My grandparents rounded the corner just as I placed my bowl in the sink. They were relieved to see me smiling. "Looks like you're still smiling. I'm glad," Grandma Nora said as she hugged me gently. I chuckled and nodded.

"I feel great actually," I answered, "Could you drop me off at the Alpha's house? I need to talk with Luna Addie," I asked. They looked surprised and understandably so. I was willingly going to be around my mate who didn't want me. But he wasn't why I was going, and thanks to Aria, I knew that I didn't follow the typical guidelines for the 'mate: do-or-die' rule. It stung a bit, but it wouldn't kill me.

"I-I'll take you," my grandpa offered. I thanked him before going to grab my coat. In the car, I worked on building up my mental barrier brick by brick until it was in place. It didn't take nearly as long as the first time. I was actually starting to get the hang of it. My grandpa dropped me off and I walked briskly through the cold to go knock on the door.

The temperature was dropping with the evening and I didn't fare well in the cold. The short time I spent outside was enough to make me shiver through my thick coat. Much to my disappointment, Liam was the one who answered the door. He looked shocked to see me.

"Dani, what are you doing here?" he asked shocked. I rolled my eyes as I tried to pull more if my confidence out to the forefront.

"I came to speak with your mom," I said, trying to ignore him. He blinked for a moment as I stood there, shivering. "Is Luna Addie home or not?" I snapped at him. He moved aside and let me in. I released a breath as I moved to warm myself. I shrugged off my coat and hung it on the coat rack near the front door.

"Dani, can we talk for a moment?" he asked. I didn't face him as I headed straight for the living room.

"No, but you can lead me to your mom, or point me in the right direction. I have things to discuss with her," I answered.

"And you can't tell me?" he asked as he stood in front of me. The question was laughable. I couldn't help it when a chuckle escaped. "I'm your mate," he added confused by my reaction. I smiled sweetly and touched his cheek. He relaxed as electricity flowed between us. It felt good, but not good enough to make me forget.

"The only reason you want to talk to me now is because everyone knows the truth, and you're scared... as well you should be," I said to him before patting his cheek and letting go.

"You won't be able to ignore the mate bond forever. It doesn't work that way," he said as he caught my hand in his. I chuckled and released my hand.

"You might not be able to ignore it for long, but I can turn it off completely if I wanted to. It's another perk of being connected to the Moon Goddess," I said with a wink before I took a step back. "I'll find her myself," I said as I turned towards the house. I focused on Luna Addie and felt a pull from her calming demeanor and nurturing spirit. The pull took me up the stairs and to a door. I knocked first and opened the door after being granted entry. Luna Addie was sitting at a desk. She chuckled when she saw my confused expression.

"Lunas have to work, too," she answered my unspoken thoughts. I closed the door behind me and tried to build the walls around the room to keep eavesdroppers from listening. I wasn't sure if it would work, but it was worth a try. "What can I do for you?" she asked.

"I just need someone to talk to. Apparently, I have a connection with the Moon Goddess, Aria, and she's been teaching me these... things, and says I have powers. I needed someone to confide in and she suggested you," I explained. Luna Addie's smile only widened.

"I knew there was something special about you. I'm honored that the Moon Goddess thinks so highly of me," she said.

"She's not really... as depicted in wolf history," I said hesitantly. I told Luna Addie everything, and I started with what Aria told me about my birth. I ended with telling her of my option to break the mate bond with Liam. She was shocked, to say the least. Who your mate was wasn't really a choice for wolves. For a moment, she didn't say anything.

"Do you want to break the bond?" she asked. I shrugged.

"I don't know. He's done nothing but deny and ignore me since he discovered who I was to him, but now..."

"Everyone knows that he's been lying. Does anyone know it's you?" she asked. I shook my head.

"I don't think so. I figured if he actually cared-"

"He would tell everyone on his own," she finished for me. "And he's still said nothing," she guessed. I nodded. She sighed heavily. I knew this was hard for her because it would mean that her son would be without a mate. And being the next in line for Alpha that would mean the pack would go without a Luna. She was trying her best to remain impartial.

"It's your call. If you feel he isn't worthy, then he isn't worthy," she said. "Whoever your mate will be, they will have to be strong and understanding," she added. I chuckled softly.

"That's not what you wanted to say," I said. She only shrugged.

"Regardless of my personal involvement, it's the truth, and I can't be selfish," she said honestly.

"It's not selfish. It's your job to worry about your pack. I appreciate that," I countered.

"I know this isn't easy for you, having everything thrown on you like this within the last month alone. If it were me, I would probably still be freaking out. You're very brave and blessed to be trained by such a feared goddess," she said. I shrugged.

"She's teaching me a few things, but she's actually more normal and... vain than you would expect," I said with a chuckle.

"I suppose that's a good thing," Luna Addie said with a smile. "Well, I'm here if you need anything. And I'll respect the confidentiality... even from my son," she assured me.

"Thank you," I said as I stood. I turned to the door and took a deep breath before breaking the walls down around the room and putting them back up around my thoughts. Luna Addie stopped me as she stood beside me. She hesitated before she held her hand out, palm up towards me.

May I?" she asked. I nodded before setting the wall back up around the room and taking my mental one down. I took a breath before I placed my hand in hers.

I gasped as the images hit me. It was my mother. Luna Addie and my mother were in a hospital room with my father. My mother was in labor with me. I saw everything through Luna Addie's eyes. She was encouraging my mother to push, along with my father. The monitors spiked suddenly. Nurses rushed around the room as the doctor tried to make sense of what was happening. He told my mother they needed to prep her for a c-section because they lost my heartbeat. They overheard a nurse say that they might not get to me in time. That's when my mother took matters into her own hands and used her claws to rip open her own stomach, gritting her teeth the whole time. The doctor stood there shocked for a moment before my mother's hazed eyes went to his.

"Save her," she ordered. The doctor took me out of her stomach and immediately took me over to the table to begin CPR. They fussed over me as tears sprung to my mother's eyes. After a moment, her heartbeat started to slow. Luna Addie held my mother's hand in her own tightly.

"Stay awake Beck!" Addie urged her. My mom turned her head to look at my father.

"You take care of her. Take care of Daniella. You have to promise me that you'll see her till her senior year. You cannot leave her. Do you understand me, Robert?" my mother said to my father, her words slurring slightly. He was crying.

"No, you're going to be here to watch her grow up, too," my father said through his tears. The nurses came back to my mother but she refused the help.

"Save my baby," she whispered hoarsely. My father wasn't having it.

"No, Rebecca, stay awake," he begged.

"I love you," she whispered before her eyes slipped close and the monitor flat-lined. The nurses and midwives were confused as they moved between my mom and I. My dad was crying for my mother to wake up. Luna Addie didn't know what to do as she felt the heartbreak of her friend dying, but she know she had to at least try to honor my mother's last wish. Before she could touch me, I started screaming. Once Luna Addie got me to calm down, my eyes opened.

Glowing a mix of silver and blue.

She knew, in that moment, that I was special in some way, but when she went to check on my father and me the next day, we were gone, and there was no scent to follow. I had a sneaking suspicion that that's when Aria arrived disguised as Evelyn.

I released the Luna's hand with a gasp and was thrown back into reality. I was panting, trying to catch my breath as the haze began to fade. I felt tears leaking down my cheeks.

"Thank you," I said softly as I wiped my face dry.

"Did you want to stay for dinner?" she asked at the same time my stomach growled. "I know about being a vegetarian," she explained quickly. I hesitated. On one hand, I was starving and food sounded amazing right now. But on the other hand there was Liam. Food trumped any other issue automatically with how hungry I felt. I smiled at her.

"I would love to," I agreed.