Free Web NovelChapter 13: 013
~ RONAN ~
Watching her sleep is like the best thing that has ever happened to me. Her long lashes flutter softly, and Kael is finally at peace. Trust me when I say listening to the rise and fall of her chest feels like the only thing keeping me sane. I can’t take my eyes off the contour of her face, her pouty lips, her innocent expression that tells me she’s too precious for this world... and I can’t stop wondering how someone so soft survives in a world this cruel.
Kael hasn’t stopped gloating in my head with that smug, wolfish grin of his that screams I told you so, and even though I want to tell him to shut the hell up, I’m grateful I listen and decide to stalk her by the window. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known about the nightmare she has, and I wouldn’t have been able to gather her in my arms.
Am I too possessive to crave to know the demon haunting her dreams? I need answers... and I’m definitely going to get them, even if it means slaughtering Warren and damning the laws of the Alliance. I’m going to do it.
Morning comes in no time, and I haven’t been able to sleep a wink. As a matter of fact, I spend the entire night watching her.
There’s a call through the mindlink, and I can already tell it’s Mom... oh, hell.
I contemplate answering or blocking the mindlink altogether, but I know it’s a two-way thing. If she tries again and gets no response from me, she’ll head straight to my room, and when she doesn’t find me there... she’ll go to Nikolas. And Nikolas will eventually walk her right down here.
And hell yeah, she’s definitely going to cause chaos, which means waking Roselle up. I want her to sleep without any distractions. frёewebηovel.cѳm
"Isn’t it too early, Mom?" I say, and I hear her scoff through the mindlink.
"It’s not, son. When are you bringing her to me? I can’t believe you bring home a new bride, the entire pack hears about it, and I don’t."
I exhale, running a hand through my hair. "You will, Mom... she needs to rest. The journey from Westbrook isn’t exactly easy, and she needs to fully recover first."
"And is the rumor true? I hear she’s mute. How true is that?"
My teeth grit at the news already spreading through the pack. Who the fuck starts making those rumors?
"She’s my bride, Mom. And when the time is right, you’re going to see her."
"Then it’s true... she’s really mute." The tension in her voice tells me exactly where this conversation is heading.
I exhale sharply.
"What were you thinking? Are you really in your right senses to bring home a mute bride? Is it because you’re so desperate to replace your former bride that you decide to settle for a dumb mute girl? What exactly has gotten into you? You had the best of the best, and now you’re settling for what? A mute? What are you reducing this great pack to?"
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
I pinch the bridge of my nose, already feeling a headache creeping in.
"Can we not talk about this right now?" I say, already trying to cut off the mindlink.
"No, we’re not done, Ronan. We need to talk about this now. I’m not going to stand by and watch you tear down the walls of this pack. Do you even know how many years and sacrifices it took to build this great pack? And now you’re ready to lower our walls for commoners?" She coughs, but keeps going anyway. "Oh, my heart... my heart attack..."
A wave of apprehension twists in my chest immediately.
"Mom?" I call through the mindlink, my jaw tightening. For all her dramatics, the thought of something actually happening to her still unsettles me.
Another cough echoes through the link, weaker this time, and I drag a frustrated hand down my face.
"Sit down and breathe before you work yourself into an actual attack," I mutter, already regretting this entire conversation.
"I need you to come see me now... we need to think this decision of yours through carefully. I know you to be a thoughtful Alpha, but this... this is something I could’ve sworn you’d never do." She lets out another dramatic cough. "I’m logging off now, and I need you to come see me immediately."
The mindlink cuts off before I can reply and tell her no.
Fuck.
Again, if I don’t go see her, she’s going to march straight to my room, run into Nikolas, and eventually make her way down here, which of course will lead to some sort of verbal altercation with Roselle. And I don’t want that happening either.
I glance back at Roselle. She’s still fast asleep, completely unaware of the tension already building around her. It’s still early morning, so I’ll just have to go there and come back as quickly as possible.
I sigh, pushing to my feet as I head toward her quarters. Opening the mindlink, I reach out to Elias first, reminding him about Roselle’s checkup. Then I contact Celeste, instructing her to prepare a warm bath and breakfast for Roselle when she wakes up.
Finally, I link Nikolas, telling him to handle my morning tasks while I’m away. I plan on having breakfast with Roselle if she lets me... and maybe getting her to feel a little more comfortable around me. Which means I need to start with small gestures, little things that make her feel at home here.
I’m not good at this kind of shit, but for her, I’m willing to learn.
A few minutes later, I’m standing inside Mom’s quarters. The former Luna sits upright on her bed, looking perfectly fine despite all the dramatic coughing from earlier.
My gaze sweeps across the room automatically, landing on the old silver mooncrest clock hanging above her fireplace. It’s been there since I was a child. Father used to complain about the damned thing ticking too loudly every night, but Mom refused to take it down because it was supposedly a gift from her mother.
Somehow, seeing that clock still hanging there gives the room the same familiar feeling it’s always had.
"Are you under some sort of spell?" she asks immediately, getting straight to the point. I mean, that’s just who she is.
Her gray eyes stare directly into mine. I get those eyes from her, even though every other feature I have screams my father, the late Alpha of this pack.
"It’s not a spell, Mom," I say flatly. "It’s my choice."
Her lips press into a thin line before she slowly rises from the bed, wrapping her robe tighter around herself as she stares at me like I’ve completely lost my damn mind.
"Your choice?" she repeats. "Ronan, do you even hear yourself? You are the Alpha of this pack. Your choices don’t affect only you anymore."
I stay silent, my jaw tightening.
"She’s going to be Luna," Mom continues, her voice sharper now. "Do you understand what that means? When you’re away handling Alliance matters, who’s going to address the pack in your absence? Who’s going to stand beside you during important gatherings, ceremonies, and meetings?"
Her gray eyes harden.
"How is your future Luna supposed to speak to crowds when she cannot even speak at all? Tell me that, Ronan." She gestures angrily with her hand. "The Luna of a great pack isn’t just a decorative title. She leads. She comforts. She commands respect. She addresses her people."
Every word hits harder than the last, but I refuse to back down.
"And what happens during diplomatic functions?" she pushes. "When Alphas from other packs arrive? When negotiations are held? How exactly is she supposed to fulfill her duties?"
I exhale slowly, forcing myself not to lose my temper.
"You’re looking at her disability like it’s all she is," I say quietly.
"And you’re refusing to look at reality," Mom fires back instantly.
The room falls silent for a second.
Then I straighten, meeting her gaze head-on.
"She’s still going to be my bride," I tell her firmly. "And whether the pack likes it or not, Roselle is still going to stand beside me as Luna."
