“I think I understand.” Maggie sometimes found solace in solitude, where the outside world seemed quiet, as if she were alone in the universe. In those moments, she would reflect on past events, questioning whether she had made mistakes, if she had willingly plunged into some trap despite warnings from everyone around her. Even when everyone advised against it, she often felt that what she did was right.
In fact, she had always been like this. Max wasn’t the right boyfriend, but she refused to believe it, resulting in a big stumble, leading to the opportunity to meet Aldrich. Even when she pretended to be Aldrich’s partner, many people still thought they were not suitable and couldn’t last. Now, those opinions seemed biased. If she had refused a second attempt because of the first heartbreak, everything might not have happened.
“Many times, the things we do can only be measured by our existing understanding. At that time, I had no knowledge of the future consequences. I simply didn’t want anyone to take my child away from me. So, I don’t know if it was right or wrong. I told Aldrich I could pretend to be your mate, but the condition was that he couldn’t separate me from my child.”
Grace listened quietly.
“I think now the outcome between him and me is something no one in the world, except for my mother, could predict. Even as the person involved, I can’t predict it.”
“So, you and Ethan are the same. Although I still lean towards Marvin, considering he has loved you for so long, you’re the only one who can make decisions for yourself. No one else, not me, not Aldrich, and not Marvin can do that. Your life belongs only to you.”
Grace still felt uneasy. “Don’t you think I’m betraying you all? Betraying Aldrich, Marvin, and the entire Blue Moon Pack?”
“Aldrich and I reached a consensus. No matter what you do or how you do it, we won’t define your actions as betrayal. Whenever you want to come back, we will always welcome you. This will always be your home.”
Grace didn’t know whether to cry or laugh at this moment. She had always felt like she had no family. No one knew that her daily life was like walking on thin ice. Everyone could only see the surface gloss of her life. Her parents died, and because they were both members of the guard, she was naturally adopted by the alpha and became the playmate of two princes. Without any assessment, she became the captain of the guard and was sent to learn from the Grand Elder. Her resume was always impeccable. Even without becoming the Luna of the Blue Moon Pack, no one would think she wasn’t good.
But no matter what, she couldn’t sleep well. Like the princess in a fairy tale who, despite having more than ten layers of mattresses, was tortured by the pea at the very bottom, she couldn’t sleep peacefully. She wasn’t a real princess; she was an orphan without a background, and that fact was the pea tormenting her. She looked at Marvin, the true prince in the fairy tale, and she knew she could never truly find peace.
So when she faced a problem, instead of seeking help and solving it together with those around her, she would run away. Only by running away could she feel that she wasn’t a burden to those around her.
“I never thought I had a home before,” Grace choked out.
“Me neither,” Maggie comforted her. “I was an orphan too. My sister tried her best to raise me. I didn’t want to burden her, and I also wanted to have a child and a home of my own. But who knew I would accidentally take the wrong path. Fortunately, I’ve found my way back now. You have too, Grace. So, don’t worry. Even if you’ve gone far, as long as you remember how to come back, we’ll always welcome you. As for Ethan, you can decide whether to tell him what I just told you. As long as he doesn’t continue to interfere with the Blue Moon Pack, Aldrich won’t take action against him. After you’ve sorted things out over there, remember to come back quickly.”
Grace sniffled, wiping away tears. “I will.”
“I feel my strength won’t last much longer. Urania is urging me. I have to go.” Maggie said, not sure how long she could hold on, but she could still chat. Urania was yawning beside her, and Maggie couldn’t resist her urging. Finally, she said, “Until next time, Grace. You must come back. We all miss you. The Grand Elder does too.”
“I never thought you could like Grace so much. It’s really hard to understand. Didn’t everyone say that rivals either fight when they meet or wish they could tear each other apart? How come you two are so peaceful?”
Maggie thought it wasn’t a difficult question. The reasons were straightforward. Firstly, Grace loved Marvin, and Maggie loved Aldrich. There was no drama of falling for the same person. This wasn’t a Shakespearean play. Even if they did fall for the same person, what was the point of fighting violently? Grace was the Luna and the captain of the royal guard, and Maggie was the daughter of the Moon Goddess, even if not Aldrich’s mate, still connected to him. Were men some rare resource? Fighting over them wouldn’t gain anything more. There were always things more important than love.
“Would you give up your original ideals for a man? Your identity, your career, your blueprint, would they be delayed because of love? I think you must know better than me. You don’t yearn for love; you have much more important things. I yearn for a family and stable love, but that doesn’t prevent me from making good friends. Grace’s charisma far exceeds everything else. You just want to be close to her, rather than seeing her as a threat. She has this magical charm, so when I see her, I always consider her safety and feelings first, rather than thinking of her as my rival or my lover’s ex.”
Urania finally looked at her seriously.
Since she came here, she rarely observed Maggie’s changes again. Although she could roughly sense that Maggie was growing rapidly at an incredible speed, she seldom paid attention to Maggie. After all, she wasn’t interested in other people’s growth experiences, let alone the daughter of an acquaintance.
When Mrs. Jenkins mentioned Maggie’s changes, she just listened with one ear and quickly forgot with closed eyes.
But now, she could suddenly say such words, which was really surprising. It seemed that the previous sensitive Maggie had undergone a qualitative change. She had grown a bit of the outline of a god.
She looked carefully at Maggie, comparing the differences between the two Maggies in her memories-the indecisive Maggie who couldn’t make decisions and the current Maggie with a straight back and a determined expression.
A long time ago, she asked Maggie, if one day, the gods had to abandon their own people, what would you do?
Now, she thought she knew what Maggie’s answer would be. Maggie would say, no matter what the result is, I will stand with my people.