Page 263 of His Sunshine Baby

“I understand, Elena, but it was Clark’s responsibility. Now, if we explain this to our people, they will accuse him of wronging you and allowing Diego back. Having him banished for good should have been the lightest punishment possible, but he was gone for only five years. People won’t accept it, and they won’t listen to his words to trust the Blood Moon after that.”

“But they will listen to Elena.”

We turn to Orpheus, who stands up.

“I know I would.”

“Orpheus, no one will listen to me,” I reply, surprised he would even suggest that. “I’m the girl who had a child with one of the Black brothers and left the pack who adopted her. Trust me, I’m not high on the list of the most trusted people right now.”

“I don’t think that’s necessarily true, Elena,” says Levi. “Most of our people are fine with the idea of mating with people from other packs now, even the Blood Moon. Since the Luna abolished the borders, it has become more and more common.”

“No one will blame you for having Estelle, especially after what you went through,” adds Bonnie.

“A lot of the fighters now are people you trained too! I bet they’d be happy to see you back!”

I chuckle at Ben’s enthusiasm. The twins’ words are very comforting to me, but I can’t tell how realistic they are.

“I think it’s worth trying. We need to ally with the Blood Moon officially, and no one will agree to it without a proper explanation,” I admit.

I turn to Isabella and Clark. They are the ones to decide, as I know Orpheus is already agreeing with me. Isabella sighs.

“Will they believe you, though? It’s coming out years later at a time like this,” asks Bonnie.

“We have tons of proof if needed,” replies Danny. “It went to court, plus we kept Elena’s hospital bills and all.”

“Clark?” I call to him.

He hasn’t said a word in a while. Is he worried about the position this will put him in? He might lose all respect as the Alpha. My godfather suddenly stands up.

“It’s fine, Elena. I would rather get it off my conscience. I was never comfortable with how things turned out, so it’s high time I repair my mistakes and repay my debt to you. Isa is right. This pack had a duty to protect you, and we failed. I won’t allow it twice.”

I’m touched by his words. Back then, it did feel as if I was alone with my pain. It was convenient for everyone else to forget it all. He smiles at me and ruffles my hair.

“I knew you’d grow up to be a fine woman. Don’t worry, I will handle this.”

“I want to be there, to do it with you,” I immediately insist.

“If you want.”

After a few minutes, Clark calls most of the pack’s adults over to the nearby park, the only place big enough to have all the werewolves attend comfortably. I wonder how fast the word spread about my return, because absolutely no one seems surprised to see me next to Clark and Orpheus.

As we discussed, Isabella and Clark do all the talking, and it’s short anyway. About how full cooperation with the Blood Moon will be needed, and why Diego died. Everyone stays silent while the Alpha talks, but I can read shock and anger on a lot of faces.

“… We need to come to an agreement now,” concludes Isabella.

“Clark, why didn’t you tell us back then! We never liked Diego, but you should have told us the full story!” yells someone from the back.

“That’s right! A rapist and a pup murderer? Clark, he could have attacked our other kids!” growls a woman.

“This was between him and me,” I explain. “It was personal, I don’t think Diego would have–”

“You can’t say that for sure! A sociopath, a murderer! And the Alpha allowed him back!”

A lot of people start growling along but Clark doesn’t flinch. He expected this, after Isabella’s warning.

“Elena left because of you!”

“No, I had different reasons to leave!” I interrupt, annoyed. “Listen, we are not having Clark’s trial now! He is your Alpha, and whatever he decided back then is between him and I!”

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