Rise of the Rejected Luna - Chapter 137

Chapter 137: _Warmth Of A Mother

The person standing close to one of the windows was none other than Catherine herself.

She wore a beautiful purple floral day dress and had her luscious hair made into braids that flowed down her chest.

Gosh, I thought Caleb mentioned that she was downstairs with the others.

Since I hadn’t seen her today, I bowed slightly in a show of respect. “Good morning, ma’am. I–”

Before I could continue, she waved her hand dismissively with a smile on her face. “Please, Phoebe, we’ve gone past all that now. You can call me Catherine like you did three nights ago or ‘Mother’ if you want.” She remarked casually as if what she just said wasn’t mind-boggling.

In what universe was Kaene’s mother so… Nice?

Ever since I saved Kaene’s life, she’s turned into a completely different person.

Anyway, she stepped away from the window, walking toward me with a calm expression on her face. “I’ve been talking with your parents and I feel it wouldn’t hurt if you bring them into the mansion. Permanently.” She revealed.

My lips parted in shock, my eyes fluttering as I stared at her making her way toward me.

When she finally got in front of me, she placed both her hands on my shoulders, a wry smile curling up her lips. “I know our relationship started pretty rocky. And I know you probably still hate me after everything I did. But I want you to understand that I did all that to protect my family.”

Well, THIS should be interesting.

I didn’t try hiding the fact that I wasn’t impressed so far by what she was saying, my eyebrows crumpling in anticipation to see if she had anything relevant to say.

She noticed the expression on my face and sighed, withdrawing her hands from my shoulders.

“Once you become a mother like me, you’ll understand. Ever since my husband, Kaene’s father, died, I’ve taken the lead, ensuring that our reputation doesn’t go into the mud. The werewolf race is a very competitive one. Any sign of weakness and the other packs will take advantage of ours.”

I’ve heard these lines a thousand times before, though in different ways.

I subconsciously wrapped my arms around my body, which still had nothing but a towel covering it.

Catherine glanced at me just then, her expression becoming soft. “Oh, you poor thing. You must be cold. Winter is coming full swing this year.” She stated.

Suddenly, she stepped away from me, her hips swerving as she walked into my walk-in closet, humming a tone as she did.

I stretched my neck, trying to see what the heck she was doing until she walked out with a beautiful blue dress with fur linings around the neck and sleeves that reached wrist level.

“Try this on. Blue has always looked good on you.” She said with a warm smile, handing the dress to me.

I hesitated at first until my gaze went to her face.

For the first time, I saw the warmth of a mother from her. I saw the care and love that I’d subconsciously craved from her flash in her eyes, causing all the walls I’d placed around my heart to melt away.

I no longer had to be tough or look out for my life around her. I felt… Secure for once.

Soon enough, my lips also curled into a smile as I grabbed the dress, bowing slightly to thank her.

“Thank you, Catherine. I– I don’t even know what to say.” I was flustered as I raised my head, staring into her eyes.

She simply nodded, walked up to me, and, to my surprise, wrapped her arms around me in a warm embrace.

“Whether or not you and Kaene decide to do an official human wedding, doesn’t matter. You’ve been a good wife so far and I wish you two nothing but happiness.” She whispered into my ears before pulling out of the embrace.

However, her eyes soon went to my neck, probably inspecting the mate mark Kaene placed on me and then she glanced at my stomach and placed her hands there.

“And also, a lot of babies.” She teased, giving me a wink.

My face heated up with a blush as she finally walked away, leaving me alone with the dress and my thoughts.

.

.

After several more minutes, I emerged from my suite dressed up and ready for breakfast.

I’ll admit… I’ve gotten way too used to having maids helping me with almost everything.

With Miranda and Brittany dead, I’d gotten PTSD or something and couldn’t stand the idea of having a maid again.

Goddess knows what would happen to the next one if I did.

Anyway, as I walked down the hallway, hoping to get to the stairs, I overheard some maids at the corner discussing something.

“Did you hear? Rumors are going around that Phoebe killed the Delta and Elsa Thatcher to secure her position as Luna.” One of the maids remarked.

You have got to be kidding me.

I rubbed my forehead with my fingers, not even bothering to listen to whatever else they had to say.

Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to ignore their existence, the other one still spoke up, saying something that caught my interest.

“So many bad things have happened in this pack since she became Luna. Only a fool wouldn’t be able to recognize the patterns and realize that she’s cursed.”

Cursed?

My brows furrowed as I finally got to the maids, placing both my hands on my waist.

“Ahem!” I forced a cough, causing both of them to jump in surprise before turning their gazes to me.

I arched an eyebrow, my gaze fleeting between both of them. I didn’t need any words to get the message across to them that they were in serious trouble.

“Let this be the last time I hear any of you talking about me behind my back. If you want the free pass to do that, then you can speak up so I can have you fired immediately.” I said without stuttering, ensuring my tone was stern.

However, it seemed ever since the news of the affair and the drama that followed, the staff had lost any ounce of respect for me.

One of them scoffed, folding her arms in front of her chest. “We were only stating our minds. What makes you think you have any power to dictate what happens to us?”

Argh, I didn’t want anything ruining my mood right now!

I raised a finger, about to warn them when a deep, domineering voice reverberated around the hallway.

“Because I gave her the power.”