sitting near the edge of the forest, was a small, cozy cottage with smoke rising gently from its chimney.

Tears instantly rushed into my eyes.

It was Willa’s home.

I kept my hood pulled low and hurried up the steps of the porch and stood in front of the door, my whole body shaking with anxiety and anticipation.

I raised my trembling hand and knocked on the wood. Three fast taps, then two slow ones.

It was our secret code from when I was a young girl.

Inside the house, I heard a gasp, followed by slow, shuffling footsteps moving toward the entrance. The lock clicked, and the door slowly swung open.

Standing in the doorway was my hero, my person, my darling mother. She looked just like I remembered, but her eyes looked tired and sad, as if she had spent the last five years crying every single day.

"What is..." Willa gasped, looking at me.

"Mom," I choked out, my voice cracking into a small whisper.

She froze, and her hands dropped to her side, and her eyes widened in stunned disbelief. She stared at my face as if she was seeing a miracle fall straight from the sky.

"J... Jasmine?" She whispered, her hands starting to shake violently. "Oh, merciful Goddess...am I dreaming?"

"It’s me, Mom," I sobbed. "It’s really me."

A loud, heartbroken cry burst from her as she stumbled forward, throwing her arms around my neck and pulling me into a desperate, crushing hug.

We both sank down onto our knees right there on the floor of the porch, holding each other as tightly as we could, crying hysterically into each other's shoulders.

"My baby. My sweet, precious girl," Willa cried out loud, kissing my face over and over again, her warm hands holding my cheeks as if checking to make sure I was real. "They told me you were dead. I cried until I had no tears left, Jasmine. I thought I lost my daughter forever."

"I survived, mom. I'm so sorry I stayed away for so long," I cried, burying my face in her shoulder, feeling the comforting, familiar scent of lavender that always belonged to her. "I had to hide. I had to run away to stay alive."

Willa pulled back slightly, wiping her tears with the bottom of her apron, looking at me with pure love and relief. "Look at you, you're alive. You're really in front of me."

She suddenly stopped, looking closely at my face and my clear eyes. "How...?"

I stood up, and we both entered the house that I still remember, and I sat her down and sat next to her. "I survived because I had a reason to live, mom. I wasn't alone. I was carrying a life inside me, you... have a grandson."

She gasped loudly, her hand flying to her mouth, her eyes going wide with shock. "A... a grandson?

"His name is Orson, and he's four years old now, and he's waiting to meet his grandmother."

"A grandson... I have a grandchild. My Jasmine is a mother." She pulled me back into another tight hug, rocking me back and forth gently. "Oh, Goddess bless you... my sweet girl."

But just then she suddenly pulled away and looked at me. "Does Garrett know? Why did you leave, and why did they say that you're dead? That boy has been a living corpse ever since you left."

I knew that it was going to come to this, so I took a deep breath and explained everything to her.

"No, Jasmine. It can't be," she said, looking at me in disbelief. "You can't blame Garrett for this. He couldn't-"

I blinked in surprise, looking at my mother in disbelief and disappointment. "What do you mean, mom? How can you defend him?"

"Because Garrett has taken care of me for the last five years. Ever since the day you were pronounced dead, Garrett personally made sure I was looked after. He comes to this cottage himself, or he sends his most trusted personal guards with fresh food, blankets, money, and firewood. Whenever I'm sick, he sends the best pack doctors for me."

My mouth fell open slightly. I was speechless and stunned. "Garrett... does that for you?"

I don't understand how he manages to shock me every time, but I don't buy it.

"He never forgot about you. Every time he steps into this house, his face is pale, thin, and hollow with grief. He sits right in that chair and cries, telling me how much he misses you and how much he hated himself for not stopping you. He wouldn't have done it." She said, and I just can't believe that he managed to turn her into his side, but I came here for my mother, and I'm not leaving without her.

"I know that he's your alpha and you care about him, but perhaps he was trying to atone for his sins. I'm not going back to Garrett, and I'm not going to tell him that I'm alive. But I want you with me. So are you coming?”