Alpha Maximus：The last lycan novel Chapter 30

　　Hope

　　I try my best to smile as we eat and celebrate, during the banquet, but it’s too much for me. I stand, kiss my father on the cheek, and Maximus on the lips.

　　‘Please excuse me while I freshen up,’ I say, forcing a smile. I run quickly to the nearest bathroom. I’m not feeling very well at all, but I don't want anyone to think of me as weak, or unwell.

　　Feeling better, I rejoin everyone at the table. I’m so caught up in conversation with my father about my life, I don't realise how late it becomes.

　　‘I think it's time we finish up here and go to bed, before we travel home tomorrow,’ Maximus says, smiling; I nod stand, and take his hand.

　　‘Before I wish you a good night, I want to know what you want. Do you want to live with Alpha Maximus and I, or do you want to reclaim your position here, as Alpha?’ I ask.

　　My Dad is taken back by my question.

　　‘What do you want me to do?’ He asks.

　　‘I want you to be happy,’ I answer, and he pulls me into his chest and wraps his arms around me, lovingly.

　　‘I’m so proud of you. Your mother would be so proud of you as well,’ he whispers. We cry in each other's arms.

　　‘You don't have to decide right now. We’re not leaving until tomorrow.’ He nods, lets me go, and wipes away his tears. I take Maximus's hand and follow him upstairs, to sleep.

　　The next morning, we wake up in each other's arms smiling.

　　‘Let's go have breakfast and see what your father has decided,’ Maximus says, climbing out of bed.

　　We’re the only ones at breakfast, and Alex and Nathan come down just as we are finished.

　　‘Have you seen my father?’ I ask them.

　　‘He was wandering around outside earlier,’ Nathan says.

　　‘I'll find him and talk to him,’ I say, kissing Maximus’ cheek.

　　I wander out the front door and to the back garden.

　　My Dad is sitting on the grass, looking at the sky, taking in his surroundings.

　　‘It must have been awful spending eighteen years in a dungeon, never seeing the sky nor even a flower,’ I say, approaching him, and sitting down beside him. We smile sympathetically.

　　‘I thought I'd never see the sky again, or feel the warmth of the sun on my skin. I prayed to the Moon Goddess to let me die during the beatings, but now I know why she didn't answer my prayers. She knew you were alive and wanted us to be reunited,’ he says, smiling.

　　‘Papa...’ I say, sweetly placing my head on his shoulder. ‘Have you decided what you want to do?’ I ask.

　　‘Someone needs to stay here and be in charge of the Dark Moon pack. I would love to be reinstated as Alpha, but I would also like to spend some time with you. Perhaps the Beta can run things here for a while, I can spend a few months with you, then return as Alpha,’ he says, smiling.

　　I wrap my arms around him.

　　‘I like the idea,’ I say, excitedly, kissing him on the cheek. ‘You’ll love it at Blood Moon. The pack house is a big old castle,’ I explain.

　　‘Your mother told me about it. She was best friends with Maximus' mother. They go way back. When she found out Anna had been sentenced to death, they hid her in their castle. The castle staff didn't even know Anna was hidden there, in a secret room. I had been demoted and put in the dungeon here; your mother only just escaped in time. We also had only just found out she was pregnant with you.

　　She stayed at the castle for months, until news spread she was being hidden and protected there. My father paid them a surprise visit. They weren't expecting him. He demanded they hand her over, but they denied her being there. His pack warriors tore the castle apart and they eventually found the room she was in. Anna must have known they were there, because she had fled the castle. She was due to give birth any moment. She made it as far as Black Wood territory, where my father caught her. You were probably a day old when you were found. My heart shattered and sank when my father told me he had caught her and burnt her at the stake. I knew that meant you died with her. Anna was the most selfless woman I ever met. She made sure you survived. I’m forever grateful she saved you. I just wish she was here to see you, and see what a wonderful, loving Luna you are,’ he says, wiping a tear away.

　　‘I wish she was here, too,’ I say, with a sad smile. A glow emits from my chest, and I pull the heart pendant out, and hold it in the palm of my hand, watching it glow brighter.

　　‘Where did you find this?’ My father asks, in disbelief.

　　‘At the castle, with this,’ I say, handing him the love note.