Alpha Theo's Unloved Luna - Chapter 17: Chapter 17

~ Gwen ~
"We are almost there," Baron said to Gwen as he stood before a narrow road that seemed to lead deeper into the woodland of Santrego Southern Alfar. "We park our car here and walk until we reach the pack."
It had been eight days since they left Port Leon. Their party mainly lingered in the center of Northern Alfar while Brody secured fake identification cards for Gwen. This was necessary for them to cross the next nation without being detected.
While there, Gwen learned a little about their small pack and that her last name was Allard. Her name had always been Gweneth.
She discovered that their pack only had about one hundred fifty members, young and old. That was a tiny number compared to what she was used to, but Baron explained that there were only very few of their kind. In fact, they were lucky to have increased in number over the years.
Gwen, Baron, and Jacob hiked for another hour before eventually seeing signs of an established settlement. Scouts had met them, and like her, they all had purple eyes.
"Is that her, Alpha Heir," two male werewolves stared at Gwen with smiles.
Baron put his arm around Gwen and declared, "Yes, this is Gwen, my sister."
"So do you think Lucius Darwin took her, Baron?" The other scout asked.
Baron looked at Gwen. Then, he stared back at the warrior, answering, "We don't know. As far as we checked, Lucius had never been to Southern Alfar, but that did not mean he did not send men. Still, we have not made a connection between Lucius and our pack."
"It doesn't matter now, though; Lucius is dead. What is important is that Gwen is back with us," Baron said before ordering the scouts to lead the way.
Another two hundred meters after encountering the scouts, they finally reached the pack's borders. Baron smiled as he pointed to the community gates. He said, "Welcome to the Purple-Eye Pack, Sister."
The gates opened, and pack members slowly emerged the second she stepped in. Some were apparently on watch from behind the pines, and some had arrived from the distant road.
"Welcome, Gwen!"
"Is that your sister, Baron? She looks like the Luna."
"We are glad you found her."
As they covered more distance and passed more houses, more people came out to greet them.
"She is beautiful!"
"Welcome home, Gwen!"
"Thank you. Thank you so much," Gwen bowed as she greeted. Tears stung her eyes because she was happy with the acceptance. It was different from her experience in Lucius Pack and Port Leon.
Even when she did not pose a threat, people feared her in the Blue Valley Pack because of her connection to Lucius. People hated her when she was in Port Leon, so this warm welcome was new to her.
The houses within the pack were humble. They were primarily two-story homes made of concrete and wood, some of which were still made of good old bricks. Motorbikes were parked in the garages, but never cars. She supposed all four-wheel vehicles were left on the main road to keep the vegetation around the pack rich.
After another hour of walking through the neighborhood, Gwen saw two authoritative figures running in their direction. One was a woman who looked like an older version of herself. This same woman was crying.
Behind the woman was a man with a strong aura. He was tall and had brown hair. Like the woman, he was equally teary-eyed at the sight of Gwen.
"Gwen!" The woman screamed. "Oh, Goddess! Thank you!"
The woman ran fast and almost crashed into Gwen as she embraced her. The sudden hold stunned Gwen and made her weep. She did not have to ask to know this woman was her mother.
"Finally, we have you back, Gwen! I thought I lost you forever," the woman said. "I am Juliet Allard, your mother."
Juliet cupped her face, kissed Gwen's cheeks, and said, "Welcome home. Oh, Goddess, after so many years of searching, you are finally home."
"Gwen, my little Gweneth!" The man behind called. He joined in the embrace and hugged Gwen so tightly she struggled to breathe. "Goddess, thank you for bringing our daughter back."
"Father," Gwen could not help but call. She felt it: a father's love. Lucius had never held her this way. Lucius had never cried for her, but this man and woman gave her the most loving embrace.
"Yes, I am your father," the man said. "I am George Allard."
The three of them remained to hold each other for an undetermined time, weeping. The air filled with unspoken words, a lifetime of questions and yearnings condensed into that singular moment. Gwen, for one, felt a surge of emotions. It was a mix of joy, relief, sadness for lost time, and an overwhelming sense of connection.
Baron must have felt it too, that he also embraced Gwen and their parents. He said, "We are a complete family again."
Gwen only rested for an hour, settling in the packhouse before joining her family for an intimate gathering.
They had a small feast before they covered how Gwen's life would change from then on. The Allards were at the packhouse's backyard, settled in front of a small table.
Juliet sat beside Gwen, holding her hand. She said, "It hurts me to hear about your suffering. I wish I could turn back time, but I can't. I promise you that things will be different from now on. You're safe with us now, and we'll do everything we can to protect you and prepare you for the challenges of this world."
"You are pregnant, is that right?" George asked. "With a fated mate that is not a purple-eyed werewolf?"
"Yes," Gwen replied. Her heart still ached at the thought of Theo. "But it would never work with my baby's father."
"Don't worry, Gwen, we are happy to welcome our grandchild. First thing tomorrow, your mother will check on your pregnancy. You should know that she is the primary doctor of our pack," George revealed.
"You are a doctor, Mother?" Gwen eagerly asked.
"Yes, Dear. I am," Juliet acknowledged. "And I feel you are the chosen one who will follow in my footsteps."
"Well, I have always wanted to be a doctor," Gwen eagerly said.
"More than that, you can be a miracle doctor." Juliet held Gwen's hand tighter. She said, "I believe you carry the special ability of our kind, and we think that was why you were taken from us."
"Special ability?" Gwen asked. She had heard this from Baron already, but she supposed now was the right time to get some answers. "What is my special ability?"
Gwen's family looked at each other. It was as if they were all asking for approval. Eventually, George revealed, "We, purple-eyed werewolves, have a unique healing ability. We recover so fast that it is almost impossible to kill our kind."
"However, some of us are more gifted than others," George revealed.
"How so?" Gwen asked.
"Gwen, we believe, based on the moonstone weapon that belongs to you, that you are like me," Juliet revealed. "I not only can heal quickly, but I can heal others too. That is our unique ability."
"It is a great gift to heal others, Gwen, but it also comes with great risks. In the past, some have tried to exploit our gifts. This is why our pack's eight generations of alphas and lunas have decided to keep our existence a secret," Juliet added.
"Exploit, how?" Gwen curiously asked.
"It was a story from many years ago," George revealed. "One of the older pack members, Adela, revealed her healing ability to the outside, but there was a limitation to how many people she could heal. Sadly, others wanted more. They locked her up and used her. In the end, Adela died because of the abuse."
Gwen gasped upon hearing the story. She frowned and said, "I - I don't want that to happen to me."
"That is why we will help you," George revealed.
"That's right. We can still help others, but in smarter ways," Juliet revealed. "Like I said, we will prepare you."
"All of us will," Baron added.
Gwen had so many questions, and she asked them one by one. Her family tried to give as much information as possible, but some were best explained through actions, like how she could use her moonstone blade.
George told her, "Baron will train you to be a stronger werewolf and teach you how to wield your moonstone blade."
When Gwen frowned, they all laughed. Juliet said, "Don't worry, Dear. We have the rest of our lives to teach you the ways of the purple-eyed werewolves. We will never let you out of our sight from now on."
Gwen smiled and answered, "Thank you, Mom, Dad, and Baron."
"There is one other thing you should know, though," Juliet said. "You confirmed that this Alpha Theo Erhart is your fated mate?"
Gwen sadly nodded.
Juliet looked at George with a worried expression. Then, she revealed, "It's very rare for us to be fated to another kind."
"What do you mean, Mother?" Gwen questioned.
"Usually, purple-eyed werewolves are fated to another purple-eyed werewolves," Baron explained.
"There are a few exceptions, of course," George admitted. "But many who mate outside our pack had to keep their identity a secret."
"I don't know what the Moon Goddess has planned for you, Gwen, but since you said Theo Erhart wanted to reject you, I see no reason for us to support this goddess-given fate," George revealed. "Don't worry, my dearest daughter. You are far from Northern Alfar. Your bond cannot hurt you, even if your fated marries another."