Chapter 322 About The Father 2

Chapter 322: Chapter 322 About The Father 2

Talia’s POV

My mother was quiet for a long moment. Then she spoke, and her voice was barely a whisper. "I always wondered why he changed so suddenly. I always wondered how she could turn him against me so quickly."

I looked at her. "Now you know, mother."

She nodded, and I saw the tears streaming down her face. "Now I know."

I looked at my mother, and I felt the grief rising in my chest. The anger was still there, but it was mixed with something else. Something that felt softer.

"I do not know if I can forgive him," I said, and my voice was barely a whisper.

My mother squeezed my hand. "You do not have to forgive him, Talia. You just have to understand."

I looked at her. "Understand what?"

She looked at me, and I saw the love in her tired eyes. "Understand that he was a weak Alpha. Understand that he was broken, that he was bewitched, and that he lost his way."

I nodded, and I felt the tears burning in my eyes. "What about you? Can you forgive him?"

She was quiet for a moment. Then she shook her head. "I do not know, Talia. I have spent fifteen years in a cage, thinking about everything I lost. And I do not know if I can forgive him for letting her take me away from you."

I squeezed her hand. "Then we will figure it out together, Mother."

She looked at me, and I saw the hope in her tired eyes. "Together."

Then, before I could respond, I heard Jax’s voice from outside.

"River ahead!" he called out. "We have to cross!"

We stopped moving, and I looked at my mother, and I saw the tears on her face. "Come on, Mother. Let us cross together."

I helped my mother out of the carriage, and we walked to the edge of the river. The water was cold and clear, and it was rushing over the rocks.

Jax was already standing at the water’s edge, and I saw the dread on his face. "I cannot believe we have to do this again."

Piper laughed. "Jax, you complained about this the last time."

Jax placed his hand over his heart. "Because it was cold, Piper. It was freezing. And now we have to do it again."

Piper shook her head. "You survived it once, Jax. So, you will survive it again."

Jax sighed. "That does not make me feel better, Piper."

I smiled, and I turned to my mother. "Are you ready?"

She looked at the river, and I saw the fear in her eyes. "I have not crossed a river in fifteen years, Talia."

I took her hand. "Then I will help you, Mother."

We stepped into the water, and I felt the cold shock against my skin. I saw my mother shiver, and I held her steady.

"I have you, Mother," I said. "I am not letting go."

She looked at me, and I saw the trust in her tired eyes. "I know, Talia. I know."

I felt her hand grip mine tighter as the water rushed around our legs, and I realized that she was not just afraid of the river. She was afraid of everything, of the world that had changed without her, of the freedom she had not felt in fifteen years, and of the life she was only now beginning to reclaim.

And in that moment, I made a silent promise to myself that I would never let her feel that fear alone again. I would be beside her for every step, every river, and every mountain, until she remembered what it felt like to be truly free.

We crossed the river together, and when we reached the other side, I turned to look at the water rushing behind us.

Jax was shaking the water from his clothes, and I heard him muttering under his breath. "I am never going to be warm again."

Piper laughed. "Jax, you are such a baby."

Jax pointed at her. "I am not a baby, Piper. I am just a wolf who does not like cold water. There is a difference."

I laughed, and I felt the warmth spreading through my chest.

I thought about my father, I thought about Vivienne, and I thought about all the years of pain and loss.

And I knew that we were leaving it all behind.

I looked at the river behind us, at the water rushing over the rocks, and I thought about all the things we had left on the other side.

I thought about the pain, the fear, and the years of separation and loss. They were still there, and still part of us, but they were behind us now. And for the first time in fifteen years, I felt like we were finally moving forward, not just surviving, but truly living.

And we would win through all the lost years, one step at a time.