Lucy’s POV
Since there we found nothing more on the rogues sine the last attack, it was finally deemed a little safe for us to return home to Moongrowl. Ihad been waiting for the chance to return there, because I had grown tired of Moonstruck and its patronising members. For all the trouble we had gone through there, had anything good really come out of it? Scott had been lied to and coerced into a marriage he initially didn’t want. I had almost lost my life at the hands of rogues. And I had learned the truth about how Agatha had betrayed Bloodbath pack because of her own selfish desires.
As for Annabella, Scott actually had little choice on what could have been done. Even if he wanted, he couldn’t break apart the marriage so early, and there were a lot of processes involved with their union that made them separating difficult. As much as he wanted ti end things with her, it just wasn’t possible at the time being, and even the Luna couldn’t intervene. On the other hand, he was also granted an opportunity by the Luna. As she had no children of her own, she had to find an heir who would take over the pack from her when she was ready to step down. Seth was unmarried, and even turned down the suggestion once it came to him. Shaun already had one foot in the Alpha of Moongrowl role. Which left just Scott as the potential heir to to the throne of Moonstruck. It was a delicate time for him, so we couldn’t expect him to just jump at the opportunity.
As fate would have it, we arrived at Moongrowl in one piece. There had been no attacks along the way, and the whole journey had been smooth. I had even spent most of it curled up in the carriage, with my head on Shaun’s thighs as he gently stroked my hair.
With a great sigh of relief and exhaustion, I got off the vehicle, dusting off my dress because we had passed quite a number of dry, dusty pathways to bypass the more dangerous areas.
Someone shouted my name from a distance, and even before I caught sight of her running out of the villa with her arms outstretched towards me, I already knew who she was.
She rammed into me wuth a burst of energy, and her arms locked ny waist in a death grip. “Lucy! You’re finally back!” Her squeal was a pleasant one to hear, and my heart instantly warmed at the sight of her.
“I’ve missed you so much,” I said to her, pulling her even closer. Her long red hair had been plaited into two long braids adorned with ribbons that fell down her back beautifully. She wore a pink short-sleeved gown that made her look like a little princess. “How have you been?”
“I just said it! I missed you. How was the pack you went to visit?” Her excitement started to rub off on me, and in a few minutes, I already felt much calmer than I had in days. Seeing her again filled me with great joy that I almost couldn’t contain, such that I barely knew when tears filled my eyes and made them heavy.
She looked like she had grown a little in the short time we had been away. Her cheeks had filled in more, and a little height had been added to her. Her head now brushed my chest instead of my belly.
Seth had shared with me what Agatha had said concerning her child after I left the room where she had been. Knowing now that Tessa was Agatha’s child, I could see all the similarities they shared. The red hair. The round face and doe eyes. I might not have seen the connection if I didn’t know the truth, but it was as clear as day now. I didn’t even know how to tell her about her mother, but I told myself that there was no need to rhink about that, and that all things would end up sorting themselves out eventually. Eight in that moment, I just had to back in the knowledge of my return, and the joy of being back home.
Home. I had never thought Moongrowl would end up being such a place to me, but I had found reasons worth living for in it. As my mother would say, “Home is where the heart is”. It made a whole more sense now. I finally understood my place in the world, and the people that made living worth it.
–
I settled into my room immediately, which had been cleaned up before our arrival. The sheets had been straightened out, the windows had been open to let in air, and the floors had been swept. I relaxed into the bed without much thought, but before my body could sink into the lush softness, I remembered Rosa. I hadn’t heard from her since before we left Moongrowl to go to Moonstruck. I felt like I should have at least sent her a letter to just know how she was faring in the new territory, and if things were going according to plan. I made a mental note to write to her as soon as I finished settling in.
As I arranged my things, Tessa sat on my bed, barely unable ro contain her excitement at seeing me. Oh, how I’d missed her. She was a bright light that couldn’t be hidden, and briefly, I wondered how her mother could have even had the audacity to leave her behind in Bloodbath back then, knowing fully well thatbshe could have died.
A knock came to the door and I answered, offering permission to come into the room.
Shaun stepped in. He had taken iff his outer jacket and just wore a plain shirt and pants he had been putting on underneath. I took note of how he had grown out the sides of his hair, giving him a slightly different appearance from our earlier days together.
He looked at Tessa, and he smiled at the young girl. “Hello, Tessa. How have you been?” I couldn’t help but feel ny heart nelt a little at the softening of his voice as he regarded her. Who would have thought that this man, who used to appear all gruff, would end up being a soft-hearted person when it came to children?
It gave me hope as to how he would take care of our own children . . . I bit my lip as the thought sank in, feeling a little bashful that such a thing even cane to my mind in the first place. But it was to be expected. One day, we were going to have children, and Shaun was going to be a great father to them.
I watched him and Tessa have a brief conversation, before he walked up to me and pressed a soft, quick kiss to my cheek. At least he was keeping things chaste in front of Tessa. I didn’t want her getting any ideas of what she could try out with that young man who appeared to be more and more in love with her each time I saw him. Tessa had told me that him and the other Halflings were doing fine.
“Are you really going to move in here once again? What happened to us staying together?” asked Shaun, breaking into my thoughts gently. His hand rested gently on my hip now, and I knew that he was trying to sway my attention because of how much I appreciated physical contact.
“You can move in here with me,” I said to him, still unpacking. I had grown used to this room, and didn’t think I would have been comfortable staying somewhere else.
Shaun contemplated the idea for a little bit, but as he usually bent to my requests most if the time, especially when it came to simple things atht didn’t require much.
Another knock came to the door, and I went to answer it. A guard stood outside with his hands clasped behid him. After I had opened the door, he bowed his head briefly.
“There’s someone requesting to see you,” he said.
“Who?” I asked, even though there was a chance that he might nothave known which the person actually was.
“I am not sure, shw just said that she needs ro swe you urgently,” he said, before bowing again and going on his way.
A little worried about what to expect, I shared a glance wuth Shaun.
–
I stepped down into the foyer, keeping my guard up. We had barley even been in Moongrowl for up to a full day and I was already getting visitors? Something about the whole situation unsettled me a little bit, but it also reminded me of my role in Moongrowl. I was the authority here, regardless of if I was liked or not, and the future of the pack depended on the triplets and I.
In the foyer, someone was waiting, as the guard had said. Her back was to me. She was wearing a burgundy hooded coat that sat snugly on her shoulders. She looked so familiar, and yet so different, but I could never mistake who she was.
She turned around, proving my thoughts right. “Lucy,” she said simply walking up to me as her eyes brightened.
I pulled her into a hug, feeling great relief wash over me. “Rosa!” I gently pulled away so that I could look at her face. Her hair was a little shorter, and the angles in her face were sharper now. “It has been so long!”
“Yes, I know,” she agreed. “You look as beautiful as ever. What’s your secret?” she teased.
“Stop it,” I said, rolling my eyes, but I couldn’t help but smile regardless.
Then, I remembered that she had come to visit me, all of a sudden. “How did you know I was back in Moongrowl?”
The mile dropped a little from her face. “I didn’t, actually. I just came here in blind faith because I just had to see you urgently. A letter wouldn’t have sufficed for what I wanted to tell you.”
I led her to a couch by the wall, where we took a seat beside each other. “What’s the matter?”
“It’s about the rogue attacks. I was able to glean some crucial information about them, but it us auh a dire situation that I knew I just had to pass on what I knew as soon as possible. You know about the rogue attacks, don’t you?”
I nodded. “Yes, I am aware. It kept us from coming back here sooner.”
“Good. Then that means I don’t have to say too much concerning this.” Her face went very serious. More serious than I had ever seen it. Whatever she was about to say, was definitely something huge.
“To start with, all the packs are in immense danger, Lucy,” she started, looking into my eyes earnestly. “With this information I’m about to give you, we have to act quickly, or else all will be lost, and we might never get another chance to retrieve things.”