Chapter 195
“You know?” Katya cleared her throat. “The first time I saw you, I thought you’d be a hard nut to crack,” she joked, and we burst out laughing.
“Why would you think that?” I asked, amidst laughter.
“Probably because you looked like you could bite,” she admitted.
“Hey, that’s so unfair!” I said. “Judging a book by its cover”
“No,” Katya took my hand. “I didn’t mean to judge, I was just cautious”
“Is that so?” I chuckle. “Then, it’s fine”
Katya and I stayed silent for a while, letting the quiet settle around us.
I didn’t realise how tightly I’d been gripping her hand until she gently squeezed back.
“I’m glad you’re here, Kaia,” she whispered.
I opened my mouth to respond, but a sudden gasp cut through the stillness.
We both turned to look, only to see Luna Morgana standing a few steps away, staring at us from a distance.
“Well, well… what am I seeing here?” She folded her arms under her breasts.
Katya and I exchanged looks.
Luna Morgana stood by the garden, holding a folded shawl draped over her shoulder.
Her brows lifted in exaggerated surprise before her face melted into a knowing smile.
“I leave the two of you alone for fifteen minutes,” she said, walking toward us, “and suddenly you’re acting like sisters who’ve known each other since birth.”
“Mother…” Katya groaned dramatically.
But Morgana didn’t stop. If anything, her grin widened.
“Katya never lets anyone in here, Kaia.” Morgana adjusted the shawl in her hand. “Not even her friends. Yet look at her laughing and gossiping with you in here. I can’t believe Katya is sharing food instead of hoarding like she always does. That’s a big surprise to me”
“Mom!” Katya nudged her, cheeks tinted pink. “I don’t hoard food.”
“You do,” Morgana replied with a smirk. “You literally hid pastries in your closet last time.”
I chuckled, warmth filling my chest.
For a moment, it felt like I belonged here, like I wasn’t just a guest staying for safety, but someone wanted.
Morgana stepped closer and wrapped the shawl gently around my shoulders.
“You looked cold, dear. This is one of my favourites. It’ll keep you warm.”
Her hands lingered on my shoulders, squeezing lightly.
Chapter 195
“Thank you, Luna,” I muttered, adjusting the shawl.
Then her gaze moved between Katya and me, and her expression softened even more.
“You two look right together,” she commented. “I haven’t seen Katya smile like this in a long time.”
Katya’s eyes dropped, her lashes fluttering.
“Katya’s easy to like, she’s a sweet person.” I touched her hand.
Katya choked out a tiny laugh. “Don’t let Miguel hear you say that.”
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Morgana hummed. “Nobody takes Miguel’s words seriously; he hardly likes anything these days. It would be stupid to make him the judge of likeness”
Then she paused, almost thoughtfully.
“It’s just been a long time since we’ve had this energy around here,” she looked at me and smiled. “Having someone like you around was the missing piece for a happy Katya after all”
Something in the way she said it made my stomach twist.
Katya quickly looked away, blinking fast.
Morgana noticed the shift and gently patted Katya’s cheek before straightening up, smiling as if to keep the heaviness in check.
“Oh, ladies,” Morgana said. “Forget I said anything and enjoy your time together”
Katya nodded and pointed to a tree, and I looked in that direction.
“Look,” she urged. “Miguel really hated that tree over there because it reminded him of the day he embarrassed himself trying to impress a girl”
We burst out laughing. I secretly hoped Miguel didn’t catch us mocking him; we would never hear the end of it.
“Your brother wouldn’t like this, Katya”, Morgana worried. “Be careful, he might set the whole pack on fire in his rage”
When she said this, we couldn’t help ourselves and laughed again.
“I dare him to do that,” Katya said. “More reasons for the elders to reject him, and it would be fun to watch him throw tantrums over it”
I listened and soon realised that Miguel’s behaviour made him unfit to rule the pack.
It would be a huge mistake to make a man like the alpha of the biggest pack on the continent.
We chatted for a while when Luna Morgana gasped.
“Oh my, I almost forgot,” she said, remembering something. “Katya, darling, your father needs you in his office. Something about those patrol maps you rearranged.”
Katya groaned under her breath.
“I organised them! He should be thanking me for it.”
Morgana lifted a brow. “You colour-coded them by moon phases, Katya.”
“I was just trying to help him”
13:10 Tue, Apr 21 MJO
Chapter 195
“Well, he can’t find his things and needs your help. Please go help him out”
I bit back a smile as Katya squeezed my hand before leaving.
“Don’t let my mother bore you,” she teased.
Morgana swatted lightly at her daughter.
“Go, before I tell him you also reorganised his weapon rack.”
Katya gasped. “You wouldn’t do that.”
“Try me.”
Katya vanished with a dramatic whine, leaving Morgana shaking her head, a fond smile lingering on her lips.
The moment the silence settled, her expression softened as she turned fully to me.
“Kaia… I want to apologise for Miguel’s behaviour earlier.”
I blinked, surprised. “Oh no, Luna Morgana, you don’t need to-”
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“But I do.” Her golden eyes held mine with sincerity. “He can be… prideful and sometimes thoughtless. None of that is an excuse for rudeness.”
I nodded gently. “It’s fine. I’ve dealt with worse.”
Her expression darkened for a moment, a flicker of anger at whoever had hurt me in the past, before smoothing again.
“Well, you won’t deal with anything like that here. Not in my home.”
The firmness in her voice wrapped around me. Then she inhaled and straightened with a warm smile.
“Now, come. You’ve barely seen a tenth of the Nightshade estate.”
She stood up first and offered me her hand, trying to help me get up.
“Let me show you around, Kaia. There’s a lot here I think you’ll love.”
I placed my hand in hers.
Her grip was gentle, familiar in a way I couldn’t explain.
As she guided me out of the garden, something inside me tugged.
I felt pity for myself.
If my parents hadn’t left me, I would have a family just like this
It hurt that I never got a chance to meet and ask them why they left me.
Why didn’t they want me? I deserve answers from them, but I will never get any answers now.
Luna Morgana led me out of the garden.
“This place…” she said quietly, pointing at the pack. “was built on the strength and resilience of many people, especially our gallant wolves who fought in the war”
Her voice wavered just slightly, but I caught onto it.
Chapter 195
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We stopped before a cluster of framed photos.
“This is our family,” she said with a gentle smile.
She pointed to a younger version of herself, radiant and laughing beside Alpha Mathew.
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In another frame, a tiny Katya sat on her father’s shoulders, chocolate smeared around her mouth. The image made me smile.
“She was a messy child,” Morgana sighed dramatically.
“And adorable,” I added.
“Oh, she’ll love hearing that.”
She laughed and pulled out another frame, where little Miguel was sucking his thumb.
“There should be one more here.” Luna Morgana said, looking for something.
“My other child,” she murmured. “If she were here…. she would be around your age now, Kaia.”
Sadness filled her voice, as if she were dealing with a wound that refused to heal.
I froze.
Her eyes glistened with longing.
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“She was,” her voice cracked. “ Taken from us. Many years ago.”
She drew a slow and steady breath.
“My husband and I built the garden part of the estate afterwards,” Morgana explained. “A place where we could grieve in peace and away from everyone. Somewhere quiet to remember her.”
My heart twisted painfully.
“I’m so sorry, Luna Morgana.”
She offered a sad smile and reached for another photo frame, one facedown, as though it had been touched too often.
“I don’t usually show this to people,” she whispered. “But… I feel you should-”
Before she could show it to me, a sharp metallic crash echoed down the hall.
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