The Alpha's Stolen Luna - Chapter 169: Chapter 169

: Sutton
We left Tarvyn back at the conference center and drove to the address Soloman had sent Lucas the night before. The closer we got, the more nervous I felt. I know I said I was ready to find out what my mother had left me — and I was — but I still couldn’t shake the feeling that everything was about to change.
Lucas had been so insistent that it wouldn’t. That I would still be the same person I’ve always been. That was easier for him to say. He’s only really known me as this Sutton. The Sutton he made me. Before him… I seemed to be so many people. None of whom truly felt like me now that I looked back at those times in my life.
But I couldn’t keep letting the what-ifs dictate my life.
About fifteen minutes from the conference center, we pulled up to a high-rise luxury apartment building. There was a private parking deck around back and we pulled into the guest parking area. Lucas’ phone buzzed as we pulled into a parking spot.
“Soloman just got back,” he told us. “He’ll meet us in the lobby.”
Lucas helped me out of the car and we headed for the entrance. Sure enough, Soloman was waiting for us by the front desk.
“Thank you for coming,” he greeted us, gesturing us toward the elevator, which arrived very quickly. We entered and he waited for the doors to close before speaking again. “I thought it would be safer to do this here. How are you two handling the outcome today?”
“It’s more than we expected,” I told him. “I’m just relieved that Mason will pay for what he has done. I’m guessing you had something to do with that.”
“Not as much as you may think,” he replied. “It was Councilman Erhardt who insisted on addressing that particular detail before I ever got the chance to.”
“I suppose he’s not one of the council members that Anders had bribed,” I speculated.
“I doubt he would even try,” Soloman said. “There is a reason he is our speaker. He has some traditional views that are a bit outdated at times, but he takes our customs very seriously. Mistreating pack members is one thing… abusing a mate is completely unforgivable.”
We exited the elevator and Soloman led us down the hall. Taking out a set of keys, he unlocked his door. The we followed him into a beautiful penthouse apartment. It was smaller than ours back at the packhouse but was just as luxurious.
“Before I retrieve the box, I have to ask — are you sure you’re ready for this?”
With a deep breath, I nodded. “I am,” I told him.
“Did you open it?” Lucas asked.
Soloman looked between us, keeping his expression completely blank. It was frustrating as hell.
“I did,” he replied, maintaining an even tone that gave nothing away.
“And…?” I pressed nervously.
He raised an eyebrow. “You said you were ready for this?”
“Soloman…” I scolded in frustration. “I am. I… WE need to know.”
“Then you will,” he said. “But it’s not for me to tell you. Give me just a moment and I’ll get it. Please, make yourselves at home.”
Lucas led me toward the living room area, but I had too much energy to sit. Nervous energy. I started to pace. Nova sat just inside my consciousness. Not saying anything but offering comfort with her presence. Her curiosity was also evident. I suspected she was waiting to see if she had to keep me from backing out.
‘Absolutely,’ she responded to my thought. ‘It’s time, Sutton. I want to know why she kept me away. Why she didn’t want me to be with you.”
I froze. In all the craziness, I had forgotten it was my mother who had prevented Nova from coming out for so long. I had been so focused on keeping what I had, I wasn’t thinking about everything that had been taken from me. Only my mother could give me those answers now.
Soloman returned, holding the box in his hands. Standing in front of me, he held it out. Taking it from his hands, I looked at it for a few moments. A million possibilities of what I would find inside ran through my head. Nova inched her way forward in my mind, her anticipation growing exponentially.
Taking a seat on the couch, I placed the box on the coffee table.
“Ready?” I asked Lucas.
“Whenever you are, baby,” he replied supportively.
Taking a deep breath, I unhooked the latch and lifted the lid. Inside, sitting on a stack of papers and keepsakes, was an envelope, my name written in the center in familiar handwriting. Somehow, I knew there was a letter inside. A letter from my mother. Taking out the envelope, I noticed it was still sealed.
“You didn’t read it?” I asked Soloman.
He shook his head. “That would be a disrespect I couldn’t live with,” he said. “And I didn’t need to.”
I looked at the envelope in my hands again before setting it on the table next to the box. It didn’t feel right to read it then… with other people around. That needed to be a private moment.
Returning to the contents of the box, I started to sift through the items inside. There were several trinkets I remembered from my childhood, making the container feel like some kind of time capsule. None of them gave me any clues to who my mother was before I was born. That is… until I reached the bottom.
At the bottom, there was a stack of letters tied together and another envelope. The envelope sat open and I could see there were photos inside. Removing the pictures, I was immediately caught up by the one on top.
The same woman from the photo Soloman had shown me was smiling back at me. Her different colored eyes shining happily as she held the hands of a man with his arms wrapped around her. I didn’t know the man but certain features had me entranced. Features that I shared that had always set me apart from my sisters.
“It’s my father…”