Bridge Of Legacy

Chapter - 31

“They look cute.” The woman said,

“I always waited for this day.” The man added as he sneaked a glance at his wife.

The wolf’s ears twitched as the voices disturbed his peaceful sleep. He shifted a little closer to the warmth when he felt dainty hands holding his paws. He let out a little whelp jerking away from the figure. 

Simultaneously, a whelp emitted from the girl as she was startled awake from her slumber. The couple standing in the distance doubled over laughing as they enjoyed the confused look on their children’s face.

Crystal sat up as she took in her surroundings, trying to recall why she was sleeping in the forest. Bennett’s wolf shook his fur and stretched to get rid of his stiff muscles. The duo looked at their parents laughing their hearts out while a smile crept on their face. 

Bennett let out a low bark to gain their attention. Madeleine and Frederick walked towards them. A ghost of a smile was still evident on their face.

“You both looked so peaceful while sleeping,” Madeleine said as she ruffled the head of Bennett’s wolf. 

“And the way Bennett reacted to seeing Crystal was hilarious,” Frederick added, entering into a fit of laughter. 

Madeleine smiled, looking at her mate, laughing freely after so long. Finally, everything was falling into place.

“We brought your clothes, why don’t you shift?” Madeleine said, pulling out a set of clothes from the air and extending it towards Bennett. 

Both Crystal and Bennett looked at her, amazed. No matter how many times they see Madeleine perform her tricks, they are still left amazed by her smooth moves. Bennett gave a wolfish grin to his mother before jogging towards a tree.

“How did you find us?” Crystal asked, looking at her parents. 

“We followed your scent,” Frederick replied, plopping down on the grass.

Madeleine followed suit as she took a seat beside Crystal. Bennett emerged from behind the bushes after a while to find the family chatting happily while they formed a small circle. The only space available was between Frederick and Madeleine. Bennett felt awkward sitting so close to his father, but an encouraging smile from Crystal helped ease his nerves.

“So, why were you guys out here?” Madeleine asked.

A silence fell upon the group as the siblings contemplated telling the truth. 

“Bennett wanted to show me his favourite spot, and we lost track of time and fell asleep,” said Crystal.

A shocked look etched on the Prince’s face. This was indeed his favourite spot, but ‘how did his sister know?’
The older couple smiled at each other. 

“This was the place where he had his first run,” Frederick said, his eyes glazed as he recalled the event.

It was a very proud and emotional day for him. On the pretence of the ritual, he got to spend time with his son. Despite wishing to cater to his son’s needs, he chose to grieve his daughter’s absence. 

“You remember?” asked Bennett, his voice coming out raspy. 

“There are things you don’t know. You’re my son, and are equally important,” replied Frederick. 

Madeleine nudged Crystal and silently signalled her to get away from her. The ladies left the men to rekindle their relationship and pour their hearts out.

Padding on the green grass with her mother by her side, Crystal felt content and happy. The absence of Minerva in her life still bothered her, but she was happy to have someone to shower her with motherly love. She had embraced the fact that this was what the Moon Goddess wanted. 

“Thank you.” Madeleine suddenly spoke, pulling Crystal out of her thoughts.

Crystal looked at her confused, “What for?”

“For talking to Bennett. My boy has been lonely for too long. Even though I tried to be there for him, I just couldn’t. After your disappearance, our family broke apart. It wasn’t the same, we were staying together just for the sake of the mate bond.” Madeleine said. A stray tear escaped her eye; her voice wobbly as she tried hard to control herself. 

Crystal’s heart broke watching her mother so broken, and she did what they both least expected. She pulled Madeleine into a hug, embracing her with a love as she soothed her cries. 

“It’s all in the past. We are a family, and it’s our responsibility to care for each other.” Crystal said as she wiped the tears off Madeleine’s face.

“It’s good to have you. I missed many years with you, and I won’t let anything take you away from us.” 

“I won’t be leaving soon, Mom.” Crystal said, shocking both of them. 

A full-blown smile adorned the Queen’s face, as she heard the Princess call her Mom for the first time. Her heart leapt with joy and she embraced Crystal in a tight hug.

“Thank you for accepting me.” 

“Thank you for waiting.” Crystal replied with a smile.

The mother-daughter duo made their way back towards the lake to witness the father and son heartily laughing with each other. 

“I see you guys are more friendly now,” teased Crystal as they came closer to them. 

A light blush dusted Bennett’s cheeks while Frederick smiled proudly at them. After ages, everything was falling into place. His family was complete. His dream was coming true. Frederick was the happiest werewolf today.

“Well, enough rekindling we should get back to the castle. We also need to prepare for the coronation.” Frederick said, getting up and dusting off the grass from his clothes. 

“Sure Dad.” Bennett and Crystal said in unison. 

A shocked look etched the King’s face, hearing his daughter call him Dad. She surely made him wait for a long time, but he also understood her. 

The siblings hugged their father, Madeleine joined the party, and it turned into a family hug. The Lloyd family was now complete and happy. They were now ready to fight any trouble with their regained strength of family support and love.

Little did they know that the happiness was short-lived. The worst was yet to come.

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A/N : Hello guys, I know this chapter is short. Originally it was supposed to be much longer, but I didn't want to ruin the vibe this chapter created.

A family rekindling is something I always love and adore, so I decided to keep it short and limited to family time.

Since, not everything that I planned to reveal was exercised in this chapter expect another update in a few days.

Don't forget to vote and comment. Let me know what you think about the chapter.

Your encouragements mean a lot.

xAnniex