Chapter 34
A sharp sound came from behind us—footsteps crushing the gravel path. I turned swiftly, my body still thrumming with tension, and froze.
It was Arla.
She stood there, her face pale, her eyes wide, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “I heard part of the conversation,” she said quietly.
I swallowed hard. I had no idea how much she had overheard, but from the look on her face, it was enough.
My mother shifted uneasily beside me. “Arla… I’m so sorry. But Aurora had to know the truth.” Arla’s eyes flicked between us. “So Alex and my father… they’re not Aurora’s father?”
My mother’s expression tightened. Slowly, she shook her head.
“No. He’s not.”
A tense silence fell over us. Arla stared at the ground, her breath unsteady. For a moment, I thought she was going to say something. Ask something. But she didn’t. Without another word, she turned and walked away. I watched her go, feeling the weight of this moment settle heavily on my chest.
She was struggling too. Just like me. Even though this wasn’t about her directly, it still changed everything she knew. It changed the dynamic of our family.
Or… what we thought was a family.
I let out a slow breath and turned back to my mother. “Why?” My voice cracked. “Why did you never tell me?”
My mother closed her eyes for a second before exhaling sharply. “Because I wanted to protect you, Aurora.”
I let out a humorless laugh. “That’s what everyone says. That’s what Tyler said. That’s what Killian said. Everyone wants to protect me, but no one ever wants to tell me why!”
She flinched. “I never thought the curse is true…not until I got really sick and got better when you’ve decided to become a Luna.” Her voice wavered, and for the first time, I saw something I wasn’t used to seeing in my mother. Fear. Regret.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she clutched the edge of her dress. “I never thought things would escalate so badly.”
I stared at her, my chest rising and falling with too many emotions to name. I wanted to scream. I wanted to break something. But more than anything—I needed to get out of here.
I needed time.
Time to process. Time to think. Time to figure out what the hell my life even was anymore. I took a deep breath, forcing my voice to remain steady. “I have to go.”
My mother’s head snapped up. “Aurora—”
“No.” I shook my head. “I can’t do this right now. I need to leave.” I turned, taking a step away from her—
And then—
Screams. Growls. The sound of a struggle. My mother and I whipped around, eyes wide. The screams were coming from the estate. My heart lurched. What the hell was happening?!
Without hesitation, I sprinted toward the packhouse, my mother right behind me.
The scent of blood and panic filled the air. I pushed through the crowd gathered outside, my stomach twisting violently at the scene before me.
And then—Tyler came running. His face was flushed, his breathing ragged. “Debbie—” he panted. “She… she birthed the baby—”
My heart stopped.
“But then she escaped.”
I froze. She escaped. Debbie was loose. And she had just given birth. Oh, Goddess.
This was bad.
