Chapter 8: The Truth Behind Fiona

The night before the dissolution ceremony, I couldn't sleep.

The Sunstone Pack was quiet beneath the silver moonlight, but my thoughts refused to settle.

Tomorrow, the mate bond between Bruce and me would be gone.

For years, I had imagined what it would feel like to finally be free.

Now that the moment was almost here, I felt strangely empty.

Not because I wanted Bruce back.

But because ending a mate bond meant admitting that the family I had fought so hard to protect was already gone.

A soft knock came at the door.

I opened it and found Bruce standing outside.

He kept several feet between us.

"Can we talk?" he asked.

I hesitated before nodding.

He stepped inside but didn't sit.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Finally, Bruce pulled a small bundle of papers from his coat.

"These are the records I should have shown you a long time ago."

I took them.

They were reports from the Lunaris Pack clinic.

Fiona's name appeared at the top.

I frowned.

"What is this?"

"Her son's medical records."

I looked through the pages.

Tony had been diagnosed with a rare blood disorder when he was three.

He did need regular treatment, but the reports showed that his condition had been stable for years.

Then I noticed something else.

Several of the emergency calls Fiona had made to Bruce had been marked as non-emergency visits.

Bruce lowered his eyes.

"I found out after you left."

"Fiona wasn't lying about Tony being sick. But she made everything sound worse than it really was."

I stared at him.

"And you believed her every time."

"I did."

"Why?"

He took a shaky breath.

"Because I felt guilty."

I said nothing.

"When Fiona and I separated, she was pregnant. I believed I had abandoned her and her child. When she returned, I thought protecting Tony was my responsibility."

His fingers tightened around the papers.

"But I confused responsibility with allowing myself to be manipulated."

I looked at him coldly.

"And while you were fixing your guilt, you made me and Leo pay for it."

"I know."

"No. You don't."

My voice softened, but that somehow made the words hurt more.

"You don't know what it was like watching Leo wait for you."

Bruce closed his eyes.

"I remember the birthday party."

"Do you?"

"Every moment."

"Then remember his face when you didn't show up."

Bruce's eyes turned red.

"I do."

A long silence followed.

Then he handed me another document.

It was a letter from Fiona.

I read the first few lines and immediately understood why he had brought it.

She had written that she wanted Bruce to remain part of Tony's life, but she also admitted she had deliberately encouraged him to avoid public appearances with Leo because she wanted people to believe Bruce was Tony's father.

My fingers tightened around the paper.

"She wanted the Alpha's position for her son."

Bruce nodded.

"She told me she was afraid Tony would be bullied if everyone knew his father had another family."

"So you sacrificed our son to protect her lie."

Bruce couldn't answer.

The truth hung between us.

Then a small voice came from the doorway.

"Mom?"

We both turned.

Leo stood there holding his blanket.

His eyes moved from me to Bruce.

"Why are you still here, Alpha Bruce?"

Bruce slowly knelt.

"I wanted to say goodbye properly."

Leo frowned.

"You're leaving tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"Back to Lunaris."

Leo looked down.

"Will you come back?"

Bruce's expression broke.

"If you want me to."

Leo was silent for a long time.

Then he walked closer.

"I don't hate you."

Bruce's eyes filled with tears.

"Thank you."

"But I'm still angry."

"You have every right to be."

Leo hugged his blanket tighter.

"Mom said people should fix their mistakes."

Bruce nodded.

"She's right."

"Can you fix yours?"

Bruce looked at me.

"I don't know if I can fix everything."

His voice was barely above a whisper.

"But I'll spend the rest of my life trying."

Leo considered this answer.

Then he turned toward me.

"Mom, can I sleep with you tonight?"

"Of course."

Bruce stood and moved toward the door.

Before leaving, he looked back at Leo.

"Goodnight, son."

Leo didn't answer immediately.

Then, very quietly, he said, "Goodnight, Bruce."

Bruce froze.

It was the first time Leo had called him by his name.

He nodded and walked away.

I watched him disappear down the hallway.

For the first time, I wondered whether forgiveness and reconciliation were truly the same thing.

Maybe they weren't.

Maybe forgiveness meant letting go of anger without reopening the door.

The next morning, the Elders prepared the sacred grounds.

The full moon would rise that evening.

Once the ceremony began, the mate bond would be permanently severed.

I dressed Leo in the small silver tunic he loved.

He looked at himself in the mirror and asked, "Mom, after tonight, will everything change?"

I knelt beside him.

"Some things will."

"Are you scared?"

I smiled faintly.

"A little."

"I'm not."

He took my hand.

"Because we're together."

My eyes burned with tears.

"Yes, sweetheart. We are."

Outside, the moon began to rise.

And somewhere beyond the mountains, the final hour of our mate bond had begun.