Chasing His Wolfless Luna Back (Rayna Quinn) novel Chapter 98

The Last Bequest From Father

Thea’s POV

“Thea, can we talk?” Margaret intercepted me as I was preparing to leave, her eyes filled

with desperation.

I paused, looking at her with cold detachment. What the hell did this woman want from me now? After all the years of emotional abuse, what could we possibly have to talk about? Wasn’t everything already said and done?

“I can’t imagine what we have to discuss,” I replied flatly, my gaze devoid of any warmth.

“Please,” her voice was almost trembling, “just a few minutes.”

It was weird seeing her like this–cheeks flushed, eyes moist, expression soft. Such a stark contrast to the woman in my memories who always looked at me with icy disapproval, her face twisted with disgust. Back then, her eyes constantly told me that having a wolfless daughter was her greatest stain, but now I understood she treated me that way because I wasn’t really her daughter–just a burden she’d been forced to take on.

“Why don’t I take you two to a table so they can speak privately?” Elizabeth, Sebastian’s mother, suddenly suggested, cutting off my imminent refusal.

Sophia looked hesitant, clearly uncomfortable leaving me alone in this situation. After all, the Sterling family’s contempt for me wasn’t exactly a secret to any werewolf in Moon

Bay.

Elizabeth didn’t give Sophia a chance to object, simply linking arms with her and guiding her toward the other side of the restaurant.

“Fine,” I sighed as I sat down, “make it quick. I don’t have time to waste.”

When I was a pup, I fucking worshipped this woman. I’d do anything to please her–join activities she approved of, learn skills she deemed important, even though all of it made me feel like an outsider. I tried so hard to fit into her world, just to earn her love like I love her. But everything changed when I realized she didn’t feel the same way about me.

Margaret hesitantly reached out to hold my hand, but I immediately pulled back. I didn’t want her to touch me. I didn’t want her near me. I didn’t need her fake closeness.

1/4

The Last Bequest From Father

“I’m sorry, Thea, more sorry than you can imagine,” she said softly, her body slightly curling inward.

I didn’t respond, didn’t say anything, just maintained my silence. Once upon a time, I’d desperately wanted to hear these words. I’d fantasized on countless lonely nights about her holding me, telling me she loved me, apologizing to me. And now that it was actually happening, I felt horrifyingly empty inside, completely unmoved.

“The way I treated you was wrong. You tried so hard, wanted so badly to be accepted, and I pushed you away. You loved me, loved us, but we only gave you coldness and rejection. I wish I could go back and change everything. Go back and be the mother you deserved,” she continued, wiping tears from the corner of her eye.

“I never treasured your goodness, never saw your worth. It wasn’t until I almost lost you that I realized how terribly wrong I’d been.”

Her emotions completely broke down, tears streaming down her face. If this had been the old me, I would have been moved by her tears. But I wasn’t that person anymore.

Twenty–plus years of hurt and rejection couldn’t be washed away with a few tears. The wounds were too deep, and healing would take far more than she probably imagined.

“Cut the bullshit,” I said bluntly, “if you’re worried about the Kincaid Pack’s threat to Sterling, we can just talk business. You don’t need this emotional manipulation–it won’t

A flash of hurt crossed her eyes, but I didn’t care. She’d been hurting me for years. This was nothing compared to what I’d had to endure from her and her Pack. Besides, I wasn’t sure why she looked hurt. I was certain her only reason for coming here was to try to save

“Is that what you think of me? That I’m apologizing just for the Sterling Pack?” She shook

her head, “Though I can’t blame you for thinking that. My actions have made it impossible for you to believe me.”

at me for the smallest mistakes. The woman who treated me like I was inconsequential. It

was so fucking weird. We’d never had a genuine conversation, so sitting here listening to her pour out her feelings felt absurd.

I took a deep breath. “I don’t mean to be cold, but first, DNA results have proven you’re not my mother. Second, the time to repair our relationship has long passed. And finally, I don’t want you in my life. You all successfully treated me like air for twenty–plus years; it shouldn’t be hard to continue doing so.”

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify