Fate of the Lost Moon

Chapter 3

Fynn’s POV

I stood outside my father’s office door, a place that always felt cold, even on warm days. The day after my sisters’ unexpected return, I’d barely gotten a word in with either of them before they disappeared into their rooms, leaving a whole mess of questions behind. Dad hadn’t offered any explanations either, and his silence only made my frustration grow. I needed answers.

After a quick knock, I opened the door to find my father, seated behind his desk, already looking like he was in the middle of a battle, papers stacked high around him. He glanced up, his green eyes narrowing slightly.

“Fynn,” he acknowledged, motioning for me to close the door. “What’s on your mind?”

“What’s on my mind?” I repeated, letting the door shut behind me. “Dad, Cass and Steph show up out of nowhere, without a word from you, without any reason why they were gone for two years in the first place. You can’t expect me to just pretend everything’s fine.”

He sighed, setting his pen down and leaning back in his chair. “It was for their own good,” he said finally, but I could hear the hesitation in his tone.

I took a seat across from him, arms crossed. “Their own good? What exactly was so good about being sent away? I get that Mom’s death messed us all up, but hiding them away from the pack? And Steph—” I bit back the anger rising in my voice. “You think sending her off would just make her wolflessness disappear?”

Arthus, my wolf, growled softly in my mind. The shame runs deep in this pack. She deserves better, Fynn. We both know it.

Dad’s face hardened, the lines around his mouth deepening. “You don’t understand. Steph… she wasn’t handling things well. Cass… she adapted; she found her wolf. But Steph—she was struggling, and the pack was beginning to talk.” He paused, fingers tapping the desk in a restless pattern. “It wasn’t just about the shame, Fynn. I wanted to give her time, to let her find her way without those expectations weighing her down.”

“But did you even ask her if she wanted that?” My voice came out sharper than I intended, but the thought of Stephanie being sent away because she hadn’t conformed to the pack’s expectations gnawed at me. “Or did you decide for her, because it was easier?”

He let out a long breath. “You weren’t here to see it, Fynn. She was miserable, struggling to hold herself together. The Silverpine Pack is family, and I thought the distance might help her.”

“So why bring them back now? You think anything’s changed?” I asked, pressing him, wanting him to really consider what he’d done.

“They’re nearly eighteen,” he said, his voice softening. “They’ll find their mates soon enough, and Stephanie… if there’s anything that can help her now, it’s that. I brought them back so they could face the future here, with us, like they were meant to.”

I leaned forward, frustration bubbling up again. “But can she even find a mate without her wolf? That’s not just something you can ignore, Dad! How do you expect her to bond with someone when she doesn’t have the same instincts as everyone else?”

Arthus huffed, It’s not fair, Fynn. She deserves a chance. She’s our sister, not just a burden.

He met my gaze, and I could see the conflict in his eyes. “That’s why she needs us now more than ever. I brought them back to give her a chance, to not let her wolflessness hold her back forever.”

I sat back, letting his words sink in. Eighteen meant meeting their mates, feeling that bond snap into place. But for Steph, wolfless as she was, that was a future just as uncertain as everything else. I couldn’t help but notice how Dad treated her differently, almost like she was a reminder of the day he lost Mom. Did he resent her for that? For being there when everything went wrong?

“Dad,” I said, my voice quieter now, “just… don’t forget that this is her life, not the pack’s image to preserve. She deserves better than being treated like a burden just because she’s different.”

We need to protect her, Arthus urged, his voice low but fierce. She can’t face this alone.

He sighed, rubbing his temples, a gesture I recognized all too well. “You know, Fynn, you’re not exactly leading by example here. You’re twenty-one and still haven’t found a mate yourself. Arthus is a strong Gamma wolf, but even he can’t find you a match if you don’t step out of your comfort zone.”

His words stung, but I couldn’t deny the truth behind them. “It’s different for me,” I protested, though I didn’t have a solid argument to stand on. “I’m not the one who’s supposed to meet my mate this year, just because of some stupid birthday.”

“Exactly,” he replied, leaning forward. “You understand the pressure she’s under because of it. That’s why I thought returning to the pack would give her a better chance. You know how crucial this time is for both of them.”

I clenched my fists, feeling the weight of his expectations settle over me. “But can she even find a mate without her wolf? That’s not just something you can ignore, Dad! How do you expect her to bond with someone when she doesn’t have the same instincts as everyone else?”

He met my gaze, and I could see the conflict in his eyes. “That’s why she needs us now more than ever. I brought them back to give her a chance, to not let her wolflessness hold her back forever.”

I sat back, letting his words sink in. Eighteen meant meeting their mates, feeling that bond snap into place. But for Steph, wolfless as she was, that was a future just as uncertain as everything else. I couldn’t help but notice how Dad treated her differently, almost like she was a reminder of the day he lost Mom. Did he resent her for that? For being there when everything went wrong?

“Dad,” I said, my voice quieter now, “just… don’t forget that this is her life, not the pack’s image to preserve. She deserves better than being treated like a burden just because she’s different.”

He met my gaze, and for the first time in a while, I thought I saw a flicker of understanding there. But he said nothing, and after a long moment, I stood up and left, letting the door click softly behind me.

Viktor’s POV

As I sat in my office, watching Fynn leave with that familiar mixture of anger and concern etched on his face, I felt the weight of my decisions settle heavily on my shoulders. Bringing the girls back from Silverpine had been a difficult choice, one made with the hope that it would set things right. Yet, I could feel Fynn’s frustration and resentment radiating from him, and part of me understood why.

When their mother passed, it shattered our family. Her death left a gaping wound that refused to heal. I sent Cassandra and Stephanie away not just to protect them, but to shield the pack from the whispers that began to circulate about my daughters. Their return meant confronting the pain of losing her and the shame of having one daughter without her wolf. I hoped that distance would help Steph find herself, but I also feared for her.

Now, bringing them back felt like a gamble. Their eighteenth birthday was approaching, a time when every wolf would be expected to find their mate. But what if Steph couldn’t? What if she was never meant to find that bond? I wanted to give her the chance to grow, to thrive despite her differences. But I feared it would all be in vain.

You did this for her, Warrik, my wolf, spoke in my mind, his voice a steady presence. She deserves the chance to discover who she is. You know this is what she needs.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that something deeper lay beneath the surface, a connection I couldn’t quite define. Stephanie was my child, yet she felt so very different from Cassandra and the others. Her lilac eyes, so rare and striking, seemed to hold secrets I couldn’t comprehend. Sometimes, when I looked at her, it felt like staring at a reflection of my past, something lost and yet to be found.

As I glanced at the papers scattered across my desk, I thought of how Fynn noticed my treatment of Stephanie. Did he sense the guilt that hung in the air whenever I looked at her? She was my daughter, a reminder of my failures. I wished I could love her without that heavy burden of grief suffocating me. I wanted to believe that bringing her back would mend our broken family, but in reality, it felt like reopening old wounds.

“Keep her safe,” I whispered to myself, knowing that the coming weeks would be critical for her.

She needs you to be there, to protect her from everything and everyone, including yourself.

I just hoped it wouldn’t be too late.