CHAPTER 35 – What Am I?
POV: Aira Moonstone
The sunrise bathed the mountains in soft gold, but Aira barely noticed.
The entire night, Lila had curled up beside her like a quiet shield. Jack had stayed too, seated on the floor with his back to her bed, arms crossed, silent—but present.
It felt... unfamiliar.
Warmth. Care. From people who had turned their backs on her for so long.
Why now?
Why did they look at her like she was something fragile? Something precious?
As the sun touched the highest peak, the healers deemed her well enough to travel. They were going back to Silverstone—the place she once called home. The place where her soul had fractured.
Her chest tightened.
Back to the rejection. The whispers. The stares.
She was no longer that girl—but did they know that?
Four hours. That's how long the drive would take.
She sat in the backseat of the SUV with Lila by her side, watching the trees blur past as they left the borders of the Silver Fang Pack.
What stunned her most was who had taken the driver's seat.
Asher.
And beside him, her brother—Jack.
Neither of them had ever so much as sat with her during meals before. And now they were acting like she was... someone they'd lost and just found again.
The car was heavy with silence. No music. No chatter.
She didn't know what to say—so she didn't. Instead, she leaned her head against the window, and before long, sleep took her.
—
She stirred when the car slowed.
Soft arms were carrying her.
Jack.
She blinked blearily at the tall, familiar mansion—her childhood home. Everything about it brought a strange chill. So many memories within those walls.
She tried to wiggle out of his arms. "Jack… put me down."
He looked down at her, confused. "You're still weak—"
"If he sees me like this…" she whispered. "He'll call me weak."
Jack hesitated but eventually set her down gently on her feet.
She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and started walking.
Her father—Kael Moonstone—stood at the gate.
He looked older than she remembered. Still strong, but there were lines on his face, a stiffness in his posture. He was waiting. She thought maybe—for Jack.
But when Jack stepped forward, Kael walked right past his son without a glance.
He's coming toward me.
Her breath caught.
Her instincts kicked in—and she crouched low, flinching as if bracing for a blow.
Old habits didn't die. Especially fear.
She waited for the sting. The yelling. The shame.
But none came.
Only silence.
She cracked one eye open and found him standing in front of her—frozen, eyes misty.
He wasn't angry.
He was crying.
"Stand, Aira," he said softly.
She slowly rose to her feet, still waiting for the scolding. But instead, Kael reached out and patted her shoulder.
"Thank the Goddess you're safe," he whispered, voice raw. "Your mother… she would've killed me if anything had happened to you."
Aira's throat clenched.
She didn't say a word. Didn't nod. Didn't smile.
She just walked past him.
Up the stairs. Down the hallway. Into the room she hadn't seen in years.
Her room.
She closed the door behind her, bolted it, and leaned against it for a moment—then crumpled to the floor.
On her nightstand was the old framed photo of her mother.
Aira picked it up and hugged it to her chest.
"I missed you, Mama," she whispered. "So much…"
Tears slid silently down her cheeks.
"After almost dying… everyone suddenly wants me back," she said brokenly. "Why now? Why not when I needed them?"
She looked around the room—everything the same. But she wasn't.
"What am I, Mama?" she whispered into the silence. "Why does the Rogue King want me? Why am I so… different?"
There were no answers.
Only questions. And silence.
And her own trembling hands, clutching the only piece of love that had never abandoned her.