Chapter 192: Chapter 194

Chapter 9 – Reunion

“Time and time again, we reconnect. It’s like the universe nudges us to give it one more chance.”-Nikki Rowe

Kivn

Breakfast. When the car rolled into pack lands, the saccharine scent of maple caressed my nose. Onyx Moon territory smelled like breakfast. Taking out my earbuds, I took in a heavy whiff as the giant emerald trees passed by my window. I saw birds shimming in their nests high in the branches, families of squirrels skittering around logs, noisy insects buzzing around, and much more. The distant trickling of water told the story of a river. Nature and her beauty. Neron had chosen a beautiful patch of land for his home. I wondered what else laid hidden beyond the trees.

rays. A

Mom and Dad’s chatter ceased when the pack house opened up in our view, faintly glittering under the sun’s literal four-story mansion with speckles of mass hidden in the brick crevices. It was built similarly to the Zircon Moon’s pack house, but there were notable differences such as the statues of wolves guarding the front entrance and specs of black in the infrastructure. If I were to guess, they were onyx crystals-honoring both the pack name and the wolf it was named after. Houses lined the perimeter of the lands, stretching beyond the grandiose building with wolves, their mates, and children scatterin

g about like ants.

It felt like home. A true home. There wasn’t that heavy, dictatorial air that Zircon Moon had before its death. I could see myself coming here often.

The closer we got to the house, the clearer Nuria’s excited stature became. Grinning, I waved back. Dad came to a gradual stop in front of the house, allowing Nuria to run up to my car door, yank me out with her Alpha strength, and pick me up for a hug..

“I’m so happy you’re here!” She shrieked, hopping in place. I steadied myself with my

hands on her shoulders. Nuria’s love language is physical touch; I’m convinced.

“So am I! Now, put me down.” She obeyed, settling me on my feet. She turned to my parents exiting from the driver and passenger sides. “Hi Aunt Lyra, Uncle Nikolai! I hope the trip here was without trouble.”

“Hello to you too, spitfire.” Dad ruffled Nuria’s hair affectionately before drawing her into a hug. My heart swelled with happiness at the sight. “Staying out of trouble?”

“Please, trouble finds me.” My friend scoffed, earning a chuckle from Dad. Mom came ov

er and hugged her niece as well, smoothening out the hair strands her mate messed up. This is my family. I leaned against the car by the hip, toying with the strap of my purse.

“Your mother isn’t here, correct?” Mom asked.

“Nope! She’s canoodling with Ezekiel at this moment.”

Wait, who the hell was that?

“Excellent! She deserves a little loying on her special day. Now, dear Nuria, is the gift table set up in the dining room? We can bring our presents there.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. I’ll handle that.” Her eyes glazed over for a few seconds before returning to their natural

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Chapter 9 – Reunion

blue color. On cue, some Omegas came out and greeted my parents. Dad popped the trunk open and two male Omegas carefully pulled my suitcases and their gifts from the back. “Put those bags in the guest room next to mine and set the gifts on the table in the mess hall.”

“Yes, Alpha.” Both men said before disappearing into the house. In a flurry of action, Mom followed the Omegas inside while Dad parked the car in the nearby garage. He patted my shoulder and kissed my temple before joining Mom. That left Nuria and me alone.

i

“Everyone is a little busy today, as you can imagine.” Nuria chuckled, crossing her arms under her bosom. “The party is in three of hours, so you and your parents made it on time! More people are coming in the hour, but they aren’t important.”

*Yeah, yeah, but Aunt Essie is canoodling with who? Who is Ezekiel?” I asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Her crush. Ezekiel is a former Alpha in a nearby pack and they’ve had eyes on each other for a while now. He took her out for the day.” She waggled her eyebrows. “She’ll be back before the party begins.”

Wow. I didn’t know that. That man better treat Aunt Essic right, or else I’m ending his retirement with a one-way ticket to Selene. My aunt deserved all the happiness in the world.

“Oh! Speaking of crushes…” I fished out the box of sweet-smelling tea bags from my purse. “This is for you, courtesy of Phoebe.”

I watched Nuria’s confidence drain from her face, instantly replaced with a sharp pink blush blossoming from her hairline to her neck. Words were lost to her, and she began scratching the back of her neck as she stared at the ornamental box, her lips widening and shrinking. “F-for me? S-she made that for me?”

“Yeah, something about tea blends and how you like fruity tea.”

“She… r-remembered that…?” Her shaky hands grasped the box from mine, an affectionate smile growing on her lips as she traced a decorative swirl with her finger. “That…is so sweet. S-she shouldn’t have…”

“You two should really sit down and talk. It’s clear you both like each other.”

Nuria darted her eyes from the box to me, shifting her weight on her right leg. She sighed, hugging the box over her heart before brightening up with a soft smile. I could see red hearts floating around her head. How cute! “She didn’t have to make tea for me… what a sweetheart…

“You’re dodging.”

“I should try these out right away.”

“Nuria…”

“Oh, Neron went out for a run-He should be back, soon.” She escaped inside the pack house before 1 could say anything else. I sighed in exasperation. How long must those two dance around each other? I didn’t expect how irritating it can be to witness two people who clearly like eachother avoid one another like the bubonic plague. Could they be mates? Definitely. And they look cute together.

I looked around for any sign of Neron. Not a skyscraper in sight. When I turned back around, a black and white husky

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Chapter 9 Reunion

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trotted up to me with his mouth partially open, tall wagging in the breeze. “Hey, buddy!”

The dog barked and sniffed all around me, growling softly when I scratched behind his ears. What an adorable dog! A thick black collar rested around his neck with a silver, bone-shaped tog. It read ‘Lupin’. Of course, there had to be a dog named ‘wolf’ in a wolf pack. Suddenly, I remembered a conversation I had with Neron a while back about him adopting a dog.

“Neron is your owner, isn’t he?”

Lupin barked, his tail wagging faster. I giggled. At least I got to meet the dog that stole his heart.

A little girl in the distance called out for Lupin, her tiny legs carrying her to us. The husky looked behind himself and barked again, sitting on his butt. When the girl got closer, she took a good look at me and her eyes widened. Her flowery scent tickled my nose. “Are you here for the party, Miss?”

“Yes, I am.” I nodded with a smile. “What’s your name, sweetie?”

“Orchid. I’m three.” She held up three fingers. “You look a lot like my Mommy.”

“I do? That’s interes- Wait. Her scent. The features she shared with both her mother and father. Her hair matched

mine with looser curls. The likeness she shared with Adonis, minus the eyes. This meant only one thing. “Orchid, are

you-!”

A shriek echoed beside me. I snapped my head to the front entrance to see Raina standing there flailing her hands as she made her way to me. I stood erect, bracing myself for impact. My sister smacked into me and hugged me tight, burrowing her head in my shoulder. Shock radiated from her lavender scent, melting into the pleasant perfume of love. “You’re here! I d-didn’t expect…”

“Nuria invited me. It looks like she kept it a secret from everyone.” I chuckled, hugging her back. It took a long time before I was comfortable speaking with my sister again. As her daughter stood next to us, I couldn’t help but think how much I missed out on her life because I, m e n a l l , wasn’t ready to be an aunt. Forgiveness with Raina was a long way away. After a couple of years of therapy and talking, I forgave her for my sake,

Raina lifted her head up, showing a motherly smile, cupping my cheek with her palm. “Either way, I’m so happy to see you. You look great.” Her head went up to my ponytail. “Your hair has gotten much longer.”

“And you’ve cut yours.” Raina’s hair was to her shoulders, gently brushing against her unblemished skin. “It looks good.

on you.”

“I needed a change.”

“Mommy?”

Raina looked down and ran her hand through her daughter’s hair. “And I see you already met Orchid. She follows Lupin everywhere. Sometimes, I think he is more her pet than Neron’s.”

huckling, I kneeled down at Orchid’s height, holding my hand out for her to take. “Your Mommy and I look alike because she is my sister. I’m your aunt, Orchid.”

“Auntie?” She d h er head to the side, her inquisitive stare gradually brightening into a Cheshire grin. “Auntie!”

Chapter 9 – Reunion

Orchid leaped into my arms, wrapping her short legs around my hips. I laughed, hugging my adorable niece hack, planting a delicate kiss on her temple.

“Kiya. Auntie Kiya.” I whispered in her ear, standing as Lupin walked around and through my legs, rubbing his fur against me. Raina stood to the side, in tears at the sight. Tears burned my eyes, threatening to fall. I finally got to meet my niece. And I’ll try my hardest to be in her life to the best of my ability.

After a minute, I set Orchid on her feet. “Wait here!” She spoke. She scampered to the edge of the forest, shuffling behind a large bush. I looked at Raina for answers, but all she did was laugh and smile, holding up her hand to tell me to wait. The tiny girl ran back to me shortly after, holding up a blooming purple and white orchid to me. “This is for

you.”

A lone tear slipped down my cheek when I took the orchid flower from her small hands. My niece was as beautiful as the flower name after her. She gestured me to come down to her height and when I did; she plucked the flower out of my hands and nestled it on the side of my hair. “There!”

“Thank you, baby girl,” I whispered, kissing her forehead. Goddess, I love her so much already. “You’re too kind to me.”

“Adonis will be so excited once he knows you’re here,” Raina said.

I stood erect, patting my thighs. “Let’s find him and let him know.”

I’ll see Neron when he comes back from his run.

Or so I thought.

A mighty bombarding howl ripped through the air, drawing all eyes and ears to the owner. Sandalwood and ginger drifted up to my nose, stoking an internal dormant flame I hadn’t felt in so long. When I turned my head, there he stood. The Alpha, fur black as coal, capturing the glitters of the sun with every strand. Molten gold brightened when focused on my form. He panted like he spotted its favorite human. Artemis rose in my mind, pirouetting as she howled at the sight. So much for missing him, huh? Lupin wagged his tail, taking refuge beside Orchid, clearing the pathway between the Alpha and me.

“Long time, no see.” Standing tall, my sigh accompanied my smile as I waved at the giant wolf. “Hi, Onyx.”

Onyx barked, galloping to where I was. Suddenly, I realized our height and weight differences. He’s huge while I was tiny by comparison. “S h i t. Oh no, Onyx!”

The big puppy tackled me to the ground on my back and soon bombarded me with his rapid licks to my face. Onyx sniffed me like there was no tomorrow, all while coating my face in a thick sheen of his drool. Laughing, I tried to push him off, but it didn’t deter the overly affectionate puppy from cleaning my face.

“Onyx! Stop! You’re licking off my foundation!”

After a few more seconds from his relentless assault, Onyx sat on his rear, the tip of his tongue stained brown. Raina helped me up while I pulled out a napkin from my purse and wiped my eyes and cheeks with his drool. He needs a mint. He leaned his head toward me and butted my chest, sniffing again. I caressed his fluffy fur behind his ears, relishing in his soft growls. His tail was like a propeller, picking up wind behind him. It brought back a distant memory of when Neron shifted for the first time.

Chapter 9 – Reunion

Onyx acted exactly the way he did back then, right down to the tail. I was beyond happy.

I scratched his ears, burying my face in his fur. “I missed you, Onyx, and Artemis did too.”

“N-no I didn’t!” Artemis stammered. “Don’t give him false hope like that!”

Ignoring her denial, I continued to scratch and caress the big puppy, sinking deeper into the sheer joy perfuming out. of his pores. “Would you like to go on a run later?”

Onyx barked, lifting his head up and hopping in place, shaking the earth beneath my feet. I’ll take that as a yes. Lupin trotted to my side, trying to rub his fur onto my legs until the big Alpha growled and barked at him to back off. I fell into a fit of laughter, shaking my head.

“Lupin didn’t do anything!”

Onyx didn’t care. He used his snout to push Lupin away, curling his head and body around me. Someone’s jealous. I patted his back, rubbing his fur again. “No need to be rude, Nix. He’s innocent.”

He didn’t let up. He curled himself tighter around me. Silly puppy.

“I’m glad to have seen you, big fella. Do you mind if I see Neron?”

Onyx panted, lifting and nodding his enormous head. He scuttled toward the deep shadow between a wide set of trees. I didn’t miss his booty swaying like he wanted me to see it. I waited, watching the shadows bend to different shapes and shuffling between the bushes and leaves. The sound of bones snapping echoed before silencing. The sandalwood scent got much stronger, drenching the surrounding breeze.

Goddess, was his scent always this strong?

After an eternity of waiting, Neron emerged from the trees, sucking in a deep breath before his cobalts landed on me. The sounds of the world drowned in silence. Our surroundings faded into a muddled blur. I held my breath as he took his first steps toward me. Three years. Three years since Neron and I saw each other last. His hair was longer-now brushing to the middle of his back, his muscles were bulkier-sturdy like tree trunks, and there were signs of stubble growing on his jaw. His pack mark settled on his right shoulder, just above his deltoid.

Goddess, he’s handsome.

Neither of us spoke a word, even as we stood a foot from each other. The words were stuck in my throat, refusing to leave. Neron reached out and cupped my face with both his large hands, running his thumbs underneath my eyes, brushing against my nose and above my lips. His face cracked into a smile, his eyes shimmering like jewels from his tears. A few strays escaped, leaving streaks on his cheeks.

“You’re here.” He h o a s e y whispered, trying hard to contain his emotions.

1 placed my palms on top of his hands, astounded the size differences. “I am.”

“I missed you so much.”

“I did too.”

Chapter 9 – Reunion

My head rested on his chest, his brawny arms wrapping around my smaller frame in a tight hug. I felt his lips on top of my head before his chin rested, sighing in pure relief while sniffling. I wrapped my arms around him, squeezing as hard as I could muster without hurting him.

We stayed like that for a while, basking in each other’s presence underneath the warm sun.

I knew I made the right decision to come.