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“I tried with Colin, so many times as young wolves I tried to reach him, but he was consumed by pain at his mother’s death, and when I arrived not long after. His world kept changing, crumbling, and for him, control is everything.”
“I didn’t know you made such a promise to Grandpa,” I said softly, and Dad smiled, but his eyes were still filled with sadness. “I didn’t know.”
“I know,” he replied. “You didn’t need to, babe, I had a job to do, and that was all. I wasn’t abandoning you by leaving to go back.” He placed his fist over his heart. “My legacy is yours, Diana, and it’ll be your children’s legacy. Our blood formed from nothing, a new bloodline created after several centuries, and it’s…” he held his hand out towards the forest, and it then fell to his side. “It’s wasting away.”
“I don’t want freedom for just myself, Diana, or you. I want it for those that’ll come after us. Jackson, Goddess, Jackson will be the end of the pack, the end of it all.” When a snowflake fell on Dad’s forehead, we looked up.
It was finally snowing.
The clouds overhead cleared, allowing us to see the sky and the snowflakes floating down to us, and like the clouds, I felt clarity. I looked at Dad while he was still staring at the sky, and for the first time, I saw all of his pain.
He was carrying so much weight, the weight Colin as the pack’s Alpha, should.
I’d never thought much of my bloodline. I’d known my grandfather for a short time before he died, and then the pack was passed down to Colin. However, thislegacyhad always been a heavy burden, and I’d hated being born from such a family.
But Dad, he was honored. He saw the beauty in us being the first to begin this journey.
In a matter of minutes, there were patches of snow on the ground, and I hugged Dad, and he squeezed me close.
“I love you,” I told him. “You didn’t fail anyone, Dad, least of all me. You gave your all. Now pass the torch to me, or if you wish, we can continue together. We won’t let the Bluemoon crumble to nothing, even while members of another pack.”
“We’ll buy our time, and Colin will get what’s coming to him, and if he doesn’t, Jackson will.” I pulled back, and Dad brushed at the snow in my hair. “This isn’t the end, we’re just getting started, but we’re free, Dad, free from Colin, and to tear a house down and build a new one, it has to be done from the outside.”
“Well, that was poetic,” Dad laughed genuinely, and I shrugged.
His laugh was, however, followed by a frown. “But I know Colin, and he’s far too vengeful. That just now was too easy.”
“I know,” I replied. “Kaleem knows it too, but like I said, we have a better chance of beating him from the outside. We tried from within, and it didn’t work.”
His eyes searched my face, and after a while, he nodded.
We walked back to the packhouse together, and while Dad had a vow to keep, I made one for myself. Whether it took months or years or was done by Dad, me, or my children, our line would regain its honor and place in the werewolf community.
I was seeing myself in a new light now because, in our community, alpha bloodlines were like royalty. I was royalty, and it was time I accepted that and saved my empire.
***
One Week Later
The world was covered in white. While the road and sidewalks were cleared, there was still so much snow. A few cars parked on the curb on either side of the street had a light coat of snow, and the trees were covered.
It started snowing five days ago, and while it stopped from time to time, it was constant. Marian was in hell, but it was so beautiful to me. The purity of everything being white, and then there were the world’s colors contrasting with it, just beautiful.
While we didn’t need it, Dad and I spent hours sitting by the fireplace in our new house.
As Colin had said, our furniture was delivered on Monday after my date with Kaleem the Saturday night. Kaleem took Dad and me to our house the following Sunday morning, and I was left speechless.
The house was a contemporary styled home with several glass walls and wood detailing and was two stories high. The chimney was a nice touch to the luxurious ambiance, and while at the house, we were joined by a she-wolf named Nazanin.
She’d been unexpectedly welcoming to Dad, and I and I swore I saw a little spark between them.
They’d eventually left Kaleem and me when Nazanin offered to give my Dad a territory tour. When Dad returned, he was all smiles, and I hadn’t complained or said a word. I wasn’t the only one that deserved love.
At the end of the week, I was still shocked at the welcome Dad, and I received. Sunday night Kaleem announced a dinner where Dad and I were invited, and my mate bond to Kaleem was made public.
He explained our situation to the pack and that while I wasn’t the pack’s Luna just yet, I was his partner and should be respected no matter my past or previous pack.
Except for curious stares and even a few judgmental ones Dad and I were well received.
