199 Final
Mara
We woke early, refreshed from the night before. After showering and dressing, Lucian and I headed to breakfast. It had been uneventful lately without Martha’s usual dramatics. Honestly, I missed the chaos a little-it had its own rhythm. Still, the peace had been a blessing.
Vander hadn’t banned her from the table. She’d simply stopped coming.
So when we walked into the dining room and found Martha seated at the table, I froze.
She looked thin-shockingly so. Her face was gaunt, her posture stiff. She reeked faintly of alcohol, and her eyes were too bright, too wide. There was something off-not just physically, but emotionally.
Tiffany caught my eye and gave me a small smile. I returned it, but my attention drifted back to Martha immediately.
“Good morning,” I greeted her cautiously.
“Good morning, Mara!” she replied, too cheerfully. There was a strange, manic edge to her voice. I could swear she was
either drunk or on something.
She didn’t carry Vander’s scent. They hadn’t spent the night together. But she looked happy-or maybe just unhinged. It
was hard to tell.
I glanced at Darian. He gave a small shrug, as if to say, Don’t ask me.
Lacy sat at the end of the table, quiet and clearly anxious. She looked like she hadn’t slept all night.
When Vander entered the room and saw Martha, he froze in his tracks. For a second, no one moved. Then, calmly, he took
his seat.
Without a word, Martha stood up and relocated to sit beside Lacy-far away from Vander.
Why didn’t she just sit there to begin with? The move felt performative-intentional.
We all greeted Vander, and he offered a short, distracted response. Breakfast was served, and a strange, heavy silence
followed.
I noticed Martha didn’t touch her food. Her fingers toyed with the edge of her napkin, but her appetite was gone.
“Won’t you eat your food?” Vander finally asked, his voice clipped.
She smiled at him, tight-lipped.
“I’m not hungry. I just wanted to spend time with my family.”
She reached out and patted Lacy gently on the head. The girl flinched.
Something is definitely wrong.
“Lucian,” Martha said suddenly, smiling at him, “I hope you’re ready for the handover. You’ll make an excellent Alpha.”
Her tone was polite-too polite. Like someone reading from a script.
Then she turned to me.
“I wish I could give you some advice on being Luna, Mara. But… I was never good for much.”
She took a sip of her juice. Her hand trembled.
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* 199 Final
Vander put his utensils down with a clink.
“Out with it, Martha,” he growled.
The smile vanished from her face.
“I have nothing to say.”
“Then don’t spoil breakfast. Today is a big day for Lucian and Mara.”
“I haven’t said anything wrong,” she replied, her voice smaller now, but still defensive.
“I only congratulated them. Forgive me for that.”
She looked toward us, her eyes glassy.
“Sorry I said anything.”
Her lips quivered. She blinked rapidly, trying to hold back tears.
Then Darian’s voice cut through the quiet like a blade.
“Where is Alaric Moongrove, Mother?”
Martha’s head turned slowly. Her eyes met his, and she looked like he’d slapped her.
“Anything I haven’t said, Darian… is for your good,” she said softly.
“But I promise you-he won’t bother anyone again after today.”
The certainty in her voice made my skin crawl.
+8 Points >
“Why are you so sure?” Darian pressed. “Did you finally pay him off? I saw you selling your jewelry. Did you manage to
come up with the money?”
Vander slammed his hand against the table.
“What?!”
Martha flinched-visibly shaken. She turned pale.
She was terrified of Vander.
“Your family ring wasn’t part of what I sold,” Martha blurted quickly, her voice trembling.
“I’ll return it to you today after the handover.”
But Vander wasn’t calming down.
Darian leaned forward, his frustration rising.
“Why are you doing this, Mother? You’d rather sell everything you own than just tell us where he is?”
Tears spilled freely down Martha’s face now, her lips pressed tightly together. She was holding something in, something heavy-and it was poisoning her from the inside.
“I wish I knew where he was,” she said shakily, looking straight at her son.
“If I did… I would have killed him myself. But I don’t. I have no clue what he’s planning, where he’s hiding. But I’ve found
a way to get him off our backs.”
She reached out to Lacy, gently touching her hair. The girl flinched-barely-but it said enough. Her face was streaked with tears, her hands clenched tight in her lap.
“I have something for you and Lacy,” Martha said to Darian.
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< 199 Final
+8 Points >
“I had to come to breakfast. No one is answering my links. I’ve been shut out completely. This was the only way to speak to you all at once.”
The room fell into stunned silence.
Then she turned to Lucian.
“Lucian… I’m sorry. I was a shitty mother to you. You were just a boy. You didn’t deserve the way I treated you. If I could go back and undo all of it, I would. But I can’t.”
She swallowed hard. “I’m not apologizing because I’m scared you’ll throw me out. I’ve already decided to leave the mansion. I just need you to know I regret everything. All of it.”
Her gaze shifted to me, and her voice cracked.
“Mara, I tore you away from Darian because I thought you weren’t good enough for my son. I was wrong. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to either of them. You brought them closer. You made Lucian… better. Thank you. For all of it.
She turned to Tiffany, her eyes bloodshot.
“And you… I failed you. I should’ve been there when you were pregnant with Emma. But I was too busy hiding my secrets to see your pain. I can’t fix the past-but I hope someday you can forgive me.”
She turned back to Darian, her voice a whisper now.
“You are my son. I love you, and I never meant to ruin your life. I truly thought I was protecting you. I’m proud of you- for how strong you are. For who you’ve become. You deserve a better mother than me… but I love you, Darian. I always
have.”
She gently ran her hand through Lacy’s hair again.
No one at the table spoke.
Even Vander, who moments ago was ready to explode, just stared at his plate. His jaw was locked. His hands were
shaking.
Martha straightened her spine, wiped her cheeks with trembling fingers, and forced a brittle smile.
