Luna Audrey

Chapter 19 - Facing The Past

"Come in," I immediately heard from the other side, his voice muffled slightly from the closed door. Refusing to hesitate any further, I reached out and turned the door knob, opening the door with one gentle push.

Dean was seated behind his desk, looking as professional as ever when I entered the room. He offered me a tiny smile before gesturing for me to have a seat in the chair across from him – a routine I'd become all too familiar with.

"I guess it's time to provide you with some explanations," he said, his smile quickly replaced by a serious expression. I could see hints of pain flickering in Dean's eyes. He was truly ashamed of whatever it was, so much that he feared the worst after telling me. I made a mental note to keep his remorse in mind before I reacted.

I nodded and smiled, hoping to encourage my mate despite needing a bit of encouragement myself. My wolf was very much present in my mind, both eager to hear what our mate had done, and to assure me that it was all in the past and shouldn't affect our future together.

Dean released a heavy sigh, "I got this scar, or rather, brand, over three years ago due to some very serious and shameful actions on my part. Although they were influenced by my father, I know it's not an excuse. I've suffered many consequences for these actions, as has our entire pack, unknowingly. I'm going to tell you exactly what I did, but I just wanted to say all of that first and let you know that I'm extremely ashamed of that part of my past...especially now that I have you."

I listened intently as Dean carefully prefaced his story. Although it was great to hear that my mate both took responsibility for his actions and regretted them, it also made me even more nervous to hear what actually happened.

"I'm sure you're well aware that we don't have good relations with the other packs – especially Polar Moon. Most everyone knows of the battle between Alpha Elijah and myself years ago, but what most of the pack doesn't know, is what caused the battle and all of the consequences that followed," Dean started.

"Although my father did cause a lot of these troubles, the one action that made them all unforgiveable was mine alone. That being said, I'm going to have to start this story explaining my father's wrong-doings for everything to make sense," Dean added.

I nodded to him, listening intently. I felt as though every muscle in my body was tensed, anticipating the possibly devastating information that I'd be receiving shortly. I tried to remain optimistic, thinking over everything Dean had said so far. Clearly, this all had something to do with Dean's troubles with the Polar Moon pack. Packs had disputes all the time, so surely this couldn't be something I hadn't already thought of and prepared myself for...right?

"My father kidnapped Polar Moon's Luna, Lena, when she was only a child. She was the Beta family's only daughter, and they were, of course, very close with the Alpha family. He kidnapped her for the abilities that she didn't even know she possessed. For years, she was kept locked in our cellars here in Dark Root, tortured by my father in hopes of triggering her powers. As a teenager, she managed to escape, but had no memory of where she came from due to the years of abuse she endured, so she found her home with a pack of rogues," Dean explained.

"That's...that's awful..." I said softly, truly shocked. But this wasn't Dean's doing – he had only been a child at the time and clearly oblivious to it all. So where exactly was this going?

"It gets worse, little mate," Dean muttered before taking a deep breath, preparing to continue his story.

"As I'm sure you've pieced together, Lena was eventually found by Alpha Elijah, and they turned out to be mates. She was finally living and good life and finding answers about her family and childhood. My father and I even travelled to Polar Moon to provide Lena with some answers about her past. This was, of course, when Elijah and I were still on good terms."