A Luna's True Mate

Chapter 9: Feeling Free

-Lauren-

It had been two days since I had seen Logan and three since I had woken up. Mostly, I was eating and resting, and many from the castle came to visit. Octavia even made sure to bring Ethan when she checked on me, and I was glad to hold my grandson in my arms again.

He was growing so fast, and I knew he would be a fantastic alpha when he grew up. I couldn’t wait to see it. I wasn’t sure I would really get the chance when Connor was still alive, but now, hopefully, I would have a long life if I was careful, and I could watch my grandson become an adult. All my grandchildren, actually.

Angela had FaceTimed her mates, and they had shown me the small boys who were growing slowly too. They were all happy to see I was awake again and hoped I would fly home with Angela to live with them, but my daughter was not wrong. I still had a decision to make about the pack.

I knew my daughter could lead them well, but she was living in England now. Chris was gone, and so was Kate. I could leave it all to Ethan, but he was still a child, and the pack needed someone until he could take over.

For now, Angela had worked as temporary luna, getting help from the others because she had been taking care of me. But now I was awake, and I was getting better by the second. Could I really be their luna? Could I be a leader?

I pondered it all as I stood outside on the big porch that wrapped around the back of the house. I looked at the beautiful garden in the distance. The flowers and leaves were all dying now since fall was here, and soon winter would come, but I still enjoyed being out in the fresh air.

The wind was a little powerful today, but as it blew into my face, pushing my long blond hair back, it reminded me of all the times I had been riding on Tobias’s bike. It had been amazing, all of it.

“Mom?” I glanced over my shoulder and saw Angela approaching.

“Hey, honey,” I greeted her.

She walked over to me, holding out a thick winter jacket. “Here.”

“I’m fine,” I insisted.

“Mom, you’re shivering.”

“It’s refreshing,” I replied. “Feeling the wind.”

I was only dressed in a thin white dress that wasn’t suitable for fall weather.

“Just take it,” she urged.

I relented and quickly put it on, eliciting a smile from my daughter.

“I thought I was the parent.”

“We can take care of each other,” she said.

I nodded, smiling, as I put my arm around her, and she reciprocated. It was nice to just stand there with her and savor the moment. I had forgotten to do that often.

I had been consumed by my own misery for years, and it wasn’t solely Connor’s fault. I had simply forgotten to live my life, and before I knew it, both my kids were adults. One went off to fight a war, the other stayed home, missing him as much as I did, and then she left the nest too, going to England to almost become a queen.

Hunter was considered a distant relative to Valerio, perhaps due to his yellow eyes, but no one could confirm if their families truly had any real ties. Maybe hundreds of years ago, they might have.

“What are you doing out here?” she inquired.

“Just… enjoying the freedom,” I shared.

“You’re truly free now," she remarked.

I nodded. “I’m aware, and it seems weird, almost.”

“How so?”

“I am just not used to it,” I admitted and smiled at her before brushing some of her hair away.

Angela was only a few inches shorter than me, and she could easily rest her head on my shoulder.

“You deserve it," she said.

“I know you think your father was my jailor and, in a way, he was, but I was my own too,” I disclosed.

“What do you mean?” she probed, looking up at me.

“There is a lot you don’t know about my past.”

“What?”

“I am just… I wasn’t always like this,” I revealed. “Once I was free. Happy. Content. In love.”

“In love?” she queried.

I nodded.

“With whom?”

“Someone I stopped thinking about long ago, but who seems to appear a lot in my dreams lately,” I shared.

“Mysterious,” she commented.

I smiled and nodded.

“Before I was tied to your father, I fell in love with a young man named Tobias. He was a lone wolf. You can imagine the scandal,” I recounted.

Angela looked at me, shocked.

“Your grandparents never approved, of course.”

“Let me guess, they demanded that you never see him again and got you tied to Dad, so you couldn’t do anything about it?” she conjectured.

“No,” I corrected.

“No?”

“Your grandfather threatened to kill him,” I disclosed.

“What?!” she exclaimed.

“Either he killed Tobias or I got mated to your father,” I recounted.

“And Dad just agreed?”

I shook my head.

“Your father had no idea about it until we were finally tied together,” I explained.

“He didn’t?” she asked.

“No, he only found out later,” I clarified.

“What does that mean?”

“It means Tobias wasn’t ready to give up without a fight.”

“He fought for you?” she inquired.

I nodded.

“He challenged Dad?”

“Not directly. He was prepared to, though I knew Connor would crush him. Your father became the pack’s alpha at a remarkably young age.”

Angela nodded, familiar with her father’s backstory. Connor had assumed his leadership role at just seventeen, after his father’s untimely death. He was a natural leader, but over time, he lost sight of what truly mattered.

“So, I ensured that didn’t happen," I continued.

“You sacrificed your chance with Tobias so he could live…”

I nodded.

“Losing him would have crushed me,” I admitted.

“But you did lose him, Mom.”

I nodded again, this time more slowly, feeling my heart break anew. Memories of Tobias—his crooked smile and piercing blue eyes—flooded my mind, though the ache was tempered by something new.

Logan… My wolf whispered his name, a reminder that Tobias was no longer our destined mate. Logan was.

“It still hurts,” I confessed. “But I made the choice. I couldn’t bear to watch him die. That would have changed me irreparably.”

“I always thought Dad was the reason behind everything,” she said.

“No… well, yes, in a way. But he wasn’t aware. It was your grandfather who coerced me into betraying Tobias and marrying someone else. I can still see the pain in his eyes—Tobias’s eyes—when I turned away,” I whispered.

“I’m so sorry, Mom,” Angela said, hugging me. “It’s not fair.”

“No, but that’s why I’m grateful you and Chris never allowed yourselves to be controlled by anyone. You chose happiness. Now, I hope I can make that same choice.”