Chapter 22
TOPO
Ivy’s POV
Four years. It felt like a lifetime had passed, and yet, in the quiet moments, it felt like only yesterday I stood on that cliff’s edge, my world teetering on the brink. But so much had changed since then. Just like my title. I was no longer the discarded Luna, the woman who had run away. I was Luna y of Nightshade Pack, a title that settled over me like a second skin.
My hand instinctively went to the gentle swell of my belly. My second son. A tiny, precious life growing within me, a testament to the strength of my bond with Vincent. Raphael, our firstbom, was already three years old.
It was morning, the sun just beginning to peek over the ancient trees that ringed our pack lands, painting the sky in hues of soft orange and pink!
From the window of our private residence, overlooking a sprawling, sun–drenched meadow, I watched my boys. Raphael, a smaller. quicker version of his father, giggled uncontrollably as Vincent chased him, their playful roars echoing across the grass. Vincent, his powerful Alpha form radiating pure joy, would lunge, feigning a mighty capture, only for Raphael to dart away, his laughter a sweet melody carried on the breeze
Vincent’s wolf, usually so serious and commanding, was pure bliss when he was with Raphael. I saw the way his eyes crinkled at the comers, the genuine, unrestrained smiles that transformed his face. He’d scoop Raphael up, tossing him high into the air, and the boy’s shrieks of delight would reach me even here. Then he’d bury his face in Raphael’s messy, dark hair, inhaling his son’s scent, a picture of profound contentment
My heart felt so full it ached, a sweet, overwhelming ache that was miles away from the pain I once knew. This was happiness. True happiness. A kind i once believed was beyond my reach. But here it was, tangible and real, running around in the form of my husband and my son, their laughter weaving into the very fabric of my soul.
I watched them, a soft smile on my lips, my hand still resting on my belly. But then, a flicker of sadness brushed against the edges of my joy. My mind drifted back to that cliff, to the chaos of that day, to the final, desperate shout.
Farah
She had jumped. The wolves had confirmed it. She couldn’t live with the truth exposed, with her deception laid bare for all to see. The humiliation, the shame of her lie about the pup, the knowledge that her child would forever be a laughingstock for not being bom out of love – it had been too much for her Perhaps, in her twisted way, she believed it was the only escape from a life of judgment?
And Ethan. Since that day, since Farah’s fall, he had seemed to deflate. The madness, the possessiveness, had drained from him, replaced by a haunting emptiness. He had cooperated with the authorities, given up without a fight. He was now spending years in the royal dungeon for his crimes, for kidnapping me, for the attempted coercion. Justice, slow but inevitable, had caught up to him. From: time to time, a letter would arrive, usually through a neutral pack courier. They were from him. Filled with pleas for forgiveness, etched with regret for what he had done in the past, for how he had treated me, for all the pain he had caused. He claimed to have seen the error of his ways, to have finally understood the depth of his foolishness. A part of me, the part that had once loved him so fiercely, fel: a pang of something. Pity, perhaps. But it was fleeting.
Because all that was yesterday now. It was all in the past. For me, what mattered most was here, in this moment, in this peaceful dawn. What mattered was my family.
I turned from the window, walking towards the soft, rumpled bed. My wolf purred, settling into the warmth of the room.
A few minutes later, Vincent came back inside, Raphael squirming in his arms, both of them flushed and breathless from their play. He smelled of fresh air, damp earth, and the unique, beloved scent of my mate!
“Mama!” Raphael shrieked, reaching for me, his little arms outstretched X
I scooped him up, pulling him into a tight hug, inhaling his sweet, innocent scent. His small hands patted my belly. “Baby brother,” he announced proudly, already so excited to be a big brother.
a soft kiss to my temple. “They’re lucky.” he murmured, his voice a
Vincent wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me close, pressing a low rumble against my ear “Two perfect boys ”
I leaned into his embrace, my head resting against his shoulder. His strength was a comfort, his love a constant unwavering light. They are; I agreed, a contented sigh escaping my lips. “And they have the best Alpha and Luna in the world.”
He chuckled, the sound deep and warm, and kissed the top of my head.
This was my life.now. A life with my fated mate, my devoted Alpha, and our beautiful sons. The scars of the past remained, faint reminders of a journey I had survived, but they no longer defined me. They were simply part of the story, a story that had finally found its truly happy ending.
