“Yes,” I say quietly. “She wasn’t Lissa.” I raise my eyes to meet her mother’s. “Do you have pictures of Hannah?”
Her eyes light up. “You want to see them?”
“Of course,” I say.
“Is this really okay?” her mom asks. “I don’t want to insult you, Luna.”
“You are not insulting me by mourning your daughter and talking about her. Me being here now doesn’t take away from the fact that she was Forest’s fated mate. When I met Forest, what drove us was our thirst for revenge and our wish to bring justice to those who died under Jordan or Forest’s parents. Hannah was what drove Forest to break away from his parents’ grasp.”
“That’s true,” Betty muses. “Now that you say it… only a fated mate could have done that.”
“He was beyond shocked,” I say. “Devastated by what his parents did, and full of guilt. But he didn’t hesitate once in bringing his parents down.”
Hannah’s mom smiles slightly. “It brings me a bit of peace to know that the alpha was so upset about her death, even without knowing her, that he immediately sought justice.” She pauses. “Can I really show you some pictures?”
“Of course,” I say. “Tell us more about her.”
Her mom rushes off to pick up a photo album while Betty and I remain silent for a moment. “This poor family,” I say quietly. “They did nothing wrong. Hannah just existed.”
“That’s the worst part about it,” Betty says. “That it just doesn’t make sense. Their child was murdered for no reason.” She pauses. “You being here and talking so fondly about Hannah is helping a lot.”
“I was scared my presence would be rather disturbing to them, but I didn’t want to shy away from my responsibility either,” I admit.
“It didn’t scare them, mainly because of the person you are. You are not jealous or threatened by Hannah’s existence, or by her having been Forest’s fated mate. You are a good person, Rose, and they’ve noticed. That’s what’s helping her parents.”
Hannah was an innocent person, completely caught in the web Harry spun. She didn’t have any idea what was going on. Just that one day, she found out the future alpha was her mate, and on the same evening was killed.
At least they killed her quickly. From Donna’s accounts, we know that Lissa invited her over and gave her sleeping pills. Then the alpha smothered her.
The insanity behind it all is what’s so mind-boggling. A completely innocent girl, murdered for being Forest’s mate. I have no doubts anymore that they would have killed Griffin too had Forest stayed too close to him.
“They were terrible people,” I say. “True monsters. I know Donna will strike a deal with the elders at the prison, for being a witness—”
“It won’t set her free, though,” Betty vows. “She will still stay locked up, just perhaps in a more comfortable location. I know it’s not much, but still, at least it means we can truly bring Harry down.”
I sigh. “You are right. For Harry, this will be the end of the life he knows. He will suffer. Narcissists like him and Jordan suffer the most when their reputation and their wealth are taken from them. It’s exactly what he deserves. To live alone and in disgrace until he dies.”
Betty nods. “That’s true. But also, you and Forest need to start moving forward from now on. You cannot let the guilt of others’ actions overwhelm you. Forest is not at fault for what his parentsdid, and you are not at fault for being his mate now. Not even Hannah’s parents hold it against you.”
“Tonight, we’ll present the pack with the truth,” I say. “That was the deadline we both set for ourselves. From then on, we need to move forward, as you said, and make sure to be the alpha and luna this pack deserves.”
fifty
The Final Truth
*ROSEA*
Forest is calm and much less nervous than I expected him to be. It seems like something has shifted in him over the last few weeks. He is much more confident in his abilities and in himself. And even today, when he has to tell everyone what truly transpired in this pack, he stands in front of the pack members with confidence.
There is no real meeting place or hall in the pack, at least nothing that’s built for the purpose, something I will have to change eventually. We didn’t want to have this meeting outside either, so as to not be at the mercy of the shifting weather, so we chose the dining hall. The kitchen staff has provided plenty of tea and coffee for everyone, and the place is crowded.
I expected a lot of pack members to be present, but not that almost everyone would attend. Some of them are squeezed to the back because there are no seats left. The elders are here too, and of course, our ranked members.
“Don’t worry,” Griffin whispers to me. “It will be alright.”
His optimism is contagious, but even more so is Forest’s calm. He waits for ten more minutes, to make sure everyone who’s running late is able to attend, then he takes my hand, pulls me next to him, and finally addresses the pack.
“Thank you all for coming,” he says. “I won’t make you wait any longer, and I won’t waste your time with small talk now. You all know my parents have been imprisoned, and you know that Jordan is gone for good. For Rose and me, this means we can finally tell you the whole truth. Please understand that our circumstances didn’t allow us to be open from the beginning,” he grimaces. “Both my parents are weasels, or more like snakes; they would have slithered out of this situation otherwise.” This earns him some giggles and laughs. “Have your tea or coffee and be prepared for a long story.”
