Chapter 84
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“ARE YOU NERVOUS?” Alpha King Perez asked as he took Serena’s hand and intertwined them. They were now on the way to the palace, with, Annie, Peter, and Marcus‘ family.
“A bit,” She replied with uncertainty, nervousness creeping in as she realized it had been years since she last visited the capital. Everything was different now, and it almost felt like being in a new city where she would have to get used to her surroundings all over again.
“Don’t worry, I assure you that no one in the pack resented your decision to run away. In fact, they all long for your return and hold onto the hope that one day you’ll find your way back home.” Her husband reassured her, and she nodded, squeezing his hands lightly.
As they entered the palace gates, Serena couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by the grandeur of it all. The palace was even more magnificent than she remembered, with its large marble columns and intricate designs adorning every inch of the building. She couldn’t believe they would be living here from now.
“Wow!” Peter’s eyes twinkled as he took in the sight, his hand tightly clutching his parents as he walked between them.
Serena’s smile widened at his reactions, happy that he was just as awestruck by the palace as she was. He had grown up on a small island, far from the opulence of the capital city, so it must have been a dream come true for Peter to finally experience the lavish lifestyle he deserved.
“Do you like your new house?” Perez glanced at his son, relieved that he wasn’t bothered by the overwhelming sights around them.
After winning the war, Perez had initially chosen to stay in the north, since the memories of that place were precious and he wanted to rebuild it into a prosperous land once again. However, after much urging from his advisors and pack members, he finally decided to make the capital city their permanent home as it symbolized unity and strength for all werewolf packs.
Not to mention, he understood that living in the capital offered much more comfort and security than the harsh and unpredictable weather of the north. He wanted only the best for his pack, as well as for his family whom he knew he would be reunited with one day.
“I like it, Papa! It’s big and shiny, just like what I’ve seen in the books that Nanny read to me!” Peter squealed in excitement, looking up at his parents, with his amber eyes shining brightly.
“I’m glad you like it since you’ll be living here now,” Perez replied, then glanced at Serena who had a warm and affectionate expression as she watched the exchange between father and son. She was genuinely delighted to see how quickly they had bonded in such a brief amount of time.
As they entered through the grand double doors, they were greeted by a flurry of activity. Servants scurried around, some carrying trays of food while others were arranging flowers or polishing furniture.
The sound of laughter and chatter filled the halls as people bustled about, giving Serena a sense of warmth and belonging that she had missed for so long. When everyone caught sight of her with a child and the Alpha King, they all stopped in their tracks and looked at her with surprised teary expressions.
“L–Luna Serena,” They all spoke in unison, relieved to see her return home. She smiled back at them, but her focus shifted to Priscilla standing on the staircase, tears welling up in her eyes as she gazed at her sister–in–law and nephew. Priscilla raised a hand to cover her mouth, trying to process the reality of seeing them, until Peter’s voice brought her back to the present.
“That beautiful lady looks like Papa.” he said before turning to look at his father, “Who is she, papa?”
“She’s my sister; your untie Priscilla.” Priscilla hurried down the stairs, her eyes still damp with tears as she approached her brother and his family. She couldn’t believe they were finally home after all these years.
“Serena… I miss you so much!” she said, her voice choked with emotion as they hugged each other. Just then, Serena felt her tears fall from her eyes, which meant that she had to pull away from the embrace and wipe them off.
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Chapter 84
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“Me too, I missed you, too. I’m sorry for suddenly disappearing she said, and Priscilla shook her head before she looked down at Peter and returned her gaze to Serena, “I–is he, my nephew?”
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“Yeah.” She nodded and Priscilla slowly crouched down to meet her nephew’s eye level, she then gently put her hand on his small head while wiping her tears with one hand.
“Hi, I’m your Auntie Priscilla, what’s your name?” she asked, her voice gentle and sweet. Peter, who was still clutching onto his father’s hand, looked at Priscilla with wide eyes before mustering up the courage to speak.
“Hello, auntie. My name’s Peter, I’m three years old.” he introduced, and Priscilla couldn’t help but smile at the little boy’s enthusiasm. She couldn’t believe that her brother had such a cute child, and she had just met him for the first time.
“Mama!” a cute voice suddenly boomed from behind, causing everyone to turn around and see Beta Jarren carrying an adorable, cute boy.
“Oh, my! Is he your son?” Serena asked Priscilla who had just stood up straight. She nodded and beckoned her husband who was stunned seeing their Luna come closer.
“Welcome back, Luna Serena.” Beta Jarren approached with his son in his arms, smiling as he looked at Serena and Peter. The little boy in his arms was around the same age as Peter, with curly brown hair and bright amber eyes.
“Yes, this is my son, Liam,” Priscilla said before Jarren placed Liam in front of Peter to introduce them even though Liam couldn’t talk straight yet. “Hi, Peter, this is your cousin, Liam, and he’s two years old. I hope you get along with each other.”
Peter giggled, holding Liam’s arm and rubbing it happily as Liam grinned at him in response. Both couples laughed, seeing how the two children seemed to be in their own world already.
“Should I take them outside to play?” Marcus suggested, catching their attention. Serena then introduced Marcus to Priscilla and the Beta, and they gave him permission to take the children to the garden to play while the adults engaged in conversation.
“I can’t believe you’re back. Though I know you will return someday since my brother never really stopped searching for you, seeing you here, brings me much relief.” Priscilla said as they settled on the sofa in the sitting room.
“I honestly feel shameless going back as if nothing happened,” Serena admitted, her gaze shifting to Perez as he reached for her hand and their fingers intertwined. She smiled at him before continued speaking, “It would have been better if you guys scolded me or got angry at me for suddenly disappearing but instead, you welcomed me as if I never left without saying anything.”
“I’m not sure if I deserve to be treated with such kindness, but I am grateful for your warm welcome towards me and my son.”
“Aww! What are you saying? Whether you left or not, you will always be a family. Besides, anger has no place in our relationship.” Priscilla dabbed the corner of her eyes when she felt hot tears stinging her lashes, “Also, we understood your reasoning behind your choice to run away,”
“Huh? You know the reason why I left?” Serena’s eyes widened as she turned to Perez, hoping for an answer to her question.
“We can’t say if that was the actual cause, but we presumed that you might have overheard my discussion with Jarren regarding Marga staying in the pack and helping her raise her child.” Perez explained, circling his thumb on his wife’s palm, “Also, our conversation on the cliff when I said I have no plans for having an heir yet… It must be one of the reasons. Were
you
scared that our child would be a hindrance to my plans? Is that why you chose to hide your pregnancy and left?”
Silence hung in the air as Serena pursed her lips. “That’s right.”
I never wanted to keep my pregnancy a secret from you. In fact I was thrilled at the thought of sharing the news with you. But when I found out that you were planning on keeping Marga in the pack to help raise the child, it made me scared… Although I knew there was a reason for it, the fear consumed me” she explained, remembering that day so vividly.
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Chapter 84
“I waited for you to tell me your plans, hoping that if you explained them in detail, I might change my mind. However, you never took the time to explain anything to me, and you not rejecting Marga didn’t help to ease my worries,” she continued, looking at Perez who looked like he was regretting not telling her his plans, “In the end, I chose to hide it and ran away, because I felt like if were to tell you about my pregnancy, it might interfere with your plans and ruin everything.”
“But… Things worked out for us anyway. We both make a mistake and poor decisions, so we don’t need to blame each other for it. What matters is that we have been given another opportunity to come back together and start over with our son.”
SEND GIFT
