Heir To The Iron Crown: Dyrith

34 - þrjátíu og Fjórir

"I never was given an opportunity to explain, or to apologize," I began.

The word 'apologize' had a visible effect on many faces that I could see.

"As you all know, I was not born in Fathilagt, nor do I belong to anyone's lineage that may associate themselves to this pack.

For reasons I do not understand, I was abandoned near our beautiful pack, the same night of the Grimmileg Árás.

I didn't have a family, I didn't have a name, yet one of your own took me in. Gramma, most of you knew her as Rosabelle, gave me a home, gave me a name, gave me a family," my eyes darted towards Renee, Otto, and their beautiful children.

"As I grew older and learned of the circumstances in which I came to Fathilagt, I understood why so many of you felt the way you felt.

And for that distress, I'm sorry.

Many of you blamed me, as the harbinger of sorrow, the cause for death in our small community, and in every way, cursed.

For that, I'm sorry.

Regardless of what you thought of me, you had to see me grow up alongside you, your children, while you were not avenged for those who were lost in battle. Those loved ones could never come back, yet I was alive. Healthy, and breathing fine.

For that too, I'm sorry."

My eyes were brimming with tears, and Ima's restlessness was evident. I knew it was taking a toll on her pride to apologize for something that was never even our fault.

But this was important.

These apologies were the only way to show these people that I understood their pain, that I understood the way they had felt, that I was worthy of sympathizing with their loss.

As their new Luna, I couldn't stand here defending myself for something they all knew, they had wrongly accused me of.

I'd seen how that went with Sylvia, and I knew that if it didn't work with her, it would never work with the entirety of this pack.

I had to be kinder, and apologetic. Yet show strength in the words I said.

"My duty is to you, now that you have accepted me as your Luna, and before that, as one of your own. I've never felt like I belonged anywhere, but now, I do.

You have put your faith in Valente, time and time again, and he has delivered to you. He makes sure no one sleeps hungry at night, and that everyone has a home. He takes care of you as his own family, and he avenged Fathilagt by destroying Sgriosaire's attacking battalion five years ago.

He has proven his worth as your Alpha, now let me prove mine, as your Luna."

I watched, as everyone stood processing my words, and all I could do was wonder, if my short address was good enough.

"Where were you? All these years?" came a voice from behind me.

I turned around to find the familiar face of Mordekai.

He had tears running down his cheeks as he watched me, and all I could wonder was what I had said to make him cry this way.

Valente looked as if he was annoyed by this intrusion, but he didn't say anything to oppose him. The people had every right to ask a question.

I saw Asael standing beside him, and my other friends I had at school. Frida standing next to Asael, holding his arm, didn't go unnoticed.

"I had to leave. After watching Gramma die, I couldn't go back home and try to pretend everything would be okay. I had to get away, and so I did," I told him, refraining from telling the whole truth. But everything I said, was still true enough to answer his question.

"Why did you come back now and not sooner? We'd always needed a Luna," asked an old woman towards my right. I recognized her from the pack hospital, where she worked.

"Some things could only ever be handled by a Luna, Rayne. We needed you," her voice came through my mind, as if trying to explain what she meant.

I couldn't imagine what matters Valente couldn't have solved on his own. Then again, I knew Valente was unforgiving when it came to betrayal, his punishments were severe and unrelenting. He was as kind as he could possibly be, unless you did something that couldn't be pardoned.

If anyone got caught doing such an activity, there would be nobody who could talk sense into Valente, or stop him from harshly punishing those that broke pack law.

Nobody, except his Luna.

"I didn't think I would return. I didn't know that Valente had chosen me," I said, my eyes finding the old man again.

His slight smirk told me that he knew what he was talking about, but it didn't matter now, whether Valente and I were born mates. We had marked each other, and he had chosen me with his Alpha right. Nothing could change that now.

Valente took my hand in his, kissing it gently. He gave me a soft smile, then turned around impatiently to look at his pack.

"I brought her home when I thought it was the right time to do so. Does anyone else have any more questions?" he asked, looking around the crowd, as if daring them to speak a word.

"What's the rush?" I asked him through our link, privately.

"The sooner we're done with this, the sooner we can go home," he said, the impatience dripping from his words even through the link.

"And what's at home?" I asked him, a hint suggestively, as he walked around the stage, looking at everyone in the pack, as they stood awaiting his instructions.

His head snapped in my direction at that question, then he came closer, looked me right in the eye, before whispering through the link.

"Don't tease me baby or I'll take you home before dinner, you understand me?" he said, his voice husky.

I let out a smile, even through my previously teary eyes, and I couldn't believe we were doing this at my Luna ceremony.

"Luna Rayne," a voice called out.

I knew Valente summoned all his self-control to keep himself from groaning out loud, and instead he stood straighter, very Alpha-like, and turned towards the young voice, just as I did the same.

"Yes?" I asked, searching for the face that had called for me.

A little girl was pushed to the front of the crowd, and she seemed as if she regretted saying anything in the first place. She couldn't be much older than Bryn.

"Go on," I whispered to her, knowing my voice wouldn't reach her, but I knew she could tell what I'd said, because her face lit up just a tiny bit.

"I lost my elder brother five years ago. Mommy says that he was a warrior, and that warriors carry their hearts in their hands before going into battle. I don't know what that means, but I still miss him," she said quietly, but I could hear every word she said, as if she was standing right in front of me.

Tears formed in her eyes, the same time they started to form in mine again.

"My brother isn't here to protect us anymore. If we were ever under attack again, would you protect us?" she asked, her voice a little shaky.

I smiled at her, whatever I could muster to comfort her.

"Yes, I would. Always," I told her, my voice sincere. Not just for the girl, but for everyone else that could hear me.

I saw her smile make its way back on her face, as an older woman took her hand. She too gave me a grateful smile, before pulling the girl back into the crowd.

As I watched them disappear in a sea of people, I heard the familiar voice of Valente's aunt in my mind.

"Then you better keep that promise."