STACY I drive aimlessly not knowing where I’m going because of all the conflicting emotions I'm feeling right now. I just keep going, the road winding out of the Blue Moon Pack territory and into the unfamiliar, darker edges of the rogue zones. I pass trees, empty farmland, and jagged rocks blurred by my tears. Why did my parents keep such a secret from me all these years? I ask myself over and over but the silence in the car is the only response I get and it's deafening. I can still hear my father's voice saying that I'm not his biological daughter. It repeats itself over and over until I feel like I’m losing pieces of myself with every mile. All these years, I thought I was broken because of what Jason did to me. I blamed him for the cracks in my soul and for the hollow ache I carried like a second skin. But this… This is something else entirely. Because now I don’t even know who I am. I’m not a White. I don’t share their blood. Everything I believed about myself
STACY We reach the cabin. I rush inside and gather the specific herbs I need to counter respiratory distress. My fingers tremble as I scoop them into my bag, desperate to get back in time without Daniel distracting me his proposal... Hours later, we return to my parents’ home. My mother is waiting outside, her face streaked with tears. My heart stops suddenly expecting bad news. “What happened?” She chokes on a sob. “I think… he doesn’t have much time left. He’s been asking for you nonstop. Please, Stacy… go inside and hear him out.” I swallow hard. “Where’s Liam?” “He’s asleep in the other room,” my mother replies softly. “I didn’t want him to see… any of this.” I don’t wait another second. I dart past her, into the house, to the bedroom and find my father there, propped against pillows, struggling to breathe. “Stacy,” he rasps, barely louder than a whisper. “I’m here,” I say, dropping to my knees beside the bed. “Just give me a second—I’ll treat you.” I open th
STACY As soon as I step out of my parent's bedroom, I let out the breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. The hallway is quiet, but my heart is still racing from what my father said—“There’s something you need to know.” What could possibly be so urgent now, when he could barely breathe? Suddenly, my mother appears at the end of the hallway with her hands nervously twisting the edge of her blouse. “What happened in there?” she asks, her voice low and unsure. I shake my head. “He tried to tell me something… but he’s too weak and not breathing right. I suspect there’s fluid in his lungs.” I exhale shakily. “So, I need to get some herbs at the cabin to help him breathe better. But I left my truck near the market square.” Her eyes widen. “Maybe you should’ve heard what he had to say before you left.” “I will, Mom. But not now. If I don’t help him breathe better, there won’t be a chance to hear anything.” Just then, Daniel steps into the hallway from the living room and
STACY I can barely taste the food in front of me because the moment Daniel said my father isn’t well and that he collapsed a few weeks ago, my world tilted sideways and my appetite vanished. Now I’m just pushing grilled chicken around my plate, pretending I’m still present. Across from me, Liam is smiling, already halfway through his meal. He’s telling Daniel all about some butterfly at the cabin, gesturing with greasy fingers and shining eyes. Daniel listens closely, laughing in the right places, ruffling Liam’s curls like he’s done it a thousand times. Liam naturally leans into the touch and then I suddenly see a father figure I tried so hard to keep at arm’s length from Liam's life. Daniel might be Liam's biological father but he is the one my son has needed all along. Daniel glances at me and I quickly look away too fast. But the damage is done. The butterflies I buried this morning with the last flower on Vivienne’s grave start to stir. What a day to come undone
DANIEL I can’t believe she’s standing in front of me after six years of silence, unanswered visits and six years of showing up at that damned forest cabin only to be told she wasn’t around… here she is. Same eyes. Same voice. Same beautiful woman I’ve been trying and failing to move on from. My chest feels too tight. Not from anger. Just… relief and a pinch of resentment I’ve buried for too long. She gives me a cautious little “hi,” like it hasn’t been six whole years. That word sticks in my ears like an insult. “Hi?” I repeat quietly, stepping forward while my packmates hesitantly disperse. “That’s all I get? After six years of avoidance?” Her lips part slightly and guilt flits through her expression, then something softer. “I haven't been avoiding you," she stutters nervously, " I told you it was okay to visit,” she says carefully. I huff, tilting my head. “Yeah. And every time I did, Vivienne told me you were either busy or weren’t there.” Stacy flinches sligh
STACY. “Liam,” I murmur with a soft chuckle, shaking my head at his boldness. “Where do you even get these ideas?” He shrugs in that casual, unbothered way of his. “From you and grandma since you are always talking about Alpha Daniel everytime she calls you on the phone. But you like Uncle Daniel, don’t you?” "What? No..." I shoot him a look with one eyebrow raised. A soft frown tugs at his lips, making him look unintentionally adorable. “Then why do you and grandma always talk about him.” I sigh deeply because I can't deflect from his never ending questions, “Well, that’s because he’s a good Alpha,” I say. “And he’s family to your grandparents in many ways. But that doesn’t mean I want to be anyone’s Luna.” “Why not?” Liam pouts. “It is not such a bad idea and—” “Liam,” I interrupt gently, keeping my voice calm. “Do you know how much trouble you already are? I don’t have space in my life for anyone else.” He laughs like I just told the best joke. “I’m not that much