Page 103 of Forever My Siren Luna
My friend, or my mother. Who do I choose?
Mimi can’t be saved. Not from this. She won’t die alone. There is a storm of people outside her door waiting to shower her with every bit of the love she deserves.
Beretta is my sister. She is the strongest woman in the world after me, though she would argue that to the death claiming she is the strongest.
I have the strongest mate in the world, ready to save her, and his best friend and brother. He is just waiting for me, making sure that I’m ready to either stay here or leave with him.
It's my choice.
He wants me to stay, and I trust my mate. I trust him to bring Beretta home. And with Jack, those demons will be facing a new kind of hell against both these Alphas.
“I’ll be right back, Mimi. I’m going to talk to my mate, and I’ll be right back.”
She nodded weakly, then closed her eyes, no longer trying to put on the strong front. Gemma rushes to her side as Lachlan and I step into the sitting room to speak.
A soft, relieved smile, full of sadness and warmth, was on my mate’s face as he stared down at me. “You’re staying.” He strummed his fingers down my cheek.
“I’m staying,” I confirmed. He wasn’t telling me or asking me. He just knew. He felt my resolve lock into place the moment my mind was made up.
“I trust you to save my friend and my Beta without me, Alpha,” I whispered, tears silently streaming down my cheeks.
His fingers chased them away, then he bent down to softly kiss my lips. “I trust you to take care of our Mimi without me, my Luna,” his stormy eyes glinted. “She was both our mother, Lira. I’m happy she can go peacefully with you by her side.”
I nodded, then gave him one last long, lingering kiss that made me melt before he said his goodbyes to Mimi. We walked hand in hand all the way out to the stables. We were in our own bubble of intimacy, absorbed in each other. It’s just hours after leaving our bed after coming together for the first time, and we were already having to put miles between us. We were losing our Mimi, and Beretta and Nilo were in danger. This was quite the way to begin our first day as mates.
This made me think of our first life when he left for battle. I hadn’t seen more than a glimpse of Lachlan in months. It was almost a relief to know he was gone, though it hurt because of the reasons why.
Now, it hurts that we are going to be separated, but I trust him to save our people. He wanted me to stay, and now my reasons to stay far outweigh my reasons to go, though it will still hurt to be apart.
“I love you,” I told him again as he was getting ready to mount. “Come home to me.”
“Always,” he kissed me again.
Val was telling Killian bye in a similar way, her heart as heavy as mine. She agreed with our decision to stay, but she was still torn, just like me. She wanted to fight alongside her mate.
When our lips part, I get that same feeling I had yesterday morning as my father left to scout my uncle’s pack. There was a finality in these goodbyes that made it hard to breathe.
“Please, come home to me, Lachlan.” I stared into his eyes pleadingly. It felt like I was begging my entire world to stay whole. It just began to spin with life again. I don’t want it to break apart. Not when our future has barely begun. “Please.”
“Hey,” he gripped the side of my face. “I’ll always find my way home to you. I love you, Lira.” He smiled reassuringly. “I’ll be back so fast, you won’t have time to miss me.”
"You better," I cried, my heart breaking the entire time I watched him and most of our warriors, along with Jack and his trained men go.
~
Mimi died later that night. It hurt to let my mate leave without me, but I’m glad I could spend those final hours with her.
Cherum and my guard stayed behind with me, and they devoted the entire rest of the day to giving Mimi the greatest send off of anyone ever. It was a party for the ages, all centered around one person.
The atmosphere was thick with gloom right after the warriors and men left, but Cherum and Yasmin wouldn’t have that. They quickly turned the wait for death into a party of life. They had omegas setting up tents and a party on the beach. The cooks quickly organized grilled foods. Cherum even thought of inviting Westley and the other children from the orphanage to give Mimi as much joy as possible before her time came.
She looked happy. Gemma had dressed her in the finest robe we could find, so she felt like a queen. Cherum carried her out to a bed that had been set up on the sandy shore with a canopy overhead to shield her from the sun. Everyone danced and sang, and ate food cooked over open fires. Yasmin and I were able to get Mimi a few small bites of her favorite desserts, but soon the doctor gave her an herbal tonic to manage the pain and she was no longer hungry for anything but company.
We told stories around the fire, many of the maids telling tales of times Mimi scolded them for silly things. Cherum told of a time Mimi mixed up the regular cream with his special cream by accident in her morning tea, then laughed herself into a fit, drunk as a skunk while on duty in the laundry room the rest of the day.
Everyone loved Mimi, and when she took her final breath late into the night, she knew it. She felt how deeply she had touched all those celebrating her life with her.
Now, it is morning. The party is gone. Cherum and Percy carried her body away once everyone had a chance to say their final goodbyes. Everyone had returned home soon after to grieve in their own ways. I feel like I'm the only one still up as I walk along the beach, staring at the raging waves, praying for Mimi’s peaceful passage to the other side of life. I know she will be greeted with open arms, beloved by the angels themselves. She might even be greeting my mother at this moment. The two would have been great friends.