Chapter 152: "I Trust Her"

LUCIAN’S POV

"She wanted me to let you know that she cherished every moment she spent with you, but..." Valerie paused.

"What did she say? Please." At that point I was so weak I couldn’t even raise my voice. I was pleading.

"She said I should make sure you don’t break down." I saw the sincerity in Valerie’s face as she passed that message along. She and Selene must have really been close friends. She wanted to honour her friend’s wishes to the letter.

"And you think that’s possible?" I asked her.

"Okay. I’ll say it." She exhaled. "She said to tell you that you should try to move on ... while she moves on too. She said it wouldn’t be easy, but that you both could make it easier for each other by doing the same."

I broke down. Exactly as Valerie had anticipated.

"So it was that easy for her to say it? She’s moved on that fast? Just like that? Shit."

I sank to the floor. Valerie came and took my hand while I lay there.

"I should clear out the glass," she said.

She grabbed a dustpan, pulled on some gloves, and swept every shard away.

I figured she was scared I would injure myself. Or worse. I had tried. But Valerie had pulled me back. No ... she hadn’t saved me. She had just put me in more suffering.

Dying felt like the better option. It would have relieved me of all of this ... all the weight, all the pain.

But they wouldn’t let me.

She came back and sat down beside me on the floor.

"What do you think of me?" I asked her. "Do you think I’m a wicked person? And don’t lie."

"What do you want me to say, Alpha?" she asked.

"Nothing but the truth."

I had fucked her so badly in the past.

And not in a gentle way. I hadn’t waited for her consent. I hadn’t cared about it. She was my breeder ... and that was what they were for. I would hear her cry out, and I would still tear her clothes and fuck her until she couldn’t speak.

Eventually, she stopped fighting me.

Anytime she saw me coming, she would begin to undress herself. That was how cruel I had been to her. That was who I was ... before Selene came.

Looking at Valerie now reminded me of exactly who I was without Selene.

"What I can say about you, Alpha, is that Selene changed you," Valerie said.

I was glad she had noticed.

Looking back and measuring the distance between then and this moment, I could say without any doubt that I had been through a very obvious transformation.

"So what is my life without her?" I asked.

"You’re the Alpha," she said. "You have to move on. No matter what."

She was making sense. She believed there was still redemption for me ... even in this pit I had fallen into.

I put out my hand and she helped me to my feet.

"Thank you. That’s all I can say."

She smiled.

"I’m glad for you, Alpha. This is not the end of life. I want you to become stronger and better," she said.

That actually brought a smile to my face.

"But I don’t think you’re being fair," I said.

"Why do you say that, Alpha?"

"I was so cruel and wicked to you in the past. So why are you wishing me well?"

"That’s in the past," she said. "Besides, you’ve changed ... like I said. So there is hope for a brighter tomorrow."

I could see the innocence in her eyes. And the sincerity.

Because of her, I was starting to consider giving myself a second chance ... a fresh start shaped by who I was becoming, hoping I had been absolved of the sins I’d committed against the people closest to me.

Valerie was such a great place to start. Her friendship with Selene had given her some of Selene’s qualities, the most notable being a good and forgiving heart.

"Thank you," I said.

She waved it off. "I should be the one thanking you."

There was a knock at the door. When Valerie opened it, the elders were standing on the other side, looking for me.

Turned out they weren’t waiting for my convenience or offering me any say in the matter.

"The elders, Alpha," Valerie said.

"Tell them I’ll be with them shortly." She delivered the message.

I picked up the rest of my things ... my jacket, my shoes. I was ready.

"Good luck," Valerie said.

"There’s no good luck without you there." I reached out and took her hand. "You’re coming with me."

She didn’t hesitate. She took it as an honour, kept saying "my pleasure" over and over, and we were laughing the whole way there.

We reached the hall where the elders had gathered, and what I saw there didn’t entirely shock me.

"Welcome, Alpha. We have something for you today. The past is gone. The present is here," one of the elders said.

Valerie and I glanced at each other and smiled.

There was a she-wolf standing before me.

"What was I summoned for?" I asked, moving to take my seat.

Valerie remained standing.

"Valerie, please sit down." She kept signalling with her eyes that she preferred to stand. I insisted, and she finally sat.

"The she-wolf before you is Celeste," the elder began. "We have chosen her for you as your new Luna. Her background has been fully verified. This is the beginning of a great new Chapter."

I knew her father. He had worked in the Finance department of the territory, back in the day.

"A fresh start," I said, and laughed quietly.

"I can see you weren’t asking for my opinion on this ... but nevertheless, I am an Alpha by bloodline. I do what must be done for my people. Always." I paused. "However, I have conditions."

"At your service, Lucian Thornveil. Tell us your conditions. We’re listening," the elder said.

"The she-wolf sitting beside me is Valerie." I looked around the hall. "And I am choosing her as my Beta."

Jaws dropped.

"What? A breeder ... as your Beta?" the elder exclaimed.

"I made her a breeder," I said calmly. "I can make her whatever I choose."

I glanced at Valerie. She was stunned. She hadn’t found the words yet. But she kept her composure.

"May we ask why you chose her?" they wanted to know.

"Because I trust her," I replied.

There was a long stretch of murmuring and back-and-forth among themselves. Then ...

"We cannot object to this. Accepted."

I turned to face my new Luna.

I wasn’t expecting much. In fact, I didn’t know what to expect at all.