The Hidden Luna

Chapter Thirty-Two

Scarlett awoke to her favourite smell -- cinnamon. She smiled faintly as she rolled out of bed and went straight for the kitchen.

Her mother sat at the table, a cinnamon bun and coffee in front of her, and a cinnamon bun and tea for Scarlett. Her mother looked up from her newspaper, an amused smiled played on her lips. "I was beginning to think you would never wake up."

Scarlett laughed as she sat at her spot at the kitchen table. "What's the occasion? You never make your cinnamon buns unless something great happened or something terrible."

Scarlett's mother set the newspaper down, her lips in a thin line."You have to make a choice."

A choice. The words echoed in Scarlett's ears, but it didn't belong to her mother, it belonged to a man. A man telling her she had a choice to be an Alpha or a Luna.

She shook the absurd, unknown thought away. "What do you mean?"

"Scar," her mother sighed, resting her hand on top of Scarlett's. For whatever reason, she missed the sensation, as if she hadn't felt it in a long time. "I kept so much from you. You lost so many people as a result of my secrets. I know it's hard, but you need to make a choice."

"What are you talking about?" Scarlett questioned, pulling her hand away from her mother. She wasn't making any sense.

Scarlett's mother smiled sadly and pointed to the article in the newspaper. It was about Zoey. It was about Zoey being killed by an animal. No, not an animal. A werewolf. She shook her head. "I don't want to talk about that."

Scarlett's mother cupped her cheek, wiping away the stray tear that trickled down. "I know it's hard to lose the people you love most. But if you don't make your choice soon, the people who are waiting for you will know the pain that follows losing someone, the same pain which has been haunting your soul."

"I can't keep losing people," Scarlett whispered, more tears trailing down her face. "The pain is too much."

Scarlett's mother took her face with her hands, forcing Scarlett to look her in the eyes. "You could achieve wonderful things when you take all of your pain, all of your sorrow, and pour it all into something good. You could change the world with your strength, Scarlett. But you have to make your choice."

"I'll miss you," Scarlett cried.

Her mother rested her forehead on Scarlett's and smiled sadly. "I'll be here when your time comes."

###

Scarlett awoke to the smell of antiseptic and the sound of a heart monitor beeping in a steady rhythm. The moment felt like deja-vu. She was in bed, hooked up to a monitor, with Asher's head resting on the side of her bed, waiting for her to wake up.

Scarlett moved her leg, nudging Asher with it. "Ash."

Asher's head snapped upwards, his redrimmed eyes landed on hers. "Oh, thank God."

He jumped up and embraced her, holding her tightly. She held onto him just as fiercely, never wanting to let go. "I thought I was going to die."

Asher pulled back, shaking his head vigorously. "I would never let that happen."

He sat on her bed, his hands never leaving hers. "We got you back in time for the pack doctor to do what he could. The rest was up to your healing and how fast it would take."

Scarlett touched her throat with her free hand. There was no bandage, no stitches, but she could feel the smoothness of the thick scar that slashed across it. Her throat bobbed. "Ash, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."

"Don’t say that," Asher said instantly, pulling her into his lap. "What happened was not your fault. It was your father. You are not responsible for your father's actions."

Scarlett leaned into him. It didn't feel real. Being awake, being with him, didn't feel real at all. Had she been human when Hunter sliced her throat, she certainly would have died. The realization of that sunk into to Scarlett violently. She shook her head as if it would shake away all the thoughts which were racing through her. She rested her head on Asher's chest as he held her close. "At least it's over now."

Asher held her tightly and Scarlett could feel the wave of sorrow that crashed through him. "At least it's over."