Chapter 8
ΜΙΑ
Six Years Later
The evening was crisp, carrying the scent of pine and earth. I stepped out onto the balcony,
watching my son Aiden chase after Logan with wild laughter.
Aiden was only five, but even at his young age, his Alpha blood was unmistakable. He was strong, fast, and fiercely protective of those he cared about. But unlike his father, Aiden was also gentle, his laughter like music that soothed the scars on my heart.
His dark curls bounced with every step, and his golden–brown eyes–so much like Derek’s
-glowed in the fading light.
A pang of emotion tightened my chest. Over the past six years, I had built a quiet life, shielding myself from the world I had once known. My family had welcomed me home, though my memories had never fully returned. Some came in fleeting glimpses, fragmented dreams that left me grasping at something just out of reach.
I was seeing a doctor that specialized in memory, on loan from Logan’s small pack, and each day the world I lived in got more and more familiar. Though there was still an emptiness, a part of me that had never quite healed.
Logan knelt in front of Aiden, ruffling his dark curls. “You’re getting faster, pup! You might just beat me next time.”
Alden grinned, his sharp canines peeking through. “I’ll beat you now!”
watched them with a mixture of gratitude and guilt. A childhood friend (or so they told me), Logan had been there for me through everything. Long and lanky with sandy hair that was as light and tousled as a wind–swept beach, he had stood by me, protected Aiden, and
supported my healing.
He had never pushed for more, though I knew my family wanted it. They thought he would
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be good for me, that he could replace what I had lost. But even as my family subtly tried to nudge us together, he respected my hesitance.
I turned as Mason entered the courtyard, his sharp blue eyes scanning the scene before settling on me. “We need to talk,” he said, his tone unreadable.
Aiden, perceptive as ever, frowned. “You’re not taking Mommy away, are you?”
Being that I rarely left our pack territory and avoided social events, Aiden was used to always having me to himself.
Mason smirked, ruffling his nephew’s hair. “Only for a bit. Go easy on Logan while I steal
her.”
I followed Mason into the kitchen, where he leaned against the white granite countertop, wasting no time getting to the point. “There’s an Alpha Council meeting this month,” he said. “Every Alpha has to bring their Luna or a date.”
“Why are Lunas required to attend?” I asked in mock innocence, reaching out to pull a grape out of the fruit bowl in front of me and popping it into my mouth. “It’s called the Alpha Council.”
He knew how riled I could get about equal rights in the werewolf hierarchy.
“Ha,” he said, thoroughly not amused. “This is the one special Council meeting of the year. The one where Alphas decide which pack is going to host this year’s Alpha Ball. We give the Lunas a little say. They do most of the planning, afterall.”
He smirked at me, and I reached out and swatted his arm playfully.
It was nice having a brother, even when he was purposely irritating.
I chuckled at him. “What does that have to do with me?”
He leveled a look at me. “Mom and Dad are traveling until the 30th,” he said.
“…and?”
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He pressed his lips together and smiled with an apologetic grin.
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I stiffened, the grape I’d eaten turning into a hard knot as it traveled down my esophagus. “Mason, you know I’ve avoided these gatherings for a reason.” Even thinking about it
made my heart rate go up.
“I know,” he said, his voice gentle. “But it’s been six years. You can afford to loosen up a little. Besides, these Alpha–and–Luna gatherings aren’t just about duty. There’ll be good food, entertainment, and a different atmosphere from the usual serious meetings.”
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