Forsaken by the Moon Goddess novel Chapter 63

Sloane

I can’t believe Beatrice hates me, me and my siblings, because of something our mother and their father did.

How could she carry that much hate around inside her for nearly twenty years?

The answer is, it ate her alive. It made her into the horrible woman that she’s become. I want to process what happened, I want to go to my room, close the door and withdraw into myself. But Benedict and Bethany are aching much more than I am. I need to be strong for them, because Benedict still has to tell the pack that his mother, their Luna, has been banished.

As soon as their father is out of the room, Bethany collapses onto the floor and begins sobbing.

I’m not good with emotions. I’ve always hid my own, choosing to react with my fists rather than tears. But Bethany is a good person and regardless of how she felt about her mother, it must hurt to see her being removed from the pack forever.

I kneel down beside her, wrapping my arms around her.

She surprises me by wrapping her arms around me and clinging to me as if I’m her lifeline. I hold her tightly, rocking her gently back and forth, just letting her get it out of her system.

I look up to see Benedict, standing behind the deskLooking broken and defeated. I’ve never seen him look like this. He turns away, running his hands through his hair before walking over to the window and staring outside.

“Is dad going to die?” she asks.

“No, Bethany. He’ll be weak for a while and he may lose his wolf for a while, but he won’t die.”

Benedict turns and looks at me, nodding slightly before turning away again.

When Bethany finally stops crying, she pulls away from me. I reach up and grab the box of tissues off the desk and hand them to her.

“What are we going to do now?” she asks Benedict.

“I have to address the pack. I have to tell them that their Luna has been banished…” he stops, as he gets choked up.

I stand and walk over to him.

He tugs me into his arms, burying his face in my neck and breathing deeply.

“Thank you for being here. I know that must have been hard for you,” he murmurs against my throat.

“It was much harder for you,” I say, holding him as tightly as I held Bethany.

We stand there for a long time and I just hold him, letting him collect himself.”What can I do, Benedict?” I ask.

“Stand with me when I tell my pack. Lend me your strength, Sloane. Just be here for me,” he says.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I tell him. I know I’ll have to call my grandfather, not only to tell him what happened, but to let him know I won’t be returning to his pack today. We have a lot of work to do, but we have the week to do it.

Right now, I need to be here for Benedict and for Bethany, and probably for their pack too, if they’ll accept my help.

Benedict finally pulls away from me, sniffing and gritting his teeth as he fights his own tears.

“I’ll have to contact our allies, let them know that my mother is no longer part of our pack.”

“What about dad?” Bethany asks.

“It’s his choice what he wants to do. He’s welcome to stay here, and I hope he does, but I won’t force him to. If he wants to leave, I’ll let him,” Benedict tells her.

“And what about me?” Bethany asks, her voice so small she sounds years younger than she is.

“Your place is here, Bethany. You need to stay, even if dad leaves. In truth, l’d like you to become the acting Luna here. The pack would accept you easily and you could use the practice in case you’re mated to an Alpha. But this is your home, and I want you here,” he says.

She nods, then she rushes into his arms. He holds hertight and I step away, letting the two of them grieve the loss of their mother and possibly their father if he decides to leave the pack. I’m thankful they have each other.

They’re going to need to lean on each other in the days and weeks to come.

Well, that explains a lot.

Benedict snarls and takes a step forward. I grab his arm.

“It’s not their fault, Benedict. They were listening to their Luna, someone they should have been able to trust. You can’t hold them accountable for that,” I tell him.

“Why did WE never hear of this?” Bethany growls, stepping forward.

“I don’t know, Alpha, but it’s true. It’s common knowledge among our pack and our allies’ packs. The children of Alpha Sawyer and Luna Althea are the children of murderers and have no place in our world. They are blights on our packs. That’s what Luna said,” another pack member says. He’s only a year or two older than I am, one of the people who tried to bully me until he realized that I was a stronger, better fighter than he is.

Benedict turns and looks at me, his eyes closing as he realizes what I’m realizing. All those years of bullying, all the years of hate that were spewed at me by my peers, it was all because of his mother.

“Sloane…”

“It’s not your fault, Benedict,” I say quietly.”Well, that fucking shit ends now! Do you hear me?”

Bethany snarls.

“Bethany ..’Benedict says, his attention snapping to her.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to allow it to continue, Benedict,” she growls. “I’ve dealt with my share of assholes trying to bully Slade. I won’t allow it, not now that I know it was our own mother who started it.”

I fight not to smile. Bethany has a bit of fire in her.

“Of course I’m not going to allow it, Beth,” Benedict says turning to the pack. “I won’t punish you for what you did under my mother’s tenure as Luna. As Alpha Sloane just mentioned, that wouldn’t be fair to you. But from this day forward, if I hear even one word against the Hartwells, Sloane, Slade, or Aria, you will no longer be welcome in this pack. Am I clear?” he barks.

“Yes, Alpha!” the entire pack responds.

“Good. Dismissed.”