Chapter 360 The letter 2

Chapter 360: Chapter 360 The letter 2

Talia’s POV

The quill felt heavy in my hand.

The weight of it was not just physical, it was the weight of everything I was about to say, and everything I had never been able to say. It was the weight of years of silence, of unanswered questions, and of pain that had festered and grown in the dark.

And I could not stop my hand from shaking. I stared at the blank paper, and I tried to find the words. There was so much I wanted to say, so much I had held inside for so many years. But now that I had the chance, I did not know where to start.

I let out a slow breath as I wrote. "Alpha Edmund," I paused, staring blankly at the words I had written. Then I wrote the next word. "Father," I wrote, and my hand was shaking. "I do not know why I am writing this, and I do not know if you will even read it. But I need you to know that I am alive. I need you to know that I survived."

I paused, and I felt the tears burning in my eyes. I could not stop them, and honestly, I did not want to stop them.

They were not tears of weakness, but they were tears of release, and of letting go of something I had been holding onto for too long.

"I found her, Father," I continued.

I thought about the way my mother had looked at me when I freed her from that cage. I thought about the way she had held me, the way she had cried into my shoulder. She had never stopped believing in me. She had never stopped loving me. And that was something my father could never take away.

"She is alive, and she is free. And I am the one who freed her. I walked through the Ashen Lands, and I faced Malachai’s guards, and I broke the silver bars with my own blood. I did all of that because I never stopped believing that she was out there. And I finally found her."

I set down the quill, and I took a breath.

The air filled my lungs, but it did not feel like enough. I needed more, I needed to steady myself, and I needed to find the strength to keep going. I thought about my mother, and about the way she had survived fifteen years in that cage. If she could endure that, then I could endure this.

I could feel the emotions threatening to overwhelm me, but I forced myself to continue.

"I have thought about you a lot over the years. I have thought about the man who was supposed to protect me, but who never did. I have thought about the man who was supposed to love me, but who let Vivienne hurt me. I have tried to understand why you did what you did. I have tried to find a reason, an excuse, or something that would make it make sense."

I picked up the quill again, and I wrote the words that had been burning in my heart for so long.

"I do not know if I can forgive you, Father. I do not know if I will ever be able to. But I want you to know that I understand. Vivienne poisoned your mind, and she took everything from you. You were weak, but I am not. I am stronger than you ever were, and I am stronger than you ever could be."

I paused, and I let the words sink in. I could feel the anger and the pain and the love all mixing together, and I did not know which one was winning.

"I have finally found a complete home, Father. I have a pack that loves me, and a mate who would die for me. And I have found my mother. I have everything I ever wanted, and I do not need you. But I needed you to know all this. I needed you to know that I survived, I needed you to know that I am not broken, and I am not the girl you left behind."

I set down the quill, and I read the words back to myself. I could feel the tears streaming down my face, and I did not try to stop them.

"I do not know if you will read this letter, and I do not know if you will care. But I had to say these things. I had to let go of the anger and the pain, I had to forgive myself for not being able to save you, and I had to forgive you for not being able to save me."

I stared at the words, and I felt a sense of release washing over me. I had said everything I needed to say, and I had let go of the anger, the pain, and the unanswered questions. I did not know if he would ever read this letter, but it did not matter, because I had written it for myself.

I put the quill down, took a deep breath, and I wiped off the tears that had begun to flow down my cheeks, just from thinking about the memories of all I had to go through in Cresswood.

I folded the letter carefully.

The paper was soft and warm from my hands, and I smoothed out the creases with my palm, making sure it was perfect. I wanted it to be perfect, because I wanted my father to hold it and know that I had put my whole heart into every word, and that I had meant every single thing I had written.

Then, finally, I sealed it with wax. I held it in my hands for a moment, and I felt the weight of everything I had written.

Kaelen walked to me, and I felt his hand on my shoulder. "Are you sure about this, Talia?" He asked.

I looked at him, and I felt the certainty settling in my chest. "I am sure, Kaelen. I needed to do this, and I needed to let him know." I replied, nodding my head with confidence.

Kaelen nodded, and I saw the understanding in his gray eyes. "Then I will send it. And I will make sure it reaches him."

I handed him the letter, and I felt the weight lifting from my chest. I did not know if Edmund would read it, and I did not know if it would change anything. But I had said what I needed to say.

The words had been inside me for so long, pressing against the walls of my heart, and demanding to be released. And now they were out, they were free, and I could finally breathe. I did not know if he would read them, and I did not know if he would care, but the act of writing them had been enough.

That had to be enough for now, for all the years of pain.

Kaelen pulled me into his arms, and I felt his warmth against me. "You are strong, Talia," Kaelen said. "Stronger than you know. And I am proud of you."

I pressed my face into his chest, and I let myself cry. "Thank you, Kaelen. For always being here, and for always believing in me."

Kaelen pressed his lips to my forehead. "I will always be here, Talia. Always." He replied, as his hands stroked my back softly.

His voice was steady, unwavering, the way it always was when he was making a promise.

Kaelen did not make promises lightly, and he had never broken one to me. I had learned to trust his words, and to trust that when he said he would be there, he meant it with every part of himself.

I heard the conviction in his voice, and I felt the truth of his words settling into my heart.

He had been with me through everything, and he would be with me through whatever came next. I did not know what the future held, but I knew that I would not have to face it alone.

We stood there in silence, and I felt the peace settling over me. I had said what I needed to say to my father in the letter, and I had let go of the anger and the pain.

And now, I was ready to face what was coming.