Sonya’s POV
“Come on, just this once,” I pleaded softly.
Harley looked at me coldly and then sighed heavily.
“Can’t you call me ‘mother’ just this once, please?” I said loudly and then looked at her mates, who were both staring at me in silence.
I could tell what they were thinking without them saying a word.
The first thing I saw in their expressions was the question: how dare you invite yourself into our pack house and living room? The second question was: how could you ask that of her when you clearly abandoned her?
And the last question was: how the hell are you able to keep such a funny demeanor when things are far worse and serious? How could you leave your warriors outside the pack house and freely joke with our mate?
“I know you want to say something to me; please do, because I promise I won’t be upset,” I said seriously to them.
The twins looked at each other and then looked back at me.
“Ma’am, are you going to take Harley away from us?” one Alpha asked.
“Before I answer, may I know your names?” I asked seriously.
“I am Sky, and the one sitting on Harley’s left side is my twin brother, Glen,” he answered.
“So, Sky, to answer your question, I won’t and can’t take Harley away from you,” I replied as he sighed softly in relief.
“My daughter is already grown and very capable of making her own decisions. As much as I want her to come with me and meet her own kind, I can’t make her do things that will make her very uncomfortable,” I said seriously as Harley looked at me with a soft smile.
I moved my hand to her cheek and smiled back at her.
“Are you already a Luna of this beautiful pack?” I asked softly as she frowned and then lowered her gaze to the floor.
“Don’t tell me! They haven’t officially made you their Luna?” I asked loudly as I looked at the twins coldly.
“You better have a good explanation for this,” I warned seriously.
“Ma’am, a lot has happened in the past few weeks. From losing the former Beta of our pack because of his betrayal to mourning him, I am honestly sorry for not taking the time to make Harley the official Luna of our pack. Even without the ceremony, she is the only woman I acknowledge as the true Luna of our pack. Even my twin brother isn’t an official Alpha of this pack, yet he receives the same respect as I do,” Alpha Sky answered.
“Then make them both the leaders of this pack before I leave,” I said seriously, making sure my voice sounded and showed how important my words were.
“I’m sorry to ask this, ma’am, but do you mean I should carry out the ceremony right now?” he asked calmly.
Was he trying to make me repeat myself, or was he not taking me seriously?
“Yes, please do that right now. There is no harm in doing that, is there? I believe you have trusted warlocks and witches to carry out the ceremony,” I answered.
When he stood up, I raised a brow.
“Give me a few minutes to make a call,” he said, and then walked out of the living room.
“A call? What does that even mean? Don’t you have trusted warlocks and witches in your territory, Alpha Glen?” I asked his twin brother.
He looked at me with a frown, then shrugged.
When I looked at my sister, she grinned and then shifted her gaze to Harley.
“Baby girl, tell me, are you fine with not being the female leader of this pack? When your father confessed his love for me, he vowed to protect and help me reclaim the throne as my own,” I lied.
When she looked at me seriously, I cleared my throat and shifted my gaze to the side guiltily.
“What? What is it?” I asked seriously.
“I do not care if you are a queen or not. My mates are my own, and you do not have a say in our relationship. I am not you, and I will never be you,” she answered as I felt my heart ache.
“She is so much like you, don’t you think, sister? So stubborn and rude,” Corinne said as I kept quiet and tried to smile, even when I wasn’t okay with her words.
My daughter was so much like me, I acknowledged. But a lot of things had changed since I was young.
“You are right. You are not me, and I am not you. Actually, I understand that I can never be you,” I answered in a low tone as I stood up.
“Perhaps we have made ourselves too comfortable in your pack; we ought to leave,” I said while I looked at my sister seriously.
“Seriously?” Corinne asked in a whining tone.
“Absolutely, we have to take our leave right now,” I answered.
“Fine,” she said and then stood up.
“Um… Mother,” when Harley called, I instantly looked at her in disbelief.
“Do you have to leave right now?” she asked after hesitating for a few minutes.
“No, I am so free right now. Even if I have a few things to look at, they can wait,” I answered with a wide smile.
When Sky walked in, I shifted my gaze to him.
“So I talked to Edith, and she agreed to be here by tomorrow,” he said simply, and that seemed to make my daughter very happy.
“Who is she?” I asked calmly.
“An ancient witch,” he answered as I raised a brow.
Weren’t those supposed to be myths? In all my years, I had met a lot of witches and warlocks who resided in my territory, but never an ancient witch or warlock.
I believed they were just myths throughout my life. That’s why it was unbelievable hearing him say that.
“I would love to meet her,” I said calmly.
“Of course you can. She will be here by tomorrow to hold the ceremony of my twin brother becoming an official Alpha of my pack and Harley being the one and only true Luna of our pack,” he answered.
“Good. If it’s not too much to ask, can you show my sister and me to our room? We have to get some rest because we have a lot to see and observe tomorrow,” I said seriously.
“Of course, my Beta will make sure to accommodate you,” he answered and then smiled at me warmly.
I looked at my daughter and then nodded, hoping she would understand how my staying here was inevitable.