Chapter 83
Chapter 83
Sloane
“We’ve put all of you on the Alpha floor. I hope that’s acceptable. We’re very excited to have you here to celebrate Judith officially taking her place as the pack’s Luna,” Alpha Waylon says.
“We’re very happy to be here,” Aunt Samara says. “How are you feeling, Judith?”
“I’m nervous, but the pack seems accepting of me,” she says, then smiles at me. “I’m still hoping you’ll help me get ready tonight.”
“Can Aunt Samara come too?” I ask. I’m not sure I’m ready to be alone with this woman. I barely know her but I’m pretty sure she and Alpha Waylon think I’m their granddaughter.
I watch the smile falter briefly before she smiles even larger. “Of course your Aunt Samara can come. The more the merrier!” she says.
“Why don’t we show you to your rooms,” Alpha Waylon says.
“Yes, I’d like Samara to be able to rest for a few minutes and maybe you and I can have a private word, Alpha Waylon,” Uncle Roman says.
I watch Aunt Samara’s eyes go unfocused and Uncle Roman’s go unfocused immediately afterward. Then I hear Aunt Samara sigh. I’m guessing she doesn’t feel the need to rest, but I’ve already noticed that Uncle Roman is very protective of her and their unborn pup.
As we follow Alpha Waylon and Luna Judith inside, she turns to me. “If you’d like, Sloane, I can give you a tour of the packhouse while your
aunt rests.”
I look up at Uncle Roman, unsure if I should go with her alone.
“How about we all go together,” he says smoothly. “I’ve never seen your pack lands and neither has Samara. I always like to see how other packs run and if you have or do something in your pack that I might want to implement in mine.”
“What time does the ceremony start tonight?” Aunt Samara asks.
“We’re going to start at five o’clock. This pack isn’t as big as yours, so the ceremony won’t take as long,” Alpha Waylon says as he leads us up
the stairs.
They lead us to our rooms in the middle of the Alpha hallway.
“This room is for you, Sloane. I took the liberty of setting it up for a young girl. I hope you like it. I never had a daughter, so I wasn’t exactly sure what to put in here. But I asked some of the pack members and went with their ideas,” Luna Judith says.
“It’s very nice, but you shouldn’t have. I’m only going to be here one night,” I say.
She shrugs. “Who knows. Maybe you’ll like it here enough that you’ll want to come back and visit us,” she says. “I understand that you might be visiting Alpha William from time to time. We’re an easy stop–over on your way there and your way home. If so, I’d love for you to feel comfortable staying here.”
“Sloane, why don’t you get settled. I’m going to speak with Alpha Waylon and then we can go on a tour of the packhouse and pack lands,” Uncle Roman says.
“Okay,”
I step into the room and close the door. It is a nice room. I can see she put a lot of effort into making it nice. It’s a bit more to Scarlet’s liking than mine, but it’s nice.
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Lhang up my dress for tonight and then listen at the door. When I don’t hear anyone, I go across the hall to knock on Aunt Samara’s door
“Come on in. Is everything okay?” she asks when she opens the door.
“Yeah, I just wanted to check on you,” I say, looking around. This room, while set up for visitors, is obviously not a room that Alpha Waylon or
any
any packhouse that is available for visitors.
room
Luna Judith spent any time on. It could be k
“What’s on your mind, Sloane?” Aunt Sa
*Luna Judith and Alpha Waylon made a roo
“I saw that. Do you like it?” she asks.
I shrug. “Scarlet would love it.”
in
a asks me.
for me here,” I say, looking at her.
She smiles. “Well, if you ever decide to visit here, maybe Scarlet can stay in your room with you.”
She waits, watching me.
“They think I’m their granddaughter, don’t they?” I finally ask.
“They know there is a possibility that you could be,” she says carefully. A bit too carefully. “Are you feeling pressured, sweetheart? We can leave if you’re uncomfortable,” she says.
“It actually makes me feel better knowing that they’re e trying so hard because they think I’m their granddaughter. Otherwise, it would be
weird.”
“Roman and I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”
“It’s just odd, you know. Even Grandpa William and Grandma Jasmine didn’t try this hard.”
“Well, they’re very different people. I think Alpha Waylon has a lot of guilt about a lot of things. One of those is his son. He didn’t do right by his fated mate or his son, so, if there’s a possibility that you are Derrick’s daughter, he wants to try to make amends for his past through you.”
“Do you think they’ll try to take me away from you and Uncle Roman?” I ask. I don’t care as much for me, but I do care for my brother and sister. It’s the reason I wouldn’t choose to live permanently in Alpha William’s pack. I won’t leave my brother and sister unprotected, even if I am only their half sister.
“Uncle Roman has been very clear that anyone who tries to take you from us will be destroyed. You are our family. I understand not wanting to call me mom and Roman dad. You may notice that I still call your Granpa William, Alpha William. I was never okay calling him dad because I had a father. It didn’t matter that he was dead. He was my father. The same is true of Luna Jasmine. They both treated me well when I was growing up, but I never called them mom and dad. So, while your Uncle Roman and I consider you, Slade, and Aria our pups, I understand your unwillingness to call us mom and dad. You had parents and unlike your siblings, you are old enough that it’s important to remember them as such.”
Tlook at her, watching her closely. “Do you think Derrick is my father?”
She shrugs slowly, watching me as closely as I’m watching her. “If you ever decide you want to know, then we’ll find out. If you don’t, then you can consider Sawyer or Derrick your father.”
“I don’t want Slade and Aria to think that I’m not their true sister because we don’t share the same father,” I tell her.
“I don’t think they would. You sister is going to grow up never knowing her birth parents and most likely calling me and Roman mom and
dad. We’ll be the only parents she’ll ever know.Slade might be a little different, but you’re still his sister, no matter who your father was. No matter what anyone else thinks, the decision to find out if Derrick was your father is completely and totally up to you.”
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Chapter 83
I nod again, just as Uncle Roman walks in. “Hey Sloane, is everything okay?” he asks.
I look at Aunt Samara. “You should tell him,” she says.
“I was just telling Aunt Samara that Alpha Waylon and Luna Judith think I’m their granddaughter.”
“And what do you think?”
“I don’t know. I guess it makes them less weird if they think I am,” I say.
“Well, I just had a conversation with Alpha Waylon to tell him that he and Luna Judith need to stop being so weird,” he says.
“You did?” I ask, surprised.
s you decide to “I did. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable and no matter how much they may want you to be their granddaughter, unless find out, they need to relax,” he says.
“Thanks, Uncle Roman,” I say feeling relieved.
“You’re welcome,” he says, pulling me into a hug. “Now, ready to go see the packhouse and the pack lands?”
“Sure!” I tell him.
After having spent a month in Grandpa William’s southern pack, I can say that Alpha Waylon was right about his pack being a perfect blend of the north and the south. It is beautiful here, but that still doesn’t mean that I’m ready to find out if I’m their granddaughter. Plus, what if I am? What if I find out that I’m their granddaughter and they try to take me from Aunt Samara and Uncle Roman. I know Uncle Roman would fight for me, but would he win? If Alpha Waylon took him to court, who wins?
It’s definitely not something I am willing to risk.
That night, after sitting with Luna Judith while she got ready, I stand with my aunt and uncle and watch her takes her place as Luna of the pack. Then we watch as the pack members go forward and swear their loyalty to her. I can feel the difference in the pack after the ceremony is over, It’s as if having a Luna again makes them feel safe and whole.
I can tell that whatever Uncle Roman said impacted Alpha Waylon and Luna Judith. They are very careful about what they say to me after that and I stop feeling self–conscious as the night goes on.
The next morning after breakfast, we say our goodbyes.
“I do hope that we’ll see you again, Sloane,” Luna Judith says. She sounds so sad, like me leaving is hurting her, so I give in just a little.
“I’m sure that when I go visit Grandpa William that I can stop by here. I don’t know how often that will be, but if that’s okay…”
“We would love that,” Alpha Waylon says quickly.
“You’re always welcome here and we’ll keep that room available just for you. We won’t let anyone else stay there, so if there’s anything you want to change, just let us know,” Luna Judith says.
“Thank you,” I say.
I don’t know if they’re my grandparents, my real grandparents. But they seem to hope that they are. Because of that, I give them both a hug before I leave, and I swear I feel Luna Judith hold back a sob.
“We’ll see you soon, hopefully,” she says as I step back.
“I’ll let you know when I have plans to come south again,” I say.
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Chapter 83
“You’re welcome anytime, Anytime at all,” Alpha Waylon says.
When we get in the car, they wave, and I wave back. I turn as we start to drive away and I see Alpha Waylon holding Luna Judith. She lost the
battle of her tears.
I turn back, leaning my head against the seat. Somehow, I know that they’ve figured out that Derrick is my father. They believe without a doubt that I’m their granddaughter.
I’m just not ready to accept that, or to get the proof that he was my father. And I don’t know if I ever will be.
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