Page 14 of Unforgivable Fate

"We were planning to tell Nova first." Leo explained.

"Why?" Maya countered. "Because you thought her visions might help uncover what he was really up to?"

"You think I planned for them to meet like that? Just so it might trigger a vision? You think I'd be willing to use our sister and her gift like that?"

"You seem pretty okay with using it to make your little pet project work." Maya sneered.

"Are you serious?" Leo snapped, "My pet project is for the good of our entire species and Nova's volunteered her help anytime we've used her visions. Maybe it's convenient for you to have forgotten, but Nova is the only DeLuca other than myself who is still a Crescent wolf. She's the only one I owed an explanation to about letting Griffin into Crescent territory. She's still part of this pack. You’re not. Not anymore."

Maya growled, "I'm still part of this family, asshole. I thought that meant something but clearly you’re more upset with the way my mating happened than you’ve ever admitted.”

“That’s not true.”

“The hell it isn’t. You can’t stand that you aren’t my Pack Alpha.”

Leo opened his mouth to respond again but Darius stepped between the fighting siblings, "Enough!"

"Stop it!" Nova yelled at the same time. "Just, stop it! Stop fighting! This isn’t about either of you!"

Everyone in her backyard turned towards her again and she sighed.

She didn't want this. She had never wanted this. Usually her family was so close that they were all on the same page without even needing to say a word. They were all just as much friends as they were family and they chose to spend time together, to make time for one another. They were all the family any of them had left after their parents were killed and they’d clung to one another so tightly that it had been hard even letting the mates into their circle.

But tonight Leo and Maya were at each other's throats and Luna was standing off to the side with Michael not even attempting to play peacekeeper like she would have in the past. From the way her husband gripped her waist, Nova had a feeling he didn't want the Queen of the Moirae Pack involved in a fight in Crescent territory, even if it was with her family. As a Pack Alpha in his own right, Michael would feel the need to defend her and that would only cause more problems if the two Alpha’s ended up at each other’s throats.

Nova marveled at the distance between them all that she had only just noticed.

Had they really grown this far apart? Had she simply ignored the fact that they didn't operate as one unit anymore? Sure, there were boundaries in their relationships now that had never been there when they were younger. They were all adults with mates of their own, raising children or working within the pack. But the real line in the sand was the fact that they were no longer one pack. Leo and Nova were still Crescent wolves, just as every DeLuca before them. But Luna and Maya were Moirae Wolves now and as much as they all liked to pretend that didn't change things, it did.

The evidence was obvious to her now.

She'd let herself believe that it was normal for them all to spend less time together as they got older and made their own choices and ways in the world. Maybe it was normal. People grew up and grew apart all the time. But they were family, they were DeLuca’s and they’d always stood together against the world, never against each other.

She collapsed onto the step where she’d been standing and put her head in her hands, “Please. Stop fighting. I hate it when you fight.”

The yard around her was silent but she didn’t glance up to see if they were exchanging looks or whispered words. She rubbed her eyes, promising herself that once they left she would curl up in bed and cry herself to sleep. She had time to cry later. Right now she needed to tell her family goodbye and she didn’t want her last memories of them to be tainted with the bitter tinge of anger.

“I’m sorry.” Leo was the first to break the silence and Nova glanced up, surprised by the apology.

Leo's jaw was still tense but he lowered his chin a fraction of an inch. It was as close to admitting he’d been wrong as she would get. He was too much an Alpha to give her more than that but it was clear from the way he shook his head when Darius whispered something in his ear that he wasn't happy with how this little intervention of theirs was going.

“Me too.” Maya spoke softly and Nova glanced over to find that Zander held Maya in his arms now and her eyes were red, face blotchy, as if she’d been crying too.

“I know. Just…” Nova shook her head, “Please, stop fighting.”

“We are. We’re done. Promise.” Maya tried for a smile but it was wavering as she wiped at her cheeks.

“No. I mean it. Not just tonight. I need all of you to remember that we’re family. We’re the last of the DeLuca’s and that means even if we disagree with one another, even when we don’t see eye to eye, we don’t take sides and battle it out. Our family is better than that. You’re better than that.”

“Nova I…” Leo started but she held up a hand.

“I’m not done.”

“Okay.” He nodded, letting her continue.

“Whatever happens between me and Griffin, it’s my decision.” She kept her hand up when she saw several of her family members open their mouths. “It’s my life. He’s my mate. It’s my choice to decide how this plays out. I appreciate you coming here tonight and trying to convince me that its all going to be okay and that fate always makes the right choice. I’m having a hard time believing it right now but maybe I’ll feel differently tomorrow.”

She swallowed hard as the lie escaped her lips. She never lied to her family but she had to this time. She wouldn’t feel differently tomorrow and she knew that but they couldn’t. They had to leave here believing that she might come around to the idea.

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