Chapter 150
FAYE
When my mother saw me standing at the doorway, she froze. For a second, she didn’t move or speak…just stared like she wasn’t sure if she was seeing right. Then her eyes softened, and I saw that tiny twitch in her lips before she finally breathed my name.
“Faye?”
I smiled faintly, feeling my throat tighten. “Hi, Mom.”
The moment I stepped forward, she met me halfway, pulling me into a hug so tight I could barely breathe. I sank into it anyway, burying my face against her shoulder. Her familiar scent -her warmth–everything about her felt like home. For a moment, all the things I’d been holding in just melted away.
“I missed you so much, Mom,” I murmured.
She held me a little longer, her hand running over my hair like she was trying to make sure I was really there. “I missed you too, my child,” she whispered back, her voice breaking ever so slightly.
When she finally pulled away, her hands came up to frame my face, her eyes scanning me. Then she saw Sage appear in the doorway beside me.
Her eyes widened. “Sage?”
For a second, no one said anything. Then Sage smiled, small but genuine. “Hi, Mom.”
If my mother had been surprised before, now she looked completely undone. Her gaze flicked between the two of us as though she needed confirmation that what she was seeing wasn’t some sort of trick. And then she did what only she could do–she pulled both of us into her
arms at once.
“Oh, my girls…” she breathed, her voice trembling. “Both of you together. Oh, thank the Moon Goddess.”
I felt Sage’s arm wrap awkwardly around me from the side, and for a moment, the three of us just stayed there… huddled together like nothing else in the world mattered. It was strange how natural it still felt, being in her arms like that, as if all the distance, all the anger, all the time in between hadn’t managed to erase this simple bond.
My mother didn’t ask questions. She didn’t need to. The smiles on our faces must’ve told her everything she wanted to know…that we were trying. That maybe, somehow, we’d found our
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When she finally pulled away, she wiped at her cheeks and gave a small, breathless laugh. ” You two are going to make me cry,” she said, shaking her head as she turned and started down the hall. “Your father’s going to be so happy. He’s in his room–wait until he hears his girls are here together!”
Sage leaned closer as we followed behind her, her voice dropping low. “I never thought she could be this emotional. I always thought she was made of stone.”
That made me laugh under my breath. “She still is…don’t be deceived.”
Having breakfast together for the first time in what felt like ages, I found myself sitting there, forcing down every bite like it was a chore.
Everyone else seemed so happy–Mother couldn’t stop smiling, Father kept cracking his little jokes that made Sage laugh, and Sage herself was talking a lot. It should’ve been perfect. But for me, every swallow felt heavy. I had no appetite. Not with everything swirling around in my head.
It was the first family breakfast we’d had in a while, and I wanted to enjoy it…really, I did…but it didn’t work.
Alexander wanted to come with me. He’d even gotten dressed for it before that last–minute meeting came up. “It’s just a quick thing,” he’d said, though it hadn’t sounded quick at all. Apparently, the alphas were having some pre–summit meeting. I still didn’t understand the logic of it–why have a meeting before another meeting? Wasn’t that the whole point of the summit? But then again, I’d stopped trying to make sense of how certain things worked.
Still, I couldn’t deny the sting of disappointment when he told me he couldn’t come anymore. Part of me had wanted his presence there–not just for comfort, but maybe because I was scared of what I might discover once I started asking questions. But on the other hand, maybe it was for the best. Sage had come with me instead. It was perfect for what I wanted to talk about.
Finally, I just set my fork down and said, “Do you guys remember how…me and Sage used to wonder if we actually had gifts? And why nothing ever showed up?”
That got their attention instantly. My father paused mid–sip, Sage looked up from her plate, and even my mother stopped fussing over the teapot.
“Because…” I hesitated, my throat dry. “My gifts started manifesting gradually.”
Sage’s face lit up. “Wait, really? That’s good to hear!”
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For a second, she looked genuinely excited–but then confusion started creeping in. I could see the smile faltering, twisting a little as she frowned. My parents exchanged the same look
of disbelief.
“Hold on,” Sage said slowly. “What do you mean, gifts? How many are we talking about here?
I took a deep breath. “When I was in Blood Crescent, I came down with this fever. It was bad -lasted for days. When I finally went for help, Helen Blackwell saw me and said the fever wasn’t an illness. She said it was…my powers fighting for dominance inside me. Two gifts.”
My mother’s expression shifted immediately. It wasn’t shock. It was something else…something that looked uncomfortably close to recognition. My father leaned forward slightly.
“Are you sure about this, Faye?” he asked quietly.
“I only know what I felt,” I said. “And what Helen told me.”
Sage laughed softly, though it didn’t sound like humor. “Well, if you’ve got two gifts, then I should at least have one, right? We’re twins.”
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