Chapter 401 Buried past

Chapter 401: Chapter 401 Buried past

Talia’s POV

Kaelen stopped walking, and he turned to face me.

"I am proud of you," he said. "You were magnificent tonight."

I looked up at him. "I could not have done it without you."

He cupped my face in his hands, and he kissed me. It was soft, and it was gentle. It was a kiss that said everything we could not put into words.

We continued walking to our room.

The words “our room” still felt strange. For fifteen years, I had slept in a storage room. A small space with a thin mattress and a door that never locked. Now I had a room. A room with a fire and a bed big enough for two. A room I shared with someone who loved me.

Kaelen opened the room door and we entered. The fire was burning low, and the room was warm.

I walked to the window and I looked out at the stars, as the fire crackled behind me.

Kaelen was sitting on the bed, but I could feel his eyes on my back.

The stars were bright tonight. Brighter than I had ever seen them, and they scattered across the sky like diamonds on black velvet.

I could not sleep. Or at least, not yet.

The stars were calling to me, just like they always did when I needed to think.

"I need a moment," I said.

"I know," he replied from the bed, already settled in. "Take your time."

I looked at the stars, and I thought about my mother.

I thought about the fire, about the night she put the necklace around my neck, and I thought about her words: Never remove the glamour charm before your twentieth birthday.

I thought about the storage room, the cold, the hunger, and the loneliness.

I thought about Celeste’s slaps, Vivienne’s cruel words, and my father’s silence.

I thought about the girl I used to be. The girl who was beaten and starved and told she was worthless. The girl who cried herself to sleep, and the girl who thought she would never escape.

I let myself feel it. All of it: The pain, the fear, and the loneliness. I let it wash over me.

The memories pressed against my chest, but they did not break me, and they did not bring me to my knees.

I stood, and I faced them, because I was not that girl anymore.

I said goodbye to her: The girl in the storage room. I said goodbye to the fear, and I said goodbye to the shame.

I turned from the window and looked at Kaelen.

"I was thinking about the storage room," I said.

He did not speak, he just waited.

"I was thinking about the cold," I continued. "The hunger, and the loneliness."

I walked to the bed, and sat down beside him.

"I used to cry myself to sleep," I said. "Every night. I thought I would never escape. I thought I would die in that room."

Kaelen reached for my hand, and he laced his fingers through mine.

"I used to dream of being free," I continued. "I never imagined this: A stronghold, a mate, a pack, and a family."

I looked at him. "I am not the girl in the storage room anymore."

Kaelen squeezed my hand and smiled. "No," he said. "You are not."

He reached up and cupped my face. And his thumb brushed away a tear I had not realized had fallen.

"You are a Luna," he said. "You are a Silvertongue, and you are my mate."

I closed my eyes, and I let his words wash over me.

"You are the strongest person I have ever known," he whispered. "And I am honored to stand beside you."

I opened my eyes and looked at him. His gray eyes were soft, full of love, and full of pride.

I cried, and I did not try to stop the tears.

The tears rolled down my cheeks, but they did not taste like sorrow. They tasted like release.

I had been holding it in for so long: The pain, the fear, and the hope. And it all came pouring out.

Kaelen pulled me into his arms, and he held me tight.

"I love you," I said against his chest.

"I love you too," he whispered into my hair.

We held each other for a long time. The fire crackled, and the stars watched.

I just wished to stay like that forever, in his arms, safe, and loved.

"Tomorrow we fight together," he said.

I nodded against his chest.

"Tomorrow we win together," he added.

I nodded again.

"Tomorrow we come home together," he said finally.

I pulled back and looked at him. "I believe you," I said.

He kissed me and it was deeper this time. His lips moved against mine, and I felt it in my chest, in my stomach, and in my bones. It was a kiss that promised everything.

We moved fully into the bed, and we lay down together. The bed was soft beneath me, and the blankets were warm around me. But the heat that filled my chest came from him.

Kaelen wrapped his arms around me, and I rested my head on his chest.

We did not sleep, we just held each other.

The night was quiet, and the world was waiting. But we were still, and we were together.

I watched the stars from where I laid. I thought about tomorrow, about the battle, and I thought about Malachai.

I thought about victory.

I thought about the future, about pups, and about growing old with Kaelen.

I thought about the life we would build, the home we would make, and the family we would create.

I thought about the girl in the storage room. The girl who was beaten and starved and told she was worthless.

The girl in the storage room was gone. I had buried her, I had mourned her, and I had let her go.

I was the Luna of a strong pack, I was the last Silvertongue, I was a mate to the most feared Alpha, and I was a strong warrior.

I closed my eyes, and I took a breath.

Tomorrow we fight against evil, but tonight we rest.

And I was ready.