Alpha’s Regret: Begging For My Luna Back novel Chapter 198

The morning after one of the best days of my life was slow and warm. I woke up in Astor’s arms, feeling the steady beat of his heart against my back. We didn’t rush out of bed because we didn’t have to.

It just feels strange to wake up with absolutely no worries in your mind and it was exactly what we needed.

For an hour, we just laid there, whispering about the future and listening to the birds outside.

But I knew there was one thing I had to do before I could truly move on. I had to face the woman who tried to replace me. My relationship with Ovelia has always been strange.

When my mating with Astor was first arranged and I came to stay in the pack she was indifferent to me and I was also trying to get my footing on everything so I paid her no heed.

Then she sort of became my teacher and she gave me what I would call tough love but I did learn from her how to be a proper Luna.

She didn’t pretend like we were the best of friends but I could live with that until everything happened recently.

“Are you sure you want to go?” Astor asked as I stood in front of the mirror, braiding my hair. “You don’t owe her anything, Faith. She chose her side.”

“I know,” I said, looking at his reflection. He was leaning against the bedpost, watching me with worried eyes. “But she is still your mother. And she is the grandmother of our children. If she is going to live on our land, I need her to understand the new rules.”

Astor sighed and walked over. He wrapped his arms around me and ki my neck. “You are too good, Faith. Anyone else would have had her banished.”

“I’m not most Lunas,” I said, turning in his arms. “I’m also her daughter–in–law.”

We walked to the edge of the pack territory. The cottage was small and made of old stone and wood.

It was far from the busy Pack House and it was quiet and almost deserted.

Ovelia was sitting on the small porch in a wooden chair. She wasn’t wearing her silk dresses or her jewels anymore. She wore a simple gray wool shawl and a plain dress. When she saw us walking up the path, she stood up. She looked like the weight of her mistakes had finally caught up to her.

“Astor,” she whispered. Her eyes moved to me, and she stiffened. “Faith.”

“Mother,” Astor said. His voice was not mean, but it was not warm either. It was the voice of an Alpha talking to one of his pack members and not his mother.

“We came to see how you are settling in.”

“It is… quiet,” Ovelia said. She looked at her hands. “I have everything I need. The Omegas brought food this morning.”

I stepped forward. I didn’t wait for her to invite me up. I walked onto the porch and looked at her. I didn’t use my power to scare her. I didn’t need to. The power was just part of who I was now and it was present in my aura.

“Ovelia,” I said. “I didn’t come here to gloat. And I didn’t come here to make you feel bad.”

Ovelia looked up at me, her eyes red. “Then why are you here? To tell me how happy you are?” I honestly don’t blame her for thinking that is why I’m here because if there’s one thing I can never take back even though I know it’s not my fault, it’s the fact that my brother killed her mate.

“I’m here to tell you that the door to our house is closed to you,” I said firmly. “But the door to our hearts is not locked forever.” I didn’t want to lie to her or make promises that I will never be able to keep but I was extending a hand to her.

Ovelia gasped. She looked at Astor, who was standing behind me like a wall of stone.

“You betrayed us,” I continued. “You let a monster into our home because you were afraid of being weak. You tried to replace me with a girl who wanted to harvest my soul. That is something I cannot forget today.”

As we walked back toward the Pack House, I felt a huge weight leave my shoulders. I didn’t hate her. Hate is a heavy thing to carry.

“You handled that perfectly,” Astor said. He pulled me into a hug right there in the middle of the forest path.

“I’m just a woman who wants a peaceful life,” I said, smiling up at him.

“Well, ‘Peaceful Faith‘ is very sexy,” he teased, wagging his eyebrows at me.

I laughed and swatted his arm. “Stop it! We have work to do. The Crescent Pack Elders are arriving for lunch, and Alice wants to talk to us about the wedding flowers.” They are getting married because Liam just wants everything to be official and I’m happy for them.

Alice has come a long way and especially because she has been dealing with the Guilt of everything that she did in the past and the truth of the matter is that she cannot go back and change it but she’s doing everything she can to turn over a new leaf and that’s commendable.

“Alice and flowers,” Astor groaned. “That’s going to take four hours.”

“Probably,” I said. “But she’s happy, Astor. She and Liam… it’s a miracle.”

“It is,” Astor said, his face turning serious. “I’m glad one of my best friends finally found his mate. Even if she is your bratty sister.”

“Hey!” I laughed. “She’s a changed brat now.”

This is what life should always feel like. I don’t want to hold any grudges.