Avenging Luna
Chapter 156: Finding A Place

Chapter 156: Finding A Place

Leila POV

Okay, so staying at the palace wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Scratch that—it was almost... nice. And the king—Chase’s father—was nothing like the terrifying, overbearing figure I’d imagined in my head. I mean, sure, he had this natural air of authority, but underneath it, he was warm and kind. Charming, even. Guess that’s where Chase got it from.

Despite his frailty, he always requested Ash and me to spend time with him. He didn’t treat us weirdly or look down on us for being wolves, which was... unexpected. If anything, he treated me like a daughter. And let me tell you, that was weird.

Good weird. But weird.

I wasn’t used to warmth like that. I didn’t know what to do with it.

I mean, I never had a mother who cared, let alone a father figure like Chase’s dad. My whole life, love wasn’t exactly something I experienced. The idea of being welcomed, cherished even, was foreign. It made me uncomfortable at first, like I was stepping into someone else’s life by mistake. But the way Chase’s father looked at me, the way he smiled when I walked into the room, eased some of that tension.

It’s hard to hate someone who treats you like you matter.

And Ash? He adored the king. He followed him around like a little shadow, giggling at his stories and occasionally climbing onto his bed, despite my protests. But the king didn’t mind. He welcomed Ash with open arms, and the way he looked at my son, so full of pride and fondness, tugged at something deep in me.

I’d never seen anyone look at Ash that way before.

Even I started looking forward to the time we spent with him. He had this endless supply of tales about his younger days with Alexander—my supposed father. Stories of adventures and battles, of loyalty and heartbreak.

I didn’t know how to feel about Alexander yet. My mind was still a mess when it came to him. But from the way Chase’s father described him, Alexander sounded... good. Noble, even.

It was strange to think that this man, who I’d spent my life not knowing, might have been someone worth admiring. Someone who could have been a part of my life.

But I didn’t let that thought linger. There was no point in wondering what if. What if Alexander had known about me? What if he had been part of my life? Would things have been different?

I didn’t want to entertain those flickers of curiosity. They were dangerous. They could lead to a path I wasn’t ready to walk down yet.

Still, sitting there with the king as he recounted stories about his old friend, there was a small part of me that listened a little closer. Maybe not for Alexander, but for the king himself.

Because if there was one thing I knew for sure, it was this: Chase’s father, even in his dying state, was a good man. One who treated me and Ash like family.

And for the first time in a long time, that didn’t feel so weird.

As for the rest of the people in the castle, it was... an experience.

The guards? They always nodded their heads in respect when I passed by, which was a little jarring. I mean, I wasn’t used to that kind of acknowledgment, and I highly suspected it had everything to do with Chase. Knowing him, he’d probably issued some silent decree that made them treat me like a queen in waiting or something.

The servants, though? They were a mixed bag.

There were three clear groups.

The first group was curious—wolves in a vampire castle weren’t exactly an everyday occurrence. I could feel their stares as I walked by, hear their whispers just loud enough to catch phrases like "She’s one of them" or "How can she be his mate?" But their curiosity didn’t feel malicious. If anything, they seemed... fascinated, as if Ash and I were some sort of rare creatures to study.

Then there was the second group. At first, they regarded me and Ash with suspicion, the kind that made my hackles rise. I could tell they weren’t sure what to make of us—wolves in their sacred palace? They probably thought we were here to cause trouble. But over time, something shifted. Maybe it was the way Ash’s laughter echoed in the halls, softening even the hardest of hearts, or how I didn’t act like the feral monster they likely expected. Slowly, they started warming up to me, treating me like I was... one of them.

It was odd, being accepted like that. Nice, but odd.

And then there was the third group. Oh, these ones were fun.

Five or six, at most, but their disdain was palpable. They behaved as though Ash and I were beneath them, like we were stains on their otherwise pristine castle. They were subtle about it, of course—no outright insults, just a sneer here, a cold shoulder there, and an air of superiority that could suffocate a room.

Honestly, I didn’t care.

As long as they kept their attitudes to themselves and didn’t dare bring it anywhere near my baby, they could raise their noses so high they hit the ceiling for all I cared. But if anything—anything—happened to my little man because of them?

Well, let’s just say I’d show them exactly how savage a wolf can be. If they wanted to believe the stereotypes, I’d be more than happy to oblige.

And then there was this whole... other layer. The king’s revelation about my supposed lineage.

The fact that I might be a descendant of the Black royal vampires wasn’t public knowledge, and thank the moon for that. It was already enough dealing with the whispers and curious glances about being Chase’s mate and a wolf; I didn’t need to add maybe part vampire to the list of reasons for people to gossip about me.

Though, honestly, it still didn’t feel real. The only evidence we had was the king’s word—and, apparently, the physical similarities.

I didn’t know what to believe.

Sure, there were the little things that lined up—the uncanny resemblance to Alexander, the supposed scent that tied me to him—but was that enough? Part of me wanted to dismiss it, to say it wasn’t possible, but another part... Another part couldn’t stop wondering.

If it was true, then what did that mean for me? For Ash?

Was he carrying more than just my wolf blood? Could this vampiric lineage—if it was even real—be passed down to him?

The thoughts were enough to drive me crazy if I let them. So, I did what I always did—I buried them.

Because whether I was some long-lost descendant of the Blacks or just a regular wolf didn’t change the fact that my priority was Ash. His safety, his happiness—that was all that mattered.

Let the servants gossip. Let the guards nod their heads in respect. Let the world spin with its uncertainties.

As long as my son was safe, the rest could burn for all I cared.

As for me being a vampire? That, as far-fetched as it sounded, wasn’t something I was going to let bug me. I’d gone my whole life thinking I was just a wolf, and I wasn’t about to rewrite my identity based on a theory and a resemblance.

What was bugging me, though, was Chase.

It wasn’t something he’d explicitly said, but rather what he’d insinuated.

He was going to avenge me. For what? For who? Chase didn’t know my past, not really. He had fragments, bits and pieces I’d let slip, but nothing concrete. And yet, he had that look in his eyes—the one that said he was ready to rain down vengeance on whoever had hurt me.

But who would he go after?

My birth pack? The Blood Moon Pack? Or Drake’s?

I didn’t know, and honestly, the idea of him digging into my past left a pit in my stomach. It wasn’t just that I didn’t want to revisit it—I couldn’t. The thought of Chase stepping into that mess, fighting battles that weren’t his to fight, sent a chill down my spine.

And Drake...

Even thinking his name now felt strange.

There used to be a time when just hearing it would send a sharp pang through my chest, a mix of hurt, betrayal, and anger. But now? It didn’t sting like it used to.

I guess I’d moved past the hurt of his rejection.

There was a hollow kind of relief in that realization. It wasn’t that I’d forgiven him, or forgotten what he did, but the hold his memory had over me was gone. He was a shadow of my past, and I refused to let him darken my present—or my future.

Drake was a closed Chapter. My birth pack was a closed Chapter.

The Blood Moon Pack, though...

That was different.

Even if I’d buried the memories, even if I’d pushed the pain down deep, there was a part of me that still remembered the betrayal, the injustice. And maybe that’s what Chase saw. Maybe that’s what he wanted to fix.

But vengeance?

It wasn’t his burden to bear.

If there was one thing I’d learned, it was that chasing revenge could consume you. It could turn you into something you didn’t recognize, something you couldn’t come back from. I’d seen it happen.

I didn’t want that for him.

Chase was fire and fury, protective to a fault, but he didn’t need to carry my scars as his own.