Chapter 20 - Hannah
“But I already knew, Mommy,” Clarissa says matter-of-factly. “I knew before he said anything. I’ve known since our first day in our new house.”
I frown. Conan and I had decided to talk to Clarissa as soon as Elder Bernard left, but we waited until after dinner to tell her the truth—that Conan is her father.
What I wasn’t expecting was how calm she’d be, how nonchalant she’d be about the news. I glance at Conan, and he’s just as confused, wearing a frown.
“Why didn’t you say anything, Bug?”
“Because I trust you, Mommy. You will tell me what I need to know when the time is right.”
“Oh, Bug!” I exclaim, pulling her into my arms and holding her tightly. “I guess I was worried for nothing.”
“You always worry, Mommy,” Clarissa giggles as she pulls away slowly. She glances at Conan and says, “So, I am a witch and a werewolf?”
“Yes, kiddo. You are,” Conan says as he crouches in front of the bed and touches Clarissa’s hair fondly.
Clarissa’s eyes sadden. “Does that mean I’ll be taken? Like Nico was taken?”
“No,” he says instantly, his expression hardening. “That will not happen. Your mother and I will make sure of that. We are going to protect you.”
I nod firmly. “We will never allow anything to happen to you, Bug. In fact, your father and I discovered that we are actually quite powerful when we work together. That’s why we’re going to start training tomorrow.”
Clarissa’s eyes beam with a spark of excitement now. “Ooh! Can I watch?”
I chuckle, glancing at Conan. “I was hoping you would. You must learn who you really are. Like Nico, your wolf will come sooner than other children your age. So your father and I will have to show you the ropes.”
“No more potion?” she asks with skepticism in her raised brow.
“Just a little longer, Bug. Though I had other reasons to give it to you, it’s kept you safe all this time. And we need you to be safe a little longer. Okay?”
“Okay, Mommy.” She yawns then and bounces out of my arms before climbing into bed. “I’m gonna go to sleep now. Goodnight, Mommy. Goodnight, Daddy.”
Conan and I exchange surprised looks as he helps me to my feet. He turns off the light in Clarissa’s room, and we find ourselves in the hallway, the air suddenly charged with tension.
“It’s been a long day, hasn’t it?” I giggle nervously, wringing my hands together in front of me.
Conan rubs the back of his neck with equal awkwardness. “It has,” he admits. “But I’m glad it’s over now.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a folded piece of paper that he holds out to me. “I wanted to show you this before I got rid of it.”
I frown as I unfold the paper, my throat drying the moment I read what’s inside.
“I’m sorry, Conan, but you and I can’t be together.
The pack won’t accept it.
That’s why I must leave before you become alpha.
This is the best thing for both of us.”
I look up as tears begin to cloud my vision. “I—I would have never backed out, Conan.”
“I know,” he says as he reaches for my hand. “We were played by my grandfather. And I’d like to throw that note in the fire tonight. I’ve held on to it for eight years, believing that you abandoned me. But it wasn’t true.”
“Then let’s get rid of it together,” I nod. Conan smiles and turns, about to lead me down the hallway, when I stop him.
“Wait. There’s something else we need to get rid of. I’ll be right back.”
Leaving Conan in the hallway, frowning, I rush to my bedroom and find the note that was on my fridge that morning. Just like him, I’d kept the note for eight years, clinging to the illusion of his rejection, and wrongfully hating him for something he never did.
I open it one last time and read the words on it:
“I’m sorry, Hannah, but you and I cannot be mated.
Forget everything I told you.
The pack won’t accept you as my luna.
My grandfather won’t accept it, either.
You’re just a shiftless omega, and I cannot be seen with you.”
It was all a lie. And now, the words on this paper don’t have any effect on me, because I know who Conan really is. I know the real him, and understand how manipulated we both had been.
He never did anything wrong, and that’s why I can trust him now. Completely.
I find him waiting outside my door, and he notices the note in my hand.
“I don’t care what’s in there, because none of it was ever true, anyway,” he says firmly as he takes my hand again.
This time, he leads me to the living room, and we stop by the fireplace.
He nods at me, and I smirk before snapping my fingers and sending a spark that ignites the wood in the fireplace.
I fling both notes into the fire, and Conan and I watch them burn to ashes while he has one arm around my shoulders.
“I know we’ve only just learned the truth, but we’ve lost eight years together, and I don’t want to lose more time with you,” he says quietly.
“I don’t want to, either, Conan,” I admit with a sigh as I lean my head on his chest.
“Will you sleep in my bedroom tonight?” he asks, prompting me to look up at his face. “We don’t have to do anything. I just want to hold you.”
I smile softly and nod. “I’d like that.”
“Good,” Conan returns my smile as he lifts my hand to his lips. “I have eight years to make up for, and I’d like to start right now.”
With that, he leads me to his bedroom, and for the first time, I’m not afraid that he won’t be next to me when I wake up tomorrow morning.
***
The next morning, I wake up before sunrise.
For a brief moment, disoriented by the warmth surrounding me, I forget where I am. Then the steady rise and fall of Conan’s chest beneath my cheek reminds me.
I’m in his bed.
In his arms.
And unlike eight years ago, he’s still here.
A strange sense of peace settles over me as I lie there, listening to his heartbeat. It’s strong. Steady. Familiar. The same heartbeat that soothed me during the battle at Milford. The same heartbeat that thundered through the mate bond when he thought I was in danger during the ritual.
The same heartbeat I used to dream about. But dreams…
Conan stirs beside me, his arm tightening around my waist. “Morning,” he murmurs, his voice rough from sleep.
I smile despite myself. “Morning.”
His eyes open slowly, and for a few seconds neither of us speaks. We simply stare at one another.
No resentment. No misunderstandings. No lies planted between us.
Just us.
The realization makes my chest ache.
Conan brushes a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “What are you thinking about?”
I hesitate for a moment, then sigh. There’s no reason to keep anything from him anymore. “Just about how different everything could have been.”
A frown flickers across his face. “Yeah,” he says quietly as his thumb traces my cheek. “But we’re here now.”
We’re here now.
Such simple words, yet they somehow heal wounds that have been festering for years.
I lean forward and press a kiss to his jaw, and Conan freezes. The surprised expression on his face makes me giggle softly.
“What?” I ask, still giggling.
“You kissed me first,” he points out, the look of genuine astonishment in his eyes sending warmth rushing through me.
“I can take it back if you’d like,” I muse, and his arm immediately tightens around my waist.
“Don’t you dare,” he warns.
A laugh escapes me before he pulls me closer and buries his face against my neck. For the first time in years, I allow myself to simply enjoy the moment. No fear. No guilt. No anger. Just happiness.
Eventually, reality catches up to us, and we begin our day, heading to the kitchen to grab coffee before training starts. I see Clarissa outside in the garden, and giggle to myself.
By the time we head outside, Clarissa is already waiting near the training grounds, her eyes lighting up as soon as she sees us.
“You took forever!” she complains.
Conan laughs. “Good morning to you, too, kiddo.”
“You promised training!” she wails with a pout, placing her hands on her waist and looking up at her father as if she’s about to scold him.
“I did.” Conan nods toward the clearing. “And that’s exactly what we’re doing now.”
Clarissa grabs my hand excitedly as we walk toward the clearing.
The morning air is crisp, carrying the scent of pine and fresh earth. Warriors are already moving through combat drills nearby, though most give us a wide berth when they realize what we’re doing.
Word must have spread quickly about what happened in Milford. About the powers Conan and I unlocked together. About what happened to the portal.
Clarissa settles herself on a fallen tree trunk.
“Show me!”
Conan and I exchange amused glances.
“Straight to business, huh?” he asks.
“Yup,” she says, and folds her hands under her lap.
I chuckle before stepping into the center of the clearing. Closing my eyes, I focus on the familiar pulse of magic beneath my skin.
Fire answers first, warmth spreading through my palms. A second later, flames dance to life across my fingers. When I open my eyes, Conan is watching me carefully.
Clarissa gasps. “That’s so cool!”
I smile, then reach deeper, to that place where the mate bond resides and allows me to wield air magic with amplified power, unlike I’ve ever been able to wield it before. The air around us begins to stir, and wind circles my body, lifting strands of my hair as leaves swirl around my feet.
Clarissa’s mouth drops open, and Conan steps beside me.
Immediately, the mate bond reacts. The connection between us hums, and power rushes through it.
The flames in my hands flare brighter, the wind strengthening. And beside me, Conan’s eyes begin to glow. Fierce. Dark. Charged with power.
Clarissa practically bounces off the log to shout excitedly, “Daddy’s doing it too!”
I glance at Conan with a proud smile, and he returns it as the fire curls around his hands now, because it belongs to both of us.
The realization still amazes me.
The old stories were true.
An alpha and a luna working together become stronger than either could ever be alone. Though it sounded like a myth, it was true all along, and none of us understood what any of it meant.
Conan and I understand it, and that’s when he grins.
“Race you to that tree?” he asks with a coy smile, and I frown.
“You can’t use your wolf!” I throw back, and he chuckles.
“I wasn’t planning on it,” he winks, and before I can answer, a burst of wind slams into me before he starts charging forward.
“Conan!”
His laughter echoes across the clearing as he runs forward, and I retaliate immediately.
A stream of fire races toward him, and he tries to dodge, but it hits him, giving me enough time to pass him nimbly and reach the tree first.
Clarissa erupts into delighted giggles as Conan does the walk of shame back to the start.
“Again,” he says, and I nod.
The next hour passes far too quickly as we practice control and combination attacks. Every time our powers connect, they become stronger. Cleaner. More instinctive. As though they’ve always belonged together.
Eventually, I collapse onto the grass, breathing heavily.
Conan drops down beside me. Sweaty. Grinning. Annoyingly handsome.
I roll my eyes, irritated with how hot and bothered I am by him even after all that training.
“Don’t look so pleased with yourself,” I grunt.
“I won.”
“You cheated.”
“I did not. I used my powers for good.”
I roll my eyes again. “Is it only about winning for you?”
Conan rolls onto his side, his charming smile beaming. “It’s always about winning. And I am always a winner.” He winks. “I won you over, didn’t I?”
I giggle nervously as my cheeks erupt with heat. “Maybe…”
Conan’s smile softens, and for a moment, the world seems to fade away as we stare into each other’s eyes.
The warriors.
The clearing.
Everything around us seems to fade, and there’s only him.
The man I loved eight years ago.
The man I’m beginning to fall for all over again.
Only this time, I’m seeing him clearly. Not through fear. Not through hurt. Just truth. And the truth is that every day I spend with him makes it harder to imagine a future without him.
My gaze drifts toward Clarissa.
She’s gathering wildflowers near the edge of the clearing, long since bored by our training and antics. But what matters is that she’s safe. Happy. Laughing. With both parents in her life now.
My heart squeezes painfully because no matter how much happiness I allow myself to feel, fear still lingers beneath it.
The demons are still out there. The portal still exists. And Clarissa remains one of the children they’re hunting.
Conan notices immediately, and his hand finds mine.
“She’ll be okay.”
I nod slowly, but the knot in my chest doesn’t disappear. Before I can respond, a familiar scent reaches us.
Simon.
Both Conan and I look up as the beta jogs toward us. His expression is serious, but not panicked.
It’s just serious enough to immediately command our attention.
“Sorry to interrupt the romantic training session,” Simon says dryly.
Conan groans. “Simon…” he says in a warning tone.
“What?” the beta shrugs diffidently.
“You always ruin everything.”
“I’ll take that.”
I laugh while Simon turns toward us, his amusement fading quickly. “The research team is back.”
My stomach drops.
Conan sits upright immediately. “Amos?”
Simon nods. “Amos. Amalia. The others.”
A tense silence falls around us, and Conan places a hand on my thigh. “What did they find?” I ask.
Simon’s expression darkens. “They have answers.”
Every muscle in my body tightens.
Answers about Ashclaw. About the southern ruins. About whatever has been hiding beneath the valley all this time.
Simon exhales slowly. “They’ve called a meeting.”
Conan rises to his feet and immediately offers me his hand to help me to mine.
Whatever news waits for us, I already know one thing.
Nothing about this war is over. Not even close. But Conan and I have each other’s backs no matter what.