A Return to Happiness (The True Luna Series Book 1)

Chapter 10

Boone

Daisy mind linked me and told me that Mrs. Mills – Seraphina’s new nanny, was with her. She also said that she had arranged for their dinner to be brought to her room if I was okay with that. I told her that it was fine and did the same, asking for my dinner to be brought to my office. I couldn’t care less about the other people’s arrangement tonight. I have things to think about.

But Daisy didn’t mention anything about knowing that Lily was my mate, though. Hadn’t Lily told her?

Lily, I remember that Mason said that his mother was forty-two years old, but how come she looks so young? Time has been kind to her. Although werewolves age gracefully, when it comes to her, though, the concept of aging doesn’t seem to materialize. Yet, she’s ten years older than me. I’m probably a selfish bastard, but I still can’t wrap my head around the idea of spending my forever with someone that old. Can she still carry my children? I still want at least two. I still want a son, maybe two. My heirs. I love Seraphina, but the kingdom wants a son of the king to be their king. I know that it’s conservative, but it has been long-established, what can I say?

I don’t care that she wasn’t an Alpha’s daughter, or that she’s been married before and I’m only her second chance mate. But my daughter is three whereas hers are twenty-four and twenty-two. I need to draw the line somewhere. The question is, will this be the line that I draw? Will her age be the straw that broke the camel’s back for me? I exhale, imagining Mason and Moira call me dad. I’m gonna have a nightmare tonight, I just knew it.

But I love her, with every part of my being. I can’t live without her, I know that. I can’t even breathe now thinking that I might have to let her go. What will the people in my kingdom say when they find out that their Luna is ten years older than their king?

A knock on the door, I’m not interested in entertaining a company. But somehow, the person just comes into the room. My mother, of course. This, I have to entertain, at all cost.

“Trouble in paradise?” My mother asks, a gentle smile on her kind face.

I smile back. “I just found my mate today,” I say. “But I’m sure you and Bradley knew that already.”

My mother nods, sitting in front of me. “Lily,” she starts. “I’ve always loved her. I’m so happy that she’s your mate.”

Now I turn to face her completely, confused. “What do you mean you’ve always loved her?” I ask. “How do you know her? Wait, of course, her husband and yours died together. Her husband died saving your husband, my father. Although he still died anyway. Were you two bonding over grief?”

“Yes, but that was not what I was talking about,” my mother answers. “I knew her long before that, since she was a young child.” When I raised my eyebrow, she continues, “Lily’s mother was a doctor, a healer working for the palace, she often brought Lily with her to work. I used to like learning about a lot of things, including medicine, so I spent a lot of times with her mother, and of course, with her too. I’m surprised you don’t even remember her.”

“Probably because I wasn’t born,” I answer sarcastically. When my mother gives me a warning look, I wince. “I’m sorry,” I said.

My mother shakes her head, disapproved. I’m a king, but I’m my mother’s son first. “Lily used to babysit you,” she continues. “She was there when you were born, she helped one of the nurses clean you. She loved you, always took care of you. When she was fourteen, she became your permanent babysitter that your father and I paid every time we went out for date nights. She stopped doing it when she became eighteen.”

“Why?” I ask, can’t help but curious. Lily, she’s known me inside out, have loved me since I was a child. Apparently, she hasn’t stopped. I don’t want her to ever stop.

“College,” my mother answers. “Then she found her mate, well, that’s all I know. I don’t keep up after that.”

I nod. “Thanks, mom,” I say, slowly. “It’s nice to know that my mate is not someone you disapprove of.”

“Then what is it, son?” My mother presses on. “Why aren’t you delighted? You’ve been waiting for your fated mate forever?”

Her words shock me. “Not, forever,” I argue. “Theresa was my fated mate.”

My mother smiles but gently shakes her head. “She’s not.”

Now I’m even more shocked. “How do you know?”

“I’m a mother, son,” she says, standing up. “I just know. Just like I also know that you’d make a terrible mistake if you let Lily go. Moon Goddess gave her to you for a reason. Don’t deny her gift, especially since this is the gift of love. Once that you’ve spent all your life waiting for.” With that, she walks out of my office.

I exhale, then close my eyes, dozing off. I dream, about Mason and Moira, crying, asking me to buy them ice cream. Somehow, the dream doesn’t seem so bad.

***

Lily

Daisy and I have finished dinner, barely, and now are busy playing with the fork of our dessert, not really eating it. I love carrot cake, and according to Daisy, she does too, but food is the last thing on our minds right now. “Don’t worry, Mrs. Mills,” Daisy says. “Boone will come around, you are his true mate, his fated mate, he’s been waiting for you forever. He won’t be able to live without you.”

Her words confused me a little, Boone has said pretty much the same thing. “I think you meant I’m his second chance mate,” I say, correcting her. “Your sister was his fated mate.”

Daisy snorts. “No, she wasn’t,” she says. “That was what they told the world. They said that Boone didn’t immediately know that Theresa was his fated mate because Theresa was wearing some potion to disguise her scent. We were in hiding, we didn’t know who were friends and who were foes, so the three ladies who were already eighteen were using the potion to disguise their scent. They didn’t want their true mates to find them in case their true mates were bad people.”

“Of course,” I say. “That makes sense, nobody wants to have a bad person as their fated mate. But are you saying that they didn’t do that?”

Daisy nods. “They didn’t,” she says. “They wouldn’t be able to do that, didn’t need to anyway. The attacked happened too fast, we didn’t manage to bring anything when we ran to the shed to save our lives. When Boone and his troops finally arrived, our pack had already been burned to the ground. There was nothing more to save but the clothes in our bodies. Theresa was Boone chosen mate, but she begged him to lie to the world so she would gain more respect from his people. Respect was very important to Theresa.”

“Oh, my,” I say. “He must have loved her so much to agree to lie to his own people. But then again, it was not really such a big lie. I suppose it’s okay.”

“Well, that part was not really a big deal, I know,” Daisy says. “But what I want to say is that after all that he’s been through, do you really believe that he’s just gonna let you go that easily? I don’t think so, Mrs. Mills, give him sometimes. You just need to believe in him.”

Oh Daisy, this girl is half my age, yet, she’s wise beyond her years. I come to her and hug her tight. “Thank you,” I say. “Thank you so much.”

“Give him a chance, Mrs. Mills,” Daisy says as she’s hugging me back. “You won’t regret it, I promise.”

I want to answer her but my words stop when I sense someone at the door. The person hasn’t knocked, but his scent: sandalwood, and spring rain, and lemon cake, has taken over my olfactory. Suddenly I feel giddy and warm all over. Daisy feels the change in me, she quietly giggles. “He’s at the door, isn’t he?” she whispers.

I nod, incredibly nervous. What is he doing there? Why doesn’t he knock? Is he as nervous as I am right now? I look down, I’m no longer wearing his T-shirt, Daisy let me borrow her clothes and her undergarment. His T-shirt is now folded neatly on top of the loveseat.

The door is finally knocked, and Daisy happily runs to get it. “Boone,” she says, feigning innocence. “What are you doing here?”

Boone smiles. “Is Lily here?” he asks even though he knows very well that I am.

“Lily?” Daisy asks, still pretending to be stupid, I almost laugh. “You mean Mrs. Mills? Yes, she’s here. What happened, Boone? I found her running from your room, crying.”

“We just had a misunderstanding, is all,” Boone answers.

“Did you hurt her?” she asks.

Boone looks shocked and hurt with the accusation. “What?!” He asks. “Of course not!”

“But then how come she left your room with only your T-shirt?” Daisy asks, a smile on her sweet face.

That little rascal!

Boone can’t answer, somehow, he blushes. Daisy laughs. “Come in,” she says, making way for him to enter. “I’ll be in the library in case you need me.”

Boone comes inside slowly, his moves are calculated, his eyes find mine. “You’re no longer wearing my T-shirt,” he finally says.

I nod, pointing to his T-shirt on the chair. “Daisy lent me her clothes,” I say. “You can have your T-shirt back, or let me wash it first.”

Boone shakes his head. “That’s yours now,” he says, smiling tenderly. He smiles with his eyes, I see love there, and longing. I see in his eyes everything that I feel in my heart.

“I don’t need a memento,” I say, tears suddenly fall. I can’t stop it, my heart aches again. What is he doing here? Is he coming to reject me? Of course, he is. The man doesn’t have a son yet, he needs an heir, and then some. He needs a much younger woman to help him achieve that. I should ask but I can’t bring myself to do that.

Boone comes rushing to me when he sees my tears. He wipes them, then hugs me tight, so tight he might cut my circulation. But I don’t mind, I don’t mind at all. I love being enveloped in his embrace, I feel like the center of his universe. Because to me, he is. “It isn’t a memento, love,” he whispers in my ear.

I look up, can’t believe my ears. He’s not rejecting me? “No?” I ask.

“No,” he says, still with tender love in his eyes. “It’s for you to wear when you’re lying in my arms after we made love, it’s for you to wear when you’re missing me every time I’m away for work, and lastly, it’s for you to wear for just because.”

***