Chapter Sixteen
The wind howled low through the trees as we approached Stormclaw territory, a sharp and familiar chill threading through the air. The scent of pine and snow–tinged earth filled my lungs, and with it, the memories I thought I’d buried. This place was my beginning. My bloodline. My shame. And now, my return.
O F G > SQ E F
Vivienne walked beside me in silence, Ayla bundled tightly in my arms. The child barely stirred, her warm breath soft against my neck. Stormclaw’s towering gates loomed ahead, carved with ancient glyphs and silver inlays that caught the morning sun. I had passed through them once before after escaping Nightfang’s betrayal–but that time, I hadn’t stayed.}
This time, I wasn’t leaving.
Wolves stood guard on either side, stiffening as we approached. One of them recognized me–his nostrils flared, eyes wide–and a ripple of murmurs echoed behind the gates.”
“Open them,” came a voice from within. I knew it before I saw him.
Alpha Garrick.}
My father.
The gates groaned open, revealing the man whose blood ran through my veins. He looked like a mountain carved from flesh–broad, solid, and battle–worn–but his eyes… they softened the moment they landed on me. And then they drifted down to the bundle in my
arms.
Ayla.
His granddaughter.
I didn’t expect the emotion that welled in his gaze. The last time we’d stood face–to–face, I had told him I was going to Nightfang to destroy the man who broke me. I’d refused his protection, his pleading. I’d chosen war over sanctuary.}
And now… I had returned from that war.
He took a step forward, then another, until he stood before me, towering and still. I braced myself for judgment or pride–I didn’t know which would be harder to bear.
“You came home,” he said, voice rough.
I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. “It’s done.”
His hands lifted, unsure, then he reached for Ayla. I hesitated, but Vivienne gave me a look–a subtle nudge–and I let him take her. Garrick held her like she was spun from starlight. His breath hitched. “She looks like you did, when you were small. But her eyes… those aren’t yours.”
“No,” I murmured. “They’re mine now, though. No one else’s.“}
He nodded, understanding more than the words. He cradled her for a moment longer, then looked at me.}
“Come in, Selene. You’ll stay this time.”
I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until I exhaled, shaky and slow. I followed him through the gates.
Stormclaw was both changed and unchanged. The pack’s heartbeat still pulsed through the earth, but wolves stared at me with mixed recognition–some in awe, some in wariness. I heard the whispers: She survived. She’s back. That’s the child…
We were led to the Alpha’s hall. Vivienne peeled off to give us space, ever graceful in her retreat. Garrick handed Ayla back to me and guided me to a private chamber at the rear of the keep.
ES GFS = S
The door shut behind us with a quiet thud.}
We sat in silence for a moment. Then he spoke.
‘I watched the storm rise in you, Selene. When you left… I wanted to stop you. But I saw it in your eyes. The same fire your mother had. You wouldn’t have let me.”
I set Ayla down on the bed, tucking the blankets around her tiny body. Then I turned to face him.
‘I didn’t come for pity, Father.“”
He scoffed. “Good. I wouldn’t give it.“”
That made me smile–a flicker of something genuine, raw.
He walked to the window, his back to me. “They called you a disgrace. A fallen Luna, Said you ran because you were weak.” He turned, fire blazing in his chest. “But you walked into the den of the wolf who ruined you… and made him kneel.“}
I lowered my gaze. “I didn’t do it for glory. I did it because I had nothing else.”
Garrick crossed to me in two strides and placed his hand on my shoulder. “You had us. Me. But I know now–I had to earn the right to fight for you again.“%
Tears stung, hot and unwelcome. “I couldn’t stay before. I wasn’t ready. I needed to stand on my own.”
He nodded slowly, then gently pulled me into his arms. I froze–then melted into the embrace.
My father.
His scent was warmth and iron and safety. For a moment, I let the mask fall. My body trembled with everything I’d held back for so long. “I wanted to die in those mountains,” I whispered. “But Ayla… she saved me.“}
He didn’t speak. Just held me tighter.
Eventually, I pulled back, wiping my eyes. “I want to stay. I want her to grow up safe, proud of where she comes from.“%
“Then stay,” he said. “And tomorrow, the entire pack will know. You are not a disgrace. You are my daughter. Stormclaw’s heir. And I will
restore what was taken.“%
Ayla stirred behind us, a small sound like a sigh. Garrick smiled and walked over, crouching beside the bed.
“I failed you once, Selene. Never again. Not you. Not her.”
I sank into the chair beside them, watching my father gently brush Ayla’s cheek.
I had returned to Stormclaw with nothing but a child and a battered name.”
But tonight, I wasn’t broken.”
Tonight, I was home.
