Chapter 19 - Diana
I kept pacing, and Nazanin hadn’t moved from the window since Kaleem and Killian left. Wolves were patrolling outside but as safe as I felt here, I was worried for Kaleem and the others and what they might be walking into.
Already an hour had passed, and it was driving me nuts waiting to hear some news. I couldn’t lose my father, not now, not ever. I couldn’t lose Kaleem either when this was our second chance.
“They’ll find him,” Nazanin said, and I stopped pacing while she turned her back to the window. “Kaleem gives his all to protect his family.”
“I know, and I know he’s a powerful Alpha, but Colin’s vile, sneaky, and there’s still so much left for Kaleem and me to explore. There is still so much I don’t know about him.”
Nazanin nodded. “Yes, he’s not the most open regarding his past, but I’d be happy to fill in a few blanks for you.”
Pacing and worrying weren’t going to help, so I might as well try to occupy my mind. I could think of so many things I wanted to know about Kaleem’s past, but there was one thing, in particular, I’d always been curious about, even when we’d first met.
“What were his parents like?” I asked. “He’s never spoken about them, not once.”
Nazanin smiled, but it was a sad one. She interlocked her fingers on her lap and stared at the ground, searching for the words.
“They were both from this pack, so they discovered their mate bond from childhood,” she answered. “We grew up together, and they wereincrediblewolves. Without dismissing how amazing previous alphas and Lunas were, those two were born to lead and were loved by the pack since they were mere children.”
“Then they were killed by anti-supers,” she answered, and I sat down. “Kaleem and Killian were with them and were almost killed as well. That was such a horrible time in our lives.”
“Kaleem became a young alpha, and he changed. He and Killian were always opposites, with Killian being the chatter of the two, but Kaleem was a warm and welcoming boy as well.” She looked up to hold my gaze. “After his parents died, he closed himself off emotionally to Killian and everyone while still doing everything to be a good alpha like his father was. He prioritized everyone’s wellbeing over his, but he was a young wolf that was still learning from his father, and in one day, he lost his parents and his young life.”
Nazanin stood up and walked to the sofa to sit down. I’d known about the previous Alpha and Luna being killed, but it wasn’t something anyone spoke about much or knew a lot about. Colin’s son was killed by anti-supers, his mother and father too.
“More often than not, grief makes you pull away and hide inside yourself when sometimes what you need is to open up.” She folded her lips and smiled sadly, holding back tears. “Or you trap all of that grief and anger inside you, and it festers and grows.”
I looked away, her words hitting home because that was precisely what I’d done.
“I helped Kaleem as much as I could, but,” Nazanin shook her head. “I sensed emptiness in him that never went away, and as for Killian, the first chance he got, he left the pack. While he never admitted it and probably never will, he can’t stay here very long. The memory of his parents is too much, so he travels the world and helps the werewolf community against anti-supers and all threats.”
“They both found their own ways to honor their parents,” I said, and she nodded. “But while they’re helping everyone else, they’re drowning in pain.”
Nazanin nodded again, and I could see that she cared for them deeply. “Exactly, but that’s changed now, for Kaleem at least and because of you.” She chuckled and turned her body to me. “You know, when you two met, I knew something was going on with him, but I couldn’t tell what.”
“For the first time in years, that dark cloud that followed him wasn’t there, but I had no idea he’d found you. I had no clue he felt forced to let you go.” She reached out and laid a hand over mine. “I’m sorry because, in some way, we took him from you.”
I shook my head. “You didn’t, and now that I know the whole truth of what happened back then, of Kaleem’s reasoning and the drive behind his decision, I’m not angry at him. I understand his responsibilities. Truly I do because I see how Colin’s lack of enforcing those responsibilities has ruined the Bluemoon.”
“I’m going to become the Luna of this pack someday, and I’m going to—or already have a devotion to everyone here. But,” I swallowed hard. “I’ve never been much of a guide as a Luna is meant to be. I’m not refined and warm. I’m opinionated, and I’ll likely argue and make my thoughts known. I don’t want to let anyone down.”
“And no one wants you to be someone you’re not,” Nazanin said. “A Luna is an additional enforcer to the alpha, the pack’s mother, and while I don’t know you well just yet, your father speaks highly of you, so does Kaleem.”
She patted my hand before releasing me, but I spoke before she could get up.
“Can I ask you something?” I questioned, and she nodded. “You and my father,” I began to say, and right away, her cheeks began to stain with a blush. I supposed I didn’t have to say much more. I got my answer. “He’s spoken very highly of you too since you both met.”
She smiled wide. “Has he?”
I nodded. “He has, and you’re right. Kaleem will bring him home safely.”
I’d never had a mother, but I imagined a mother was who Nazanin was. She was welcoming. I felt safe to speak to her, and I supposed with her helping Kaleem and Killian, she was like a Luna for this pack already.
My dad was a lucky man. If anything happened between them, he’d have my full support. Now he just needed to come home.
When an earsplitting alarm echoed through the night, I covered my ears, but Nazanin rushed to the window.
“What is that?” I yelled.