Chapter 13: The Daughter They Lost

By sunrise, the Ironwood Pack had learned the truth.

Evelyn Hart was dead.

Not missing.

Not hiding.

Not plotting revenge.

Dead.

The news spread through Gray Harbor faster than any official announcement could contain it.

The Luna ceremony was canceled.

The alliance between Ironwood and Storm Ridge was suspended.

And Vivian Hart was being held under elder investigation.

But none of that mattered to me anymore.

I stood beneath the silver trees beyond the pack boundary, watching the last traces of my soul-body dissolve into the morning mist.

The messenger had told me my time was almost over.

I could feel it.

My hands had disappeared completely.

My legs were fading next.

Soon, there would be nothing left for the mortal world to hold.

Then I heard footsteps behind me.

I turned.

My mother stood at the edge of the forest.

She was alone.

Her hair was disheveled, and her eyes were swollen from crying.

She looked nothing like the proud Luna of Ironwood.

She looked like a mother who had finally realized she had lost her daughter.

“Evelyn.”

I didn't answer.

She took a hesitant step forward.

“I know you're there.”

“I don't know how I know.”

“But I can feel you.”

My wolf stirred faintly.

Not from longing.

Only recognition.

My mother pressed a hand against her chest.

“I found your letters.”

“I read them all.”

Her voice broke.

“Why didn't you tell me you were hurting this badly?”

I almost laughed.

She had spent years telling me I was too emotional.

Too demanding.

Too difficult.

Now she was asking why I hadn't told her.

I stepped into the light.

She gasped when she saw me.

“You're transparent.”

“You're disappearing.”

I nodded.

My mother rushed toward me.

Her hands passed straight through my body.

She stumbled backward.

“No.”

“Please.”

“Don't go yet.”

I looked at her quietly.

“You already let me go.”

She began sobbing.

“I was wrong.”

“I know.”

“I should have protected you.”

“I know.”

“I should have believed you.”

“I know.”

She covered her face.

“Then why can't you forgive me?”

I was silent for a moment.

“I forgive you.”

Her eyes lifted.

“You do?”

I nodded.

“But forgiveness doesn't mean I have to stay.”

She broke down again.

“You were my daughter.”

I looked at her.

“I wanted to be.”

Those four words seemed to hurt her more than any accusation could have.

She sank to her knees.

“You were always my daughter.”

“No.”

“I was always the daughter you wished would become Vivian.”

My mother shook her head desperately.

“That's not true.”

I remembered every time Vivian received the better room.

Every time Vivian's mistakes were forgiven.

Every time I was told to be more grateful.

Every time my pain was called jealousy.

“Maybe you didn't mean to make me feel that way.”

“But that was how I lived.”

My mother couldn't answer.

The wind moved through the trees.

My body faded another inch.

She stared at me in horror.

“Evelyn, please.”

“Just give me one more chance.”

I smiled sadly.

“Mom, I already gave you ten years.”

She closed her eyes.

There was nothing she could say to that.

A moment later, my father appeared between the trees.

He stopped when he saw me.

The strongest Alpha in Ironwood looked completely helpless.

“Evelyn.”

I turned toward him.

He opened his mouth several times before finally speaking.

“I'm sorry.”

Two simple words.

Words I had waited years to hear.

And yet, hearing them now brought me no joy.

“Thank you,” I said.

My father stared at me.

“Thank you?”

“For finally saying it.”

His eyes reddened.

“Can you come home?”

I shook my head.

“That isn't my home anymore.”

“It can be.”

“No.”

I looked back toward the forest.

“Home is somewhere you don't have to beg to be loved.”

My father's shoulders dropped.

For once, he didn't argue.

Behind them, Lucien stood silently among the trees.

I hadn't noticed him arrive.

He looked exhausted.

His Alpha aura was gone.

He looked like an ordinary man who had finally realized what he had lost.

My mother turned toward him.

“Lucien…”

He shook his head.

“Let me speak to her.”

My parents stepped away.

Lucien approached slowly.

He stopped several feet from me.

“I won't ask you to come back.”

I nodded.

“Good.”

He gave a broken smile.

“You always hated it when I tried to tell you what to do.”

“I did.”

He lowered his eyes.

“I loved you.”

I didn't respond.

“I know that doesn't mean anything now.”

“But I need you to know that what I felt at the beginning was real.”

I looked at him.

“Maybe it was.”

“But you stopped choosing me long before I died.”

His eyes filled with tears.

“I know.”

A soft silver glow surrounded my body.

The messenger had appeared behind me.

My time was ending.

Lucien saw the glow and stepped forward.

“Is this goodbye?”

I smiled.

“It already was.”

He closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, I was already fading.

“Evelyn.”

I heard him whisper my name one final time.

Then the morning wind passed through me.

And the last piece of my mortal form disappeared.

My parents stood frozen beneath the trees.

Lucien remained there long after the light was gone.

None of them tried to chase me.

Because finally, they understood.

Some people are lost long before they disappear.

And sometimes, by the time you realize their worth, there is nothing left to save.