Reunion

*Chapter 115*

I had come to meet a woman figure dressed in a white flowy dress. Her silver hair was flowing in the air while she was levitating. However, her face was covered with a blinding light.

I knew by then as soon as I met Her, the Moon Goddess, the Goddess of Universe and All Creations and Goddess of Werewolves, that she was my mother. The connection was already palpable and extreme. I could tell that she was really my mother.

"You grew up to be a fine, young woman, Noblete."

I couldn't contain the tears falling from my eyes when she caressed my hair while we were hugging each other. Her touch was so gentle that I had been longing for years.

"Mother... The world you made is so cruel..." I cried.

"Sshh... I watched how you survived it. And you have a loving mate that cherishes you so much," she said softly. "Didn't you come here for him?"

I gasped when I suddenly remembered Frederick. I stepped backward. "Please, Mother... Frederick had suffered enough. Tell those royal lycan family that you will not allow them to punish my mate. And please disagree with Ragriel," I said, frustrated. "I just want to be with him..."

"Didn't you have a thought that you wished to leave him, Noblete? Did you not want to escape from this marriage?"

I stiffened at Mother's words. "I..." She slightly tilted her head. Even though her face was covered with a blinding light, I could see her beautiful face that was unmatched by any other woman I knew of. She was so beautiful that she could even have all the men fall for Her. No wonder Father fell so in love with my mother so badly.

Mother chuckled. "I am afraid that what you thought is wrong, my dearest. Nigelle rejected me."

"What?" I looked at her in disbelief. "Father rejected you?" Mother nodded.

"It is."

"But you are our Moon Goddess. Why did Father reject you?" I asked, not believing what Mother said.

She had a look of amusement. "Good question." She smiled sheepishly. "Well, I changed my appearance to a simple look, pretending that I was a slave that escaped from the noble family. Your father found me in the woods and as soon as he knew that I was a rogue, he rejected me right away without even giving our mate bond a chance to strengthen." She grinned as if that memory was so amusing she wanted to laugh it out right now.

"Did you forgive him? Did he mend the broken mate bond?" I asked, curious. I felt like I wanted to return to the mundane world and demanded some answers from my father for being a stupid man.

But the part where Mother pretended a slave was the same situation Frederick pretended to be one as well. How ironic...

"He has to earn me." Mother flew towards me and hugged me from behind. She snapped her fingers. With that, we were led to a pond mirror or lake mirror. I noticed in the sky that there were two moons. One was a full moon and the other one was a crescent moon. There were some stars as well that were sparkling in the sky.

"He immediately regretted it as soon as he rejected me. Nigelle has to bring me inside the Wall Burgundy pack. I immediately have Denzil's approval because Nigelle immediately told Denzil that I was his mate and he wanted to make things up with me." She released a sigh. "I admit. His nobility for standing up against his Alpha just for my sake is too good for me."

"When did he learn that you are not just an ordinary rogue, Mother?" My curiosity wanted to know about their love story Father never talked about. It was so interesting I could have wished I could tease him.

She flew me in the air while she was holding my hands with her gentle hands. Her silver hair was quite distracting as it looked so beautiful when they were floating in the air. "When I knew that his intention towards him was true and he had no plans of hurting more of our mate bond... That was when I admitted to him that I am the Moon Goddess and he is one of my mates."

Now, I am invested. "Then? How did Father react?"

"Care to guess, dearest?"

I hummed. "He didn't believe it at first?" I said, unsure. I wasn't sure if what I said was right.

Mother nodded. She told me that she showed her true form. That was the time Father believed Her. "I gave birth to you after I spent a long time with your father. Then I decided to return to the celestial moon palace to fulfill my duty to watch over my people."

"Father loves you so much, Mother." I told Her what I observed in the past years. "But he never loved me as his daughter..." I smiled bitterly.

Mother gasped and shook Her head. "No. Don't say that, Noblete. Nigelle cherishes you just as I cherish you as well," she said softly.

"Mother..." I smiled bitterly. Why did She have the same perspective as Frederick? "I never felt it... He was always strict about me becoming a noble lady to represent the House of Argerich. He set me up for an early arranged marriage—"

"Noblete, you know who you are and your purpose. Have you forgotten your task? Why did I send you and the rest of your sisters to the mundane world I created?" That made me fall silent.

I bit my lower lip. "We are born to be the witnesses of the world you created... And I am the Goddess of Marriage who must experience what marriage is like." I released a heavy sigh. "Did Father force himself to be a cruel one just so I could fulfill my purpose, Mother?" I think I started to get the motive of my father.

"Sadly, yes. Even though I told him that you will grow to hate him..." Mother looked like she had argued with Father before. "But Noblete, your father loves you so dearly. Believe me, dearest. He never left you."

"But why did he not agree with me when I badly wanted to divorce my marriage from Reginald?" I couldn't help the annoyance that rose inside me. "I begged so many times to help me but he wouldn't. Instead, he was a mole and became a hindrance every step of my way, Mother. That was so frustrating on my part." I couldn't help shedding tears.

Mother put me down to the ground as She waved the pond mirror. The water rippled and showed a younger image of my father. I was surprised to see that She was showing the time I was inside my father's arms from the moment Frederick announced to everyone that he was calling off the engagement.

I had already fallen asleep in his arms before he went outside from the palace and looked into the moon.

*"Lunaria..."* My heart leaped when I heard my father's voice croaking. I gasped when I saw his eyes glistening with tears. *"Do forgive me that I am the one making our daughter suffer. I just want her to fulfill her purpose here just as you stated. Novalie might hate me or perhaps, she might grow to hate me more. And you know I am prepared for that..."* Father moved to hug me.* "Just please, watch over our daughter for me in case I couldn't control myself from hurting her. May you forgive me."*

I breathed sharply when the water rippled again and showed from the time I fought back with Father when I decided to stand up for myself. I saw myself fuming mad.

*"You only see me as an item in the marriage market! Do you still want to push through with having me married to Viscount Westervelt? Fine! May Mother punish you severely!"* my younger self said angrily. I was 18 by that time. It was a few days after my debut in the noble society. I remembered how Father broke the news to me that I was betrothed to another man who wasn't even my mate.

Father walked toward me and slapped my younger self. I mindlessly held my cheek where he slapped that. I felt like I could still feel that slap to this day.* "You ungrateful pup! Do you remember why I am doing this for you? Know your duty as to why your Mother born you here! If your mother was not only the Moon Goddess, I would have sold you out to some cabaret!"*

I clenched my hands upon hearing that. It was somehow making me feel angry again.

"What he said was not true, Noblete," Mother said as She showed me another image of Father wearing his tuxedo from the time I was already married to Reginald.

Father was on the hill in the middle of the rain while he was kneeling and clasping his hands. He looked miserable as he was looking up at the sky. *"Lunaria... What I have done so far... She is fulfilling her duty as one of the spirit goddesses. Novalie hates me now... I cannot afford to see how she looks at me with abomination in her eyes, Lunaria. Lunaria, let her understand that I love our daughter! I only did what I think is best..."*

At that moment, upon hearing about my father's suffering, I didn't notice that I was already crying. If Mother didn't gently wipe something in my eyes, I wouldn't have noticed that I was already really crying.

"Your father loves you more than I do, Novalie," Mother said as she coerced me to look at Her. Her expression softened. "He cares about your welfare. I know... Nigelle doesn't know how to show affection. He is a stern, composed one yet he is a compassionate one, I tell you. I have been with him before so I know how he showed his affection."

"But..." My voice croaked as I started crying. "Why did I never feel it? Alpha Denzil and Luna Helen said that Father cares for me. Even Frederick told me so. But why? Why couldn't I see it?" I sobbed.

She gently smiled. "You must have been blinded by your anger and you failed to see how your father cherishes you, my dear daughter." She hugged me. "Think about the times he wreaked havoc in the palace when Atticus broke the engagement. He tormented the royal lycan family and he almost got assassinated by the other noble households because of his actions." My eyes widened when I got to learn that. "Nigelle almost killed Reginald as soon as the trial was over. He even threatened him when the time Reginald dared to hurt you but you always ended up winning." I gasped. "And Nigelle went to wreak havoc again when Atticus abducted you. Didn't you hear Azarius? He wanted his youngest brother to pay for the construction for the east hall?" I mindlessly nodded before she forced me to look at Her. "Those were the noble things your father had done just for your sake. I can show them to you, Noblete. I can even show you how he opposed the early arranged marriage between you and Alucard and Atticus."

"I... I didn't know about them..." I said, sniffing. I really had no idea that there were things Father had done that hadn't reached my ears. Perhaps, I already heard them and I was just too blinded by my hatred against him.

She nodded. "Nigelle didn't say anything because he didn't want you to worry about him. He always wants to do things on his own, not asking for anyone's help. But he really cherishes you, my dearest. Didn't you remember that he remembered the taste of the tea you brewed?" I nodded my head and told her that I remembered that. "All the small and big things you did for him... He always cherished them." She gently wiped the tears from my eyes before she tapped my nose. "Look for his journal in his study room. You shall see that what he wrote was everything about you."

"Mother..." I bit my lower lip.

"Go back and reconcile with your father, Noblete. I am certain he had been wanting to apologize to you. Tell him that I missed him so much. We will see each other again."

I gasped when She said that. "C-Can I see you again, Mother?" I wanted to see Her again. I wanted to speak with my mother again. I had been wanting to see Her so I could have wished I spent more time with you.

"Of course, dearest. You can always communicate with me. You have the necklace Ragriel bestowed to you."

I panicked when I felt like I was slowly drifting away from Her. Then I remembered something. "Mother... About Frederick's punishment!" I reached out my hand to Her but I couldn't.

She waved Her hand at me, bidding goodbye to me. "I have spoken to Azarius. He already received my message. Until we see each other again, Noblete..." She smiled one more time before my vision turned black.