Page 68 of Crystal Luna
“She’s super sweet!”
“And I love her wolf,” Mia added, which only spiked everyone’s interest even more.
“She must be very special.”
“Maybe she can eat with us tomorrow,” Curtis suggested, flashing pleading eyes to his father.
“If she feels comfortable, she is always welcome to join.”
Curtis nodded and gave his father a blinding smile. “I’ll ask her tomorrow.”
After the kids had gone to bed, the three of them opened a bottle of wine.
“So, tell us about this Velora.”
“Domenic!” Madeline scolded. “He will talk about it if he wants to.”
“He doesn’t have to answer but I’m far too curious not to ask.”
“She came to us a few months ago as a rogue, and since then has joined us and become a warrior.”
“And…” Madeline hesitantly inquired.
“I just…” Heath struggled. No one outside of Wayne would ever know the true circumstances behind their arrangement. “What we have found in each other is not a secret, but I haven’t claimed her. I won’t.”
Madeline, being the sweet woman she was, tried to hide her concern with a smile. “As long as you’re both happy.”
“We are,” Heath confirmed, not wanting either of them to think that he was toying with Velora, especially once they figured out how young she was. “She knows I will never officially claim her, nor will she ever become luna. Laureen was and will forever be my only luna. Velora knows I’ll cheer her on when she finds her mate.”
“We are happy for you, and you don’t need to justify yourself to us,” Madeline said. “I meant what I said earlier. You look good. Seems like the kids are happy to have her around too.”
“We would love to meet her,” Domenic added with an excited undertone he tried to hide.
“I’m sure Curtis will insist. She has yet to be able to resist his charm.”
“Just like his father, I see,” Domenic chuckled.
They didn’t stay for much longer after that, leaving Heath with a bottle of wine that dwindled with each consistently darker thought. The moment Madeline and Laureen had met they’d become fast friends, visiting each other every chance they got. He and Domenic had a little more trouble. Not because they disliked each other, but they had a hard time setting their titles aside. After years and lots of late-night drinking, they’d formed a close friendship.
He planned to drown his memories with the bottle, but it horribly backfired. They only became more prevalent with each sip he took. When the wine was empty, he went to the kitchen and grabbed an unopened bottle of whisky from the top shelf. He planned to drink until he could no longer see his pregnant Laureen sitting on the couch with Madeline, planning their kids’ play dates. As he stared into his past, he downed the whisky, blaming the tears on the burn that spread down his throat and through his chest.
The only thing he wanted to do was crawl into bed and cry himself to sleep, but his body betrayed him. Dizzy, he dropped to the kitchen floor and leaned against the cabinets.
The memories kept coming. He watched Laureen play with Warren and Curtis while he and Madeline set the table and Domenic stole the food from the stove, yet again.
Footsteps approaching him in the present made his eyes shoot open, terrified that one of the kids would see him that way. Though it was Velora who kneeled next to him, a tissue in one hand and a glass of water in the other.
“Drink this, then I’ll help you to bed, okay?” She spoke softly as she wiped his tears.
It was useless. New ones replaced the old ones too quickly for her to wipe them away. She didn’t ask him what happened.
She took the bottle from him and replaced it with the water. “You need to drink this,” she pressed.
“I want her,” he sobbed, a dam breaking he’d hardly held onto for years.
“I know. Now drink.”
He did, gulping down the refreshing drink and letting it soothe his sore throat.