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“Alpha Caleb!” Corrine shouted angrily, “Let go of my daughter this moment!”

Ashleigh pulled back, but Caleb did not let her go.

“It’s not what you think!” Ashleigh shouted, trying again to pull away from Caleb.

She shifted her attention to his face when he would not let go. Caleb’s eyes stared back at her, and she felt as though she could read his thoughts.

‘I won’t let you run anymore.’

Ashleigh felt a twinge in her heart as she held back the laugh that threatened to come out.

“I’m not running away,” she whispered to him, a gentle smile on her lips, “I need to explain.”

Caleb let out a disappointed sigh as he relaxed his arms, allowing her to move away from him. Though he did reach down and take her hand. Unwilling to accept a complete separation from her.

Ashleigh looked down at their intertwined fingers. She, too, felt more relaxed while they had a physical connection.

“Ashleigh!” Corrine shouted, immediately grabbing Ashleigh’s attention.

“Mother, it’s not….” Ashleigh began, suddenly feeling nervous. “We weren’t doing anything wrong!”

Corrine’s face twisted in anger.

“You are a mated wolf!” she snarled. “How can you do this to Granger!”_.

Caleb stepped forward, placing himself between Ashleigh and Corrine.

“Explain it clearly,” he said softly over his shoulder to Ashleigh.

“You have no place here, Alpha Caleb!” Corrine shouted.

Corrine stepped forward, trying to go around Caleb to reach for Ashleigh. Instead, Caleb adjusted his position, maintaining his place between the mother and daughter.

“How dare you!” Corrine snarled, her eyes getting brighter. “You take advantage of my daughter, and now you dare to keep her from me!”

“Luna Corrine, I mean no disrespect, but that is not what is happening. I will gladly move aside when you have calmed down.”

Corrine snarled, her eyes glowing even brighter now.

“I saw with my own eyes what has happened. You tried to force yourself on her!” Corrine snarled indignantly. “You may have different beliefs in Summer, but all wolves must respect the bond of mates!”

Caleb could not hold back the low growl that came out of him. He had held back for months. He was done.

“Alpha Caleb is my mate!” Ashleigh shouted suddenly.

Corrine gasped, taking a step back.

“What?” she managed to ask.

Ashleigh took a step forward, squeezing Caleb’s hand to let him know she was ok. He moved, letting her by to go to her mother. When their hands pulled apart, he couldn’t help but notice how cold it felt.

“Alpha Caleb is my mate,” Ashleigh said again as she approached Corrine. “We found out at the Blood Moon.”

Corrine stared back at Ashleigh in disbelief. She was having a hard time processing what she was hearing.

“The Blood Moon?” she asked. “That was months ago….”

Ashleigh looked away, pulling her bathrobe tighter nervously.

Corrine only then noticed what her daughter was wearing. Her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped. Then, she jumped up and stood between Ashleigh and Caleb.

“No matter the situation, it is inappropriate for Alpha Caleb to be in your room, especially when you are in only a bathrobe.”

Caleb looked away from Ashleigh, though Corrine did catch the blush and hint of a smile. Ashleigh looked down and quickly closed the bathrobe even tighter.

“I understand,” Caleb said. “I will give you privacy so that you may talk and recognize the situation.”

He moved towards the door, stopping as he reached them. Caleb looked at Corrine, she saw a request in his eyes, and with a heavy sigh, she stepped aside, allowing him access to Ashleigh.

Caleb reached a hand to Ashleigh, and she took it. He pulled her closer. His other hand reached out and gently caressed her cheek.

“It’s time the truth was revealed,” he whispered to her.

With a gentle smile on his lips, Caleb said, “No more running, no more hiding. I won’t let you go, Ashleigh. From now on, I will pursue you honestly and openly, as I should have from the beginning.”

Ashleigh swallowed. Her heart raced as she listened to his words, the sincere emotion in his voice. She had no doubt. This man loved her. She licked her lips, an unintentional invitation he was more than happy to accept.

Caleb leaned in slowly, their mouths hovering just over each other, so close they could feel the warmth of the other.

Corrine cleared her throat.

Ashleigh pulled back first, averting her eyes to the ground, a blush creeping up from her chest to her cheeks.

Caleb smiled, running his thumb over her cheek once more.

“We still have a lot to talk about,” he whispered. She gave a slight nod in agreement. He smiled again, feeling the joy of her acceptance.

“I’ll see you soon,” he said before turning and leaving the room.

Ashleigh watched as the door closed, leaving her feeling his absence, yet the warmth of his touch lingered on her skin to make her feel like he was still with her.

“So…” Corrine began, “it seems there is something we need to talk about.”

Ashleigh turned back to face her mother. Corrine stood with arms crossed and a very agitated look in her eyes.

***

Ashleigh explained what had happened at the Blood Moon, how she had learned about Caleb, and that Granger knew. She told Corrine about her time in Summer and the struggle to keep her head during the full moon.

After listening quietly for a long time, Corrine finally accepted and understood that Ashleigh had somehow ended up with two mates. Suddenly a lot of things started to make sense.

Ashleigh’s behavior at the Blood Moon and pushing back the wedding. Alpha Caleb’s sudden interest in Winter, Granger’s fluctuating moods, and mating sickness most importantly. Corrine sat quietly for a while as she processed it all.

But there was only one question that she couldn’t let go of.

“Why didn’t you tell us? Or even just me?” Corrine asked.

Now dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt, Ashleigh sat cross-legged on her bed with her hair pulled up into a simple ponytail. She looked up at her mother and then quickly away. She didn’t have a good answer.

“At first, I wasn’t sure what was happening. Then, I thought maybe it was something about the Blood Moon. I hoped it would go away.”

“And when it didn’t?”

“It felt like it was too late then,” Ashleigh sighed, “and Granger said we didn’t need to tell you. Once we were married, my bond to Caleb would be severed anyway, so there was no point in getting everyone upset over something that didn’t matter.”

Corrine sat down on the bed beside Ashleigh. She took one of her hands and held it. Ashleigh looked away, pushing back the jumbled mess of her emotions, the twisting and turning in her gut.

“It matters,” Corrine smiled, “there was no reason for you to deal with this alone.”

Corrine reached up, turning Ashleigh’s chin, facing each other. Ashleigh swallowed down the swell of emotion that was pushing her to escape. Corrine gave her a soft smile.

“Ashleigh, you are a strong woman. You are the tip of our spear. But that doesn’t mean you have to do everything on your own. We’re wolves. We are always stronger together than alone.”

Ashleigh could no longer hold back her tears. Finally, she collapsed into her mother’s arms and let them flow.

“Oh, baby girl,” whispered Corrine as she held Ashleigh. Patting her back and rocking her as though she were a small child. “It’s ok. Let it out.”

Ashleigh stayed in Corrine’s arms for twenty minutes allowing her emotions to flow out of her in a river of tears. She hadn’t realized how much she had been holding in. But between the moment she shared with Caleb and telling her mother the truth, she felt a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

When it seemed like Ashleigh had begun to calm down, she lay with her head in Corrine’s lap. Then, finally, Corrine decided it was time to broach the subject.

“Ashleigh?” Corrine asked quietly as she petted Ashleigh’s hair,

“Yes?” Ashleigh answered.

“From what you have said, it sounds like finding out about Alpha Caleb hasn’t changed your plans to marry Granger.”

Ashleigh felt her heart still at her mother’s words.

“But,” Corrine said, “what I witnessed… it makes me wonder.”

Corrine lifted Ashleigh’s chin so they could see each other once more.

“Has something changed between you and Granger?”