Page 7 of His Fated Luna

Chapter 3

"If you find me not within you, you will never find me. For I have been with you, from the beginning of me." – Rumi

Rose's POV

“Wha…what’s going on?” I asked, confused.

For a moment, I wildly scanned the room, half-expecting my mother’s doppelgänger to appear as well.

The man who looked exactly like my dad stood up and wrapped me in a bear hug.

“My daughter… my dear, Rose….”

He squeezed me so hard I thought I might break in half. When he let his hands fall to his sides, I realized I couldn’t breathe. I was too stunned.

“D…Dad?” I choked out. “You… you’re dead...” I trailed off blankly, my mind struggling to process the reality standing right in front of me. My lungs felt tight.

“No, child. I’m alive and kicking,” he said, his deep green eyes—a mirror image of mine—twinkling with warmth. This really was… my father?

“But… but…” I stammered, my thoughts racing as I struggled to breathe. I shook my head, feeling myself become dizzy from lack of air.

I COULDN’T BREATHE!

My father was alive?

“Give her some space!” the young man from before snapped, pushing my dad back with great fervor. “Goddess Ezra! I told you this wasn’t a good idea! Look at her!” His deep blue eyes pinned me with their piercing gaze. “Rose, look at me. I want you to breathe.” He breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly, and I did my best to mimic him. “Good….good girl.”

At once I felt my cheeks heat over his words. Ah crap. Why was I such a goner when it came to hot guys?

“In and out…just like that.” He was still focused on making sure I was getting enough air into my lungs. “You are an idiot!” His voice turned positively glacial as he turned to stare at the man who claimed to be my father. “Springing something like this on her in this manner was a huge mistake!”

“She is my daughter Aiden!”

Aiden. His name was Aiden. But there were more important things to focus on right now.

Like the fact that Auntie Hilda had lied to me about my parents’ deaths!

“Rose, honey.”

Auntie Hilda finally spoke up as she tried to hand me a glass of cold water. She looked as pale as a ghost. “I… I think we need tohave a talk… Rather, I need to tell you… tell you everything from the beginning.”

A strangled noise escaped my throat as a mix of rage and confusion crashed over me. Had I been lied to all my life?

But right now, my overwhelming curiosity won out over the fury clawing its way up my chest.

And so, in response to my silence, Auntie Hilda began her story…

A story that sent my knees buckling and my anxiety sky rocketing. I sat dully on the couch between Auntie Hilda and Ezra, trying to process everything. All this time, Auntie Hilda hadn’t been paranoid. She had truly been worried someone was going to kidnap me!

“You….You lied to me my entire life!” I hissed furiously, checking the urge to scream and yell. Because amidst this story, I also realized how much my aunt had given up to keep me safe. She had turned into a werewolf! She hadn’t tried to find a significant other and start her own family, devoting her life to making sure Estelle’s daughter lived to become the next luna.

“It was only supposed to be for a few years!” Auntie Hilda cried out pleadingly. “We were supposed to go back once our pack alpha and beta had gotten everything under control.”

"Only you never managed to get everything under control."

The words cut through the room, harsh and accusing.

I turned my gaze toward Aiden, sitting in the recliner chair. He was clearly upset. So was I.