Chapter 146 The pack’s acceptance 2

Chapter 146: Chapter 146 The pack’s acceptance 2

Talia’s POV

A part of me wanted to run and hide, because I was not used to this.

I was used to being invisible, and to being forgotten. But now, everyone was looking at me, and everyone was smiling at me. It felt strange and wonderful and terrifying all at once.

Kaelen’s hand found mine under the table.

"You look tired," he said.

"I am tired," I said. "But I am happy."

He smiled, and squeezed my hand. "That’s good."

Later, Alpha Aldric asked us to join him in his study.

Kaelen and I walked through the hallways together. The torches flickered, and the shadows danced on the walls, as the sounds of the feast faded behind us.

Alpha Aldric was sitting behind his desk when we entered. The fire crackled in the hearth, and the room was warm. He gestured for us to sit.

Kaelen sat in the chair across from the desk, and I sat beside him.

Alpha Aldric looked at me. His gray eyes were sharp, but his face was soft.

"Tell me about your face," he said.

I took a deep breath, then I told him everything.

I told him about my mother, about the fire, and about the glamour charm she had given me when I was five years old.

My voice cracked when I said her name.

I had not spoken about her in so long. Not like this, and not to anyone but Kaelen. So the words felt rusty, and broken, but I kept going. For her, for me, and for the girl who had waited fifteen years to tell her story.

Alpha Aldric listened with strong focus, and he did not interrupt.

I told him about the fifteen more years I spent in Cresswood after my mother disappeared, about how I was locked in a storage room, about scrubbing pots, and sleeping on a thin mattress. Even though I was legitimately the Alpha’s daughter.

I told him about Vivienne and Celeste. About the slaps and the hunger and the cold, and about the way my father never looked at me.

I told him about the day I showed Kaelen my real face, and I made him understand that it was just a day ago, so that he does not blame Kaelen for keeping secrets from him.

Aldric listened. He did not interrupt, and he did not look away.

When I was done, the room was quiet. The fire crackled, and the shadows danced. But yet, Alpha Aldric did not say a word.

Alpha Aldric leaned back in his chair and looked at me for a long moment. "You are not just a Luna," he said finally. "You are family."

My throat tightened, and my eyes burned with tears. I stood up to leave, and Kaelen stood beside me.

"Thank you, Alpha Aldric," I said.

He shook his head. "From now on, call me Grandfather."

No one had ever said those words to me before. Not even my father, who never looked at me. Aldric was not my blood, but he was offering me the family I had never had.

The words "call me Grandfather" echoed in my head. I had imagined what it would be like to have a grandfather. Someone old and wise who would tell me stories, and who would be proud of me. But I never thought I would have one, because I never thought I deserved one.

But here Aldric was, offering to be part of the family that I never had. I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked at him.

The tears I had been trying to hold back finally spilled over, as I heard those words replay in my head. I tried to blink them back, as I nodded.

"Thank you, Grandfather," I whispered with a cracked voice.

He smiled. It was a small smile, but it reached his eyes. "Go," he said. "Rest. You have earned it."

I bowed, and we turned to leave. Kaelen and I walked back to our room.

The hallways were quiet now, as the feast was over, and most wolves had gone to their rooms. Our footsteps echoed on the stone floors, and the torches flickered as we passed.

When we reached the room, Kaelen opened the door and stepped aside. I walked inside, and he followed, closing the door behind him.

The fire had been lit, and the room was warm.

Kaelen pulled me into his arms. His chest was warm against mine, and his heart was beating fast.

"I am proud of you," he said.

"I am proud of me too," I said with a cracked voice.

He laughed. It was a soft sound, that was warm and real, and it filled the room.

I went into the bathroom to shower, and Kaelen came up behind me, completely naked. I could feel him strong behind me, as his hands came up, and cupped my breasts.

We showered together. The water was warm, and the steam filled the room. Kaelen stood behind me, and his hands moved across my shoulders, slow and gentle. He washed my back, and moved his hands to hold my breasts, and I leaned into his touch.

His fingers traced the curves of my body, following the water down my spine. I shivered, and he pressed a kiss to my shoulder.

"You are shaking," he said.

"I am just happy," I replied.

He turned me around to face him. The water ran down his chest, and his gray eyes were soft. He kissed my forehead, then he cupped my face in his hands and kissed my lips.