CHAPTER 41

"I'll leave. I'll disappear and no one would be able to find me, I promise you," Shana whispered brokenly.
Finally, every sick detail was out in the open. She felt an immense relieve from the crushing weight of all she had to keep to herself but at the same time, the sadness almost overwhelmed her.
Now that Rose knew everything, there was no way she would be forgiving enough to let her stay around, even if the instigator of it all was her dead son. It was obvious she felt more motherly love for Asher than Adam. So it was time to pack her bags and disappear to nowhere before her soul was lost forever for not being able to carry out her duty. But she was ready to pay any price for love.
She was so lost in self pity it took her some seconds to realize Rose was laughing hysterically.
Laugher? Nerve wracking laughter? That was not exactly the reaction she expected after she just poured out her whole heart to the old woman but she could bet shock would do that to a person and she deserved a bit of mockery. After all, it was not everyday she met someone out to ruin the closest person to her.
"Oh dear. That was a nice tale," Rose said between guffaws of laugher.
"You don't believe me?, Shana asked wide eyed. Why would she make up a story like that?
"I believe every word you said but I don't believe you think you could actually ruin Asher. Can't you see?"
Shana could make no sense of what she was saying.
"Now tell me, how did you plan to ruin him the way Adam wanted? Do you see yourself letting another man touch you After what you've with Asher?"
Shana shook her head wordlessly.
"Good. Even if you did, Asher is nothing like my son was. He's stronger than that. It would take more than a mere woman to floor him," she said with so much confidence in her voice. "I wish my son was half the man he was. If he was, he would have been able to live a happy life despite what happened," she said shaking her head sadly.
"I'm so sorry," she said at a lose of what to say.
"Don't be. He let his groin control him against all warning. He was convinced the Moon goddess had chosen his mate but that was just his lust speaking. To think he does not even know peace in death is the really sad thing," she finished with a deep sigh.
Shana remained quiet as Rose got lost in her own thought but she could discern she still had more information to share with her.
"I feel like a failure. I failed Adam as a mother and I don't think I'll ever forgive myself for letting that woman use and shame him the way she did. But I won't fail again," she said in a strong voice, pinning Shana with eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I've been given a second chance to make things right and I won't fail another child. I'm not going to fail Asher. No matter what it takes, he's going to find the happiness my son never did."
Again, Shana nodded wordlessly, her own eyes brimming with tears. It was the of woman's way of telling her to disappear from Asher's life. She was never going to be the happy ever after her grandson deserved after all she just told her.
"I'll leave," she repeated.
"Don't be stupid. You belong with Asher," she said.
"But....," she stammered
"No buts. Can't you see? You are all he needs to be happy. I've never seen him so happy in all his life as he is when he's with you," she said smiling.
Shana was shocked. She had not been expecting those words and they left her speechless as hot tears ran down her face. She had so many questions she wanted answered but she could not say a word. Her gratitude was choking her.
With Rose ready to keep her secret, she had little time to spend with Asher. Her assignment bonding her to Adam was a forgone issue. She was not doing what he wanted but that meant she had little time to be with Asher before her soul was taken.
But it was all the time she needed, be it months, weeks or days. She did not care.
"Thank you Rose," she said tearfully.
"I'm the grateful one," she replied smiling. "Thank you for loving him."
"I must admit he's an easy man to love," she said sincerely.
That had her laughing again. "I bet you won't be saying that after a couple of years with him," she said before a sad look dimmed her smile again and Shana wished to herself, "If only I get that long with him, then I'll die a happy woman."
"It's not going to be easy loving him. You know, he used to be so full of life while growing up before he became fully aware of all that was really going on around him. Then he became so closed up and emotionless," she said sadly. "I thought he was never going to be that little boy ever again till I saw him with you," she added with a sad smile.
"Adam probably selfishly showed you his suffering, not that of Asher. He was the innocent one in it all and he bore the brunt of all that problem. My son was only despised and used by his mate," she said then stopped, her voice breaking up. Then she continued. "But Asher, he was despised by all, even the mother that brought him into the mess. She did not want him, my son didn't want him and neither did the pack. He was all alone and I had no choice but to see him go through it. Adam was my son but he was also the Alpha. I had to obey him."
Rose paused for a long time after that but Shana remained silent. It was what the wan wanted, an understanding silence.
Even though she was blaming herself for everything that went wrong from her son's choice, she had done all she could from Shana's point of view. One only had to see the way Asher let down his guard around her to know that truly, the woman had shown him all the love she had in her to give and he she could bet it was one of the reasons Asher had survived the hell his childhood had been.
Shana could tell her she knew the boy was grateful, she had seen it in the way he looked at Rose but nothing she said was going to convince Rose. She was too strong willed and she had taken the way everything played out really hard.
"I should also warn you it isn't going to be easy with the pack but I believe they just need time to know their Alpha and Luna," she said. "Our race don't think betrayal lightly and majority still believe Asher has to suffer for mistakes he didn't make."
"But he's a good man," she said passionately.
Rose shook her head ruefully. "It's going to take more than his goodness to convince them," she said tonelessly, hoping they would all be convinced and on his side before her bad premonitions began to happen. But she was not about to scare Shana with such information.
She had been right about her suspected threat from her dead son but now, the matter was settled. Shana would never be instrument for harming Asher because of Adam but she still could not shake off her bad feeling.
Especially since she saw the wolf in the mountain.
Maybe it was her distracted thought about the wolf but she could bet she smelled her right then, like she was really really close to them.
★★★★★★★★★★
Like she had been doing for days, Mila followed Adele discreetly at a distance as exited her house and moved into the shadows of the trees behind it and shifted, then looped off into the forest. Mila did the same but followed quietly, making the barest noise even in her large wolf form. It had taken a whole lot of practice to move that stealthily but she would be the first to admit she was nowhere as good as warrior wolves in the pack.
But still, the skill came in handy in situations like the one she was in.
Instead of going on into the forest, Adele made a sharp detour and raced in the direction of the old Alpha's house.
That was strange. Since she had been tracking her on her runs, she had always stuck to the same route all the time, like she was obsessed with a particular path through the forest.
Adele was up to something but Mila did not know what. It probably has to do with her father's plot. Maybe he already put out his daughter to spy on the Alpha's family. There was really nothing to find there. It was just the old woman and a few Omegas that attended to her that lived in the big old place.
Mila continued to follow after her at a distance. They were soon in view of the old house and Adele stopped at a distance. Mila also had to stop.
From where she stopped, she could see Rose through the balcony window eating. Another woman was with her but her back was towards Mila.
They soon finished with their meal and the table was cleared. Then, they started talking. Mila could not make out what was being said from such far distance but whatever was being said was making both women teary and emotional. She could almost feel their sadness and occasional happiness from where she stood.
After a very long and deep conversation, the woman stood up and hugged Rose. Then she turned and Mila saw her face.
It was the woman from her vision.
Then her gaze swung back to Adele before she could take in what she just saw. Adele was racing back home and Mila realized that whatever the she wolf had seen and heard was something no one else was supposed to witness.