Chapter 21 Embraced
Embraced
Felix
I remembered so little of the journey home that night.
My body felt like it was falling apart, but I was alive.
Monte was alive, Ara had somehow survived.
I had not died in combat. It was a day of miracles, and I couldn’t dwell on any of them beyond simply appreciating that the worst had not come to pass.
In the days that followed, I think Monte was most surprised by the fact that Jared’s followers were true to their word.
They said that they would respect the results of the combat and they all dutifully testified about what had happened.
With their word backing us, the bottom line was that I’d crushed an enemy and solidified my position as Alpha.
The work I’d begun years ago by avenging my father was now complete.
Days stretched out into weeks, and Monte was forced to finally accept some very difficult truths.
Namely, that the pack had actually begun to accept him for who he was.
They loved him as their Luna, and he gradually stopped trying to make himself seem so small when he received praise.
I could tell that he was constantly waiting for someone to betray or mock him, but the moment never came.
It was enough for him, but it wasn’t nearly enough for me.
I wasn’t going to be satisfied until he’d been buried beneath the mountain of accolades and affection that he deserved.
I was going to make him my Luna officially, with every rite under the moon, and I’d make sure it was a celebration remembered for generations to come.
When the day finally arrived, a full month after the duel, I’d nearly fully healed. Some aches and pains would remain for the rest of my life, but all my limbs still worked, so I couldn’t ask for more.
At the Luna ceremony, Monte wanted to dress in unassuming attire before a small crowd and get it over with quickly.
Instead, I had him wear a veil once again, and I gave him the wedding that he’d always deserved.
His family was present too, and his sister, Nena, wept tears when we exchanged our vows once more.
But it was actually the aftermath that was most notable. There was one guest present that hadn’t been invited, and when Monte spotted him, I nearly threw the bastard out myself.
Hunter had managed to arrive unnoticed, and he’d skulked in the background until Monte pointed him out to me.
I can’t describe the mixture of vicious emotions that coursed through me upon seeing his face again, but at least the murderous impulses died down a bit when I saw how pathetic he looked.
Gaunt and drained of his former pride, he hung his head in shame that I knew too well to question.
I knew what my brother looked like when he put on an act, and it was a far cry from this portrait of pity.
After the ceremony, when Monte and I had already spoken with all the other guests present and most had retired for the evening, Hunter approached alone.
I was tensed and ready to end his pathetic life in an instant if he made a wrong move, but Hunter barely even made eye contact as he approached. His shoulders were slumped, and in spite of always being trim, he’d lost an unhealthy amount of weight since I’d seen him last.
“I’m sorry,” he gasped, his voice little more than a hoarse wheeze. “I’m so sorry. I know I don’t deserve forgiveness, but…”
This was up to Monte. If I had my way, I would send my brother away, never to be seen again, but perhaps my Luna felt differently.
“I hadn’t realized what he was doing,” Hunter said desperately, looking up at us for the first time.
“I swear it, I had no idea what Jared was planning. If I’d known…
well, it doesn’t matter now. I know there isn’t a place for me here anymore.
I’m planning on going back to our mother’s pack, Felix.
They said they have a place for me there.
They said it won’t be easier, but I think that’s fair. ”
Slowly, I felt my rage fading away, replaced by a hollow sadness. Under the circumstances, I suppose this really was for the best. If anything, it was better than Hunter deserved.
“The choice is up to you, my Luna,” I said as I turned to him, placing the decision in his hands. “You are the wronged party, so you can decide his fate. If you will it, then he can be rejected from our mother’s pack as well.”
“No,” Monte said quickly. “No, I think this would be for the best. Goodbye, Hunter. I can’t say that I have many fond memories of you, but even so, you were clearly a good brother to my husband at some point in your life. I just wish I’d been able to see it.”
And with that, Monte left us alone. I watched him go, admiring how straight his spine was almost as much as I admired the sway of his hips in his attire.
The goodbye that I shared with my brother was awkward and mostly wordless, but both of us were alive by the end of it, so I considered it a success. Once he was gone, I sought out my Omega once more.
However, when I found Monte, he was swaying on his feet, struggling to brace himself against a wall.
“It’s late, we should get you to bed,” I said as I supported his weight. “Come.”
“No, it’s not that,” he said faintly. “I feel… dizzy.”
“Damn him,” I snarled. “It was because you saw Hunter again, wasn’t it? I should have sent him away immediately.”
“N-no,” Monte began, then struggled to continue. His eyelashes fluttered, and he was clearly on the verge of passing out.
With a vile swear, I lifted him into my arms and bolted away from the ceremony site. The house wasn’t far away, but it still felt like an eternity to get there. I couldn’t lose him now, not after all we’d been through. Whatever this was, we were going to get through it together.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I growled, mere inches away from Monte’s face.
His eyes fluttered open, and I was struck by his impossible beauty once more. However, that wasn’t enough to dampen my irritation.
“Tell you what?” he slurred as he tried to sit up, only to slump back down.
“Did you think you could hide this until the proof became impossible to ignore?” I leaned even closer, until our noses were practically touching. “I sent a sample of your blood to the clinic. When were you going to tell me you were pregnant?”
Monte blinked owlishly, as if still trying to break free of sleep. His mouth formed the word pregnant, but no sound came out.
And then a miraculous change came over him. Slowly, a smile split his face, and his cheeks burned red.
As if we were one shared soul, the same shift in emotions took hold of me. The initial shock faded away, leaving behind a sense of happiness that felt as intense and radiant as the sun itself. I’ve never felt something so strongly before, and it was all thanks to the Luna below me.
“Monte,” I groaned as I pulled him into a hug. “Oh Goddess, my Monte.”
There were kisses, hugs, whispered nonsense, and everything in between. There was nobody else to bear witness to our shameful giggling, but I doubt we would have acted any differently even if the entire pack had been present.
But then the bedroom door opened and Ara bounced in, hand over her mouth as she stifled her own tittering laughter. The rest of the household crowded around the door, peering in with grins of their own. Even Wyatt was smiling fondly.
Yes, Monte had finally found his place in the world. It was with me, beside his Alpha, serving as Luna, and raising our child.
My mind cast back to where it had all begun.
The Night of the Bloody Moon.
I’d gone in search of guidance from the Goddess, for the strength to rule as Alpha, and seeking for a mate I could love, one that could stand by my side as Luna. I’d gone into the clearing, and there he’d been, on his knees, bowed in reverent prayer.
The Goddess had led me to him.
Mother Luna had heard my prayers, and granted me my deepest desires. There was no way I’d ever let him go.
My precious Omega.
My Mate.
My everything.
The End