“I know… and call me fucking selfish, but I’m glad you’re still here. We all still need you, Mari.” She didn’t respond, but her body relaxed a bit as I rubbed her back. “You really need to fucking eat,” I remarked. “I can feel your bones.” She pulled away, giving me a scathing glare.
“I’m perfectly fine as I am.”
“He doesn’t know any boundaries,” Scarlett added, making me smirk arrogantly. “Or how to not speak every damn thing that crosses his mind.”
“Still holding a grudge about that comment I made earlier?” I taunted. “Who would have thought we’d have that in common?” Her eyes flashed. She sure wasn’t Elijah, and if Liam didn’t step in, I was sure she would have lunged at me.
“Mom, relax. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she growled as I smirked tauntingly back at her.
Westwood women… I swear, I wouldn’t ever admit it out loud, but Kiara was definitely more like Elijah. As for the little crackpot, she was like her mother. It seemed like Liam was the common peacemaker.
My smirk faded away as I looked at Leo, who was smoking a cigarette, just as Rayhan returned, a smile on his face.
“They’re all okay, all of them,” he said, relief clear in his voice.
“Thank the Goddess,” Maria murmured, a hand on her heart.
I knew they would be, and I felt even more relaxed knowing my nympho and family were fine. Things were finally going to be okay. Crossing my arms, I turned and looked at my two nephews.
“Do you two fuckers want to explain what the fuck that was that you guys pulled?” I asked coldly.
“Yeah, I want to know, too,” Marcel added, frowning coldly.
Leo shrugged. In nothing but his sweatpants, I could see he already had a vast number of tattoos, a lot more than I’d had at eighteen.
“You might want to ask your own fucker first,” he replied coldly.
“Dante?”
“Yeah, unless you got another?” Leo shot back cockily.
“He knew what he was doing, obviously. No one died,” Rayhan said seriously and quietly, looking back at his mom, sadness and an apology clear in his eyes. “He said it’s not your time. I’m sorry.”
Silence ensued. One thing was fucking clear; if Dante had said it… it fucking meant something. For him to know what was to happen, and the fact that he knew we’d get help, was fucking intense. The level of his power was worrying. I needed to make sure he was safe until he was ready to protect himself. The fact that he was put on earth meant there was a purpose, and I would be lying to say that didn’t fucking worry me.
There’s an old saying that the gods test those they love most. If that was the fucking case, I sure didn’t want to be loved by them.What are you planning, Selene?What more do you have in store for us?Because something told me it wasn’t fucking over.
When the time comes, we’ll handle it like we always have. For now, we will celebrate our victory and mourn our losses.For every child who had lost a family member tonight, I would make sure their future was funded by myself.
I scanned the area, assessing what was left to do. There wasn’t much left. I went over to where a few other pack alphas were to thank them and let them know that, like always, I wouldn’t forget their help. Once I was done, I turned back to my family.
“Let’s head home,” I said loudly and clearly, before looking up at the sky for a final time.
We had fucking done it. The Djinn was gone, and our family was safe once again.
Moments to Cherish
Kiara
My mind felt free despite the sheer weight of everything that had happened. Everything I had forgotten returned to me, new memories and old. I would cherish them all.
Meeting the kids, Delsanra, and, of course, everyone else with my memories back was special. I truly felt like I had missed them. Although they were around, with my memory back, it just felt so much better. I was relieved that Alejandro had managed to convince me because if I had not trusted him or pushed the kids away, I would never have forgiven myself.
Dante, Delsanra, and I had all just showered and gotten dressed, whilst Raven had gone to get us something to eat. We heard that everyone was on their way back, and although the kids were ready for bed, no one was sleepy. The excitement and relief of the battle being won had pumped everyone’s adrenaline.
Dad had just said he wanted to have a word with me. I wondered if everything was okay. Eating quickly, I left the room with him, allowing him to lead the way into one of the less-used living rooms.
