CHAPTER 139: HER HOME

Some faint smiles were thrown Lethia’s way as she walked back toward the car, but she didn’t bat an eye.

How could any of them just stand there while a forbidden branding took place right in front of their eyes? Completely shameful.

"Where should we take her? Is there a good hospital nearby?" Caelum asked as they passed the gates of the Ashcroft estate.

Just as Lethia bit her lower lip, torn with uncertainty, she felt a faint tug on her shoulder from the backseat that made her turn.

"Terressa!" Lethia grabbed her trembling hand, eyes wide in concern. "How do you feel right now?"

She turned quickly to Caelum. "Caelum, we should just go back to Ashenhold. It’s—"

"No, dear my Luna..." Terressa’s voice cut softly through her words. "I would be okay with just a good rest." She insisted, voice weak but calm.

Lethia held her gaze, pity tightening her chest. Their eyes locked for a few seconds until Lethia flinched. A flicker of crimson flashed in Terressa’s pupils. She blinked, grounding herself, unsure whether her mind was just playing tricks on her.

Terressa slowly pulled her hand away, lowering her gaze to avoid Lethia’s eyes. But Lethia noticed the way her body still trembled and assumed the pain hadn’t completely subsided.

Her eyes fell to Terressa’s collarbone.

A fresh burn marked her skin; the shape of a triangle with a staff entwined by two serpents. Lethia’s heart shattered.

And yet, hearing Terressa still call her "Luna" brought a small relief. It meant her mind hadn’t broken yet.

She’d heard of it before: a branding by silver rod didn’t just drain the wolf’s physical strength, it poisoned their soul. The forbidden magic fused to the skin, slowly eating away their sense of self until nothing remained.

"Then I’ll take you with me. You should leave these damned people. Why would you..." Lethia’s voice caught in her own throat, choked by rage. She couldn’t finish the outburst. Not when Terressa gave her that soft, gentle smile.

"I can’t leave this place, Luna... especially after being branded. You know what that means, don’t you?" Her voice was fragile, but the strength was starting to return. "And... thanks to your arrival, she didn’t brand me a second time like she was supposed to. So the pain’s still bearable."

Lethia went rigid. Her heart sank into bitter sorrow, the weight of Terressa’s words branding her chest just as deeply.

"But how could I leave you here?" she snapped, her voice shaking. Lethia bit her lower lip hard as her fists curled into the fabric of her dress. She knew what it meant. A forbidden branding wasn’t something that could be undone; it was a bond sealed by death.

The silence thickened, heavy like smoke. Words failed both of them, trapped between grief and helpless fury.

"Ehm... so, where should I go from here?" Caelum finally spoke up, trying to slice through the tension.

"You—"

"Ah, I’m sorry for being a burden," Terressa interrupted softly, her voice unexpectedly calm and polite. "Turn left at the second junction ahead. I’ll guide you to my place from there."

Lethia frowned. She’d been just about to give the directions herself, but the way Terressa stepped in, so controlled, so composed, took her by surprise.

"Alright then... no worries," Caelum replied gently, glancing at her through the rearview mirror. "Just take it easy on the way. I’m sorry for everything you’ve been through."

"You’re so kind. I’m glad my Luna has a reliable companion like you," Terressa continued, her voice soft with a faint, cracked edge of pain.

The warmth of that conversation felt oddly off to Lethia’s ears. Something didn’t sit right. Her gut churned.

Lethia glanced back at Terressa, her brows tightening as if something unfamiliar snapped into clarity when she saw Terressa’s warm smile at Caelum’s sympathy.

Was her memory broken? Or could someone really change that much from harsh suffering? Still, how could the same Terressa, who used to scoff at every male stranger, suddenly offer a gentle smile like that? One she never even showed her father?

Lethia glanced at Caelum. Was his charm truly that powerful? But he still wore his cap and mask. It didn’t seem like Terressa even realized who he was.

Terressa winced, her breath trembling out in a pained exhale. Lethia shoved her thoughts aside. Of course Terressa would act kindly to someone who saved her from such cruelty.

Caelum’s car turned at the designated junction, guided by Terressa’s instructions. On either side, the pine forest closed in, and with it, a squeeze in Lethia’s chest as flashes of memory before rejection rushed her.

"Why did you keep my things and make Lana furious?" Lethia asked, her voice low.

"Because I knew you’d come back. She’s just a cheap stand-in. Even then... she’s not worthy to be called your substitute," Terressa replied with a hoarse whisper.

"Why did Varrel let her use that forbidden branding? Didn’t the entire pack agree using it is an act of betrayal?"

Lethia heard no response for a few minutes. But just as she turned her head toward Terressa again, the woman looked uneasy, fidgety, even.

"That’s because... the elders lifted the ban and agreed to bring it back, Luna. And..." Her voice wavered.

"And?" Lethia pressed.

"And it’s all to instil fear in the pack, to stop anyone from rebelling the way you did. But... Lana has been abusing it, using the brand in the name of ’discipline’ on the ranch and cheese farm workers who still support you. You know... because of your popularity and all your achievements in Ashenhold, people keep saying you should return. That you’re our true Luna."

Terressa’s explanation struck Lethia like a bolt of lightning. So all the madness she’d just witnessed... all of it ended up circling back to her.

"What... what in the world do people think they know about me?"

"You didn’t know, queen?" Caelum chimed in with a teasing tone. "You should check social media more. Your name’s trending every week for all sorts of reasons."

"Many in the pack want you back, Luna..." Terressa’s voice carried a persuasion Lethia had never imagined hearing from the very pack that once cast her out.

It stirred something inside her, a fragile, unwelcome hope.

"I will get the ranch back," Lethia said, her voice low and sharp. "And I don’t care about the pack. I just want my ranch. My home."