bChapter /bb230 /b

“Sometimes the paths we envision for those we love aren’t the ones they’re meant to walk, I said softly.

Marianne’s eyes snapped back to me, sharp and assessing. “Do you know what it’s like to lose a sibling?” she asked abruptly.

b90 /b

The question caught me off guard, but I nodded slowly. “My brother, Jason,” I said, the familiar ache blooming in my chest. “He was three years younger than me. When he died, I felt like a part of myself had been torn away.”

Marianne nodded, a sh of genuine sympathy crossing her face. “Elizabeth was like a daughter to me, before… before everything changed. Her mother died when she was young, and I took her under my wing. I taught her what it meant to be Luna.” She looked away, her voice hardening. “Clearly, those lessons didn’t take.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, and meant it. “I’m sorry that the person you cared for became someone you couldn’t recognize.”

“This is rather annoying,” Marianne said after a moment of silence, her tone lighter though her eyes remained sad. “You being so understanding. I’m beginning to see why my son chose you.”

I couldn’t help but smile slightly at that. “Is that almost apliment, Marianne?”

A ghost of a smile touched her lips. “Don’t push it,” she warned, but there was no real heat in her words. Then her expression sobered again. “Dominic will want to attend the… the end. And the funeral, when ites. It’s his duty as future Alpha.”

I nodded. “I know. And I’ll be there with him, if he wants me to be.”

Marianne looked at me with something close to respect. “You’re learning quickly what it means to be Luna,” she observed. “Faster than I expected.”

Coming from her, it was high praise indeed. “Thank you,” I said simply, rising to my feet. “Is there anything else you need?”

She shook her head, herposure fully restored now. “No. Thank you for… foring to see me.” fn0257 Latest content published on find(?)ovel/fn0257

I nodded and turned to leave, but her voice stopped me at the door.

“Reba,” she said, using my name for perhaps the first time without a trace of reluctance. “You’ll make a good Luna.”

I blinked in surprise, then offered a small smile. “I’m certainly trying,” I replied, and quietly closed the door behind me.

In the hallway, I leaned against the wall for a moment, processing the unexpected connection I’d just formed with my mother–inw. It wasn’t friendship, not yet, but it was a beginning. A foundation we could build on.

Returning to our suite, I found Dominic in the nursery, sitting in the rocking chair with Lucas against his chest. The baby was awake now, his tiny hands waving as he looked up at his father with what seemed like fascination.

“How did it go?” Dominic asked as bI /bentered, his eyes searching my face.

“Better than expected,” I admitted, moving to perch on the arm of the chair. “I think we actually made progressb./bb” /b

Dominic shifted Lucas so I could see his face. “Your mother,” he told the baby, “works miracles. Remember that.”

15:17 Monb, /bSep b29 /b

Iughed softly, touching Lucas’s cheek. “Not miracles. Just… understanding.”

Dominic caught my hand, bringing it to his lips. “That’s your superpower,” he said seriously. “Seeing beyond the surfaceb, /bfinding the humanity even in those who don’t seem to deserve it.”

I thought about that, about Marianne’s grief, about Olivia’s desperation, about all theplex emotions that made up ourplicated lives. “Everyone deserves understanding,” I said finally. “Even if they don’t deserve forgiveness.”

Dominic nodded, his eyes on our son. 111 attend the procedure this afternoon,” he said quietly. b“/bAnd the funeral, when it happens. It’s my responsibility as future Alpha.”

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Mated by Contract to the Alpha

bChapter /bb231 /b