Chapter 314 Jax and Piper’s Banter

Chapter 314: Chapter 314 Jax and Piper’s Banter

Talia’s POV

Jax took the branch that Piper pointed at, and I saw the surprise on his face. "That is... actually a good branch." He said, weighing it on his hand.

Piper grinned. "I told you. I am an expert."

Jax shook his head, but I saw the smile on his face. "You are impossible, Piper."

Piper walked back to the fire, and I saw the smirk on her face. "I know. That is why you love me."

Jax opened his mouth, and I saw the protest forming on his lips. But then he closed it, and I saw the smile on his face.

Silas walked to the fire, and he knelt beside me. "How are you feeling, Luna?"

I looked at him, and I tried to smile. "I am feeling better, Silas. I still feel tired, but I am so much better."

He nodded. "You just need to rest, Luna. We will take care of everything."

I looked at the shelter, at the wood and the leaves and the vines, and I felt the gratitude rising in my chest. "Thank you, Silas. For everything."

He nodded, and I saw the respect in his eyes. "We are a pack, Luna. We take care of each other."

Silas paused and looked at the shelter they were building. "Jax, that branch on the left needs to be higher. It is sagging." Jax looked at the branch and sighed. "It is not sagging. It is... resting." Silas shook his head. "It is sagging, Jax. Fix it before the whole thing collapses on Luna’s head." Jax muttered something under his breath, but walked over to adjust the branch anyway.

I watched them work, and I felt the exhaustion pulling at me. But I did not want to sleep. I wanted to watch them, and I wanted to remember this moment.

“Make sure you get some rest tonight, Silas.” I said, looking at him.

Silas turned back to me, and he nodded slowly, and I saw the respect in his eyes. "You are brave, Luna. Braver than you know." He paused, and I saw something like admiration flicker across his face. "I have followed many people in my life, but I have never followed anyone who would give everything they had for their pack. That is why we follow you."

Kaelen walked to me, and I saw the concern in his eyes. "Talia, you need to rest."

I shook my head. "I want to watch."

He smiled, and I saw the love in his eyes. "You can watch from the shelter. Come on."

Silas stood up, and walked back to working with Jax, while Kaelen helped me up, and I felt his arm around my waist. He led me to the shelter, and I saw the soft bed of leaves and grass that Piper had made.

"You did all this?" I asked. ℯ

Piper looked up, and I saw the smile on her face. "It is not much, Talia, but it will keep you warm."

I looked at the shelter, and I felt the tears burning in my eyes. "It is perfect."

I thought about my mother, sitting beside the fire, with her face still pale but her eyes bright with the first real hope I had seen in her since I found her. She had been in that cage for fifteen years, and now she was free, and sitting in the middle of a forest with a pack she did not know, and she was watching a fire she had not seen in years. I did not know how she was processing all of it, but I knew that she was here, and that was enough.

I laid down on the soft bed, and I felt the exhaustion pulling at me. Kaelen was beside me, and I felt his hand on mine.

"Rest," he said. "I will watch over you."

I nodded, but I turned to look at my mother, Jax, Piper, and Silas, and Cain one more time. Jax was shaking his head as he spoke to Piper, and I saw the smile on his face. "You are impossible, Piper." He paused, then added, "But I suppose that is why I keep you around."

Piper’s eyes widened, and I saw the surprise on her face. "Keep me around? Jax, I am the one who keeps you around."

I smiled, and closed my eyes, and I let myself drift.

The fire crackled beside me, and the voices of my pack filled the night.

I looked at my mother one more time. She was still sitting by the fire, and her eyes were fixed on the flames. She had not moved since Jax and the others returned. I watched her reach out her hand, and I saw her fingers hovering over the fire, feeling the warmth without touching it.

She must have felt my gaze on her because she turned and looked at me. I saw the tears in her eyes, and I saw the smile on her face.

"Talia," she whispered, and her voice was barely audible above the crackling fire. "My brave girl. You saved me."

I shook my head weakly. "You saved me first, Mother. All those years ago."

She looked at me, and I saw the love in her tired eyes. "I would do it again, Talia. I would do it a hundred times."

I felt the tears burning in my eyes, and I reached for her hand. She walked closer to me and took it, and I felt the warmth of her fingers against mine.

"We are both free now," I said. "We are both safe."

She nodded, and I saw the tears streaming down her face. "Yes, Talia. We are both free."

She cleaned the tears rolling down her cheeks, and she sniffed.

"I know that we are fine now, my child," she said softly. "But I saw you, Talia. I saw you fighting for me, Talia. I saw you breaking those bars with your own blood, and I saw you using your voice to stop those guards. And I saw you collapse from exhaustion more than twice. You did all of that for me." She paused, and her voice cracked. "And I will spend the rest of my life making sure you know how grateful I am."

I closed my eyes for a brief moment, then I opened my eyes, and I looked at her. The firelight danced across her face, and I saw the tears glistening on her cheeks.

"You do not have to spend the rest of your life doing anything, Mother," I said, and my voice was soft but steady. "You already gave me everything I needed. You gave me the charm, you gave me the strength to survive, and you gave me a reason to keep fighting."

She shook her head. "I gave you nothing but pain, Talia. I left you with them."

I squeezed her hand. "You saved me, Mother. You walked into a fire to save me. And I have carried that with me every single day."

She looked at me, and I saw the tears streaming down her face. "My brave girl."

I smiled, and I felt the warmth spreading through my chest. "We are together now, Mother. That is all that matters."

She nodded, and I saw the hope in her tired eyes. "Yes, Talia. We are together now."

I closed my eyes again, and I felt the exhaustion pulling me under. The fire crackled beside me, and the voices of my pack filled the night.

And I slept comfortably, and at ease, knowing that I was home.