The Broken Warrior's Daughter

| walk into the room, closing the door behind me. | go sit in the chair beside her bed, taking her hand.

“Hello, Luna.” She says and her voice is hoarse.

“Paisley. | spoke to Gamma Sirona. Is there anything | can do?”

“No. | was hoping that it wouldn’t be this bad, but.

| reach out, touching her arm. “You can take as long as you need. I'll help you in any way you need. Everyone in the pack will. That’s the kind of pack this is, we help each other.”

“Thank you, Luna.” She’s quiet for a moment, then looks up at me. “You’ve seen the mate bond on both sides. What you have with Alpha Eli makes it seem like the mate bond is special, good, what we're told as pups that it’s supposed to be. What | had with your father was not that. He wasn’t a bad mate, but he wasn’t a good mate either. But now, knowing what he did to your mother and to you, | don’t know that | could ever trust the mate bond again.”

“When | met Eli, | didn’t want a mate. | didn’t want to suffer the way | watched my mother suffer for years. It felt like she was forced to endure a life that she no longer wanted.” | shrug, looking at

her. “But Eli is different. | don’t think it’s the bond that makes the difference, | think it's the person. |

know, in my heart, that Eli would never treat me the way my father treated my mother. He has too much respect for me, and | have that same respect for him. Somewhere along the way. | fell in love with him, not just because of the bond. | fell in love with the person he is. The things that he believes in are the things that | believe in. that | want in my life. His dreams of a better life are the same as mine. | think that’s what makes the difference. The bond draws us together, but it’s the person that makes the bond worthwhile.”

I stand, knowing she needs her rest. “I know you're hurting, and you have a lot to work through. but don’t completely rule out the possibility of finding your second chance mate. Who knows, you may find your fated mate. But heal first, focus on your son, and maybe, like me, it will just happen.

for you.

| reach down and gently hug her. “I'll be back to check on you tomorrow. And your son is being well taken care of. You just worry about getting healthy for him.”

When | leave the hospital. | head over to the packhouse kitchens.

“Cammy!”

+15 BONOS

“Luna.” She looks exhausted.

“| know we've added a bunch of people, what do you need?” | ask her.

“More hours in the day?” She says jokingly.This text is © NôvelDrama/.Org.

“If only! | think we could all use that.”

“It was a lot at first, but Beta Amber sent some folks out to get food. Gamma Noah had some money, so we were able to stock up and prepare food for everyone.”

“Excellent. It'll be chaotic for a while, but...”

She shrugs. “We're kind of used to that around here, right?”

| laugh. “Definitely. Eli and | will be talking to the new pack members tomorrow, so hopefully I

have some additional help for you very quickly.”

“That would be great. And Luna, when things settle down a bit, I'd like to talk to you about something else.”

“| will make time whenever you are ready.” | tell her.

| head up to my room, ready for a shower then a good night's sleep, in my own bed, with my ma curled up around me.

Cooper

Author

Poor Paisley!