Page 270 of His Sunshine Baby

“Hello, pretty lady!”

“Good evening, Mister Clark!”

“You know who I am?” he asks, surprised.

My daughter nods and blushes, a bit shy.

“Yes. Mommy explained to me that you are the White Moon clan Alpha and you are my mommy’s godfather.”

Clark’s face brightens, visibly overjoyed with one sentence from the four-year-old. Damn, he should really get a wife and have some kids. He goes down on one knee, and rubs her head with a big smile.

“How did you make such a pretty girl! Even you were not as cute as this!”

“Thanks,” I reply, unsure if that’s a compliment or not.

On the side, Nathaniel laughs, and so do Orpheus and Isabella behind the Alpha.

“Well, I do have memories of you running around, dirtying your rompers, and calling out the boys for fights.”

“Danny!”

My best friend just stepped out from the crowd, his mom, dad and siblings right behind him. While I quickly hug Danny, I notice Abigail is wiping some tears behind him. Ben sighs.

“Really, Mom?”

“I can’t help it… Seeing our Elena where she is… after… you know, everything… It’s making me so emotional…”

“Wipe your tears, honey, it’s a joyous occasion,” says Joseph behind her.

“Of course, I know, but… I can’t help but see Elena like my own daughter, and… and…”

Abigail’s words get lost in her handkerchief, and the twins take over to talk to her and try to help her control her emotions a little. While I’m so grateful for her kind words and thoughts, I do feel this is… somewhere between embarrassing and awkward. Joseph chuckles and takes this opportunity to step closer to me, giving me a big hug and whispering a few words in my ear.

“Selena Whitewood, you’re the strongest, bravest she-wolf I have ever met in my life. You deserve all of this. You have the blood, the heart, and the guts of an Alpha. Never, ever forget that. We trust you, just like Ivy and Samuel believed in you. We really do.”

I didn’t expect to hear my parents’ names after such a long time. I can’t help but tear up a bit, and I’m glad I can hide it in his shoulder. Moon-Goddess-knows how much I miss them both. Joseph was close to my dad and hearing those words from him holds more value than if anyone else had said it.

We separate, and after a moment with each of their family members, I go back to where Clark stands. It’s a bit weird, to be back to talk to my pack so soon, with Nathaniel and Estelle with me too. I take a deep breath, turning to the crowd. I thought Clark would say a few words to the crowd, but everyone remains silent. I guess I’m up.

For a few seconds, I stare at the entire audience. I look at those people I’ve known almost all my life, and I wonder, what right do I have to stand here? What do I tell them now? Can I say anything? Can I convey my feelings properly? Or will I just fail, lose their faith and have them regret picking me to lead them?

I take another deep breath. No. I am not, and I won’t be, someone who backs off. Never. I am Selena Whitewood. I am a survivor, and a fighter. I’m someone’s mother, someone’s sunshine. I am a werewolf; I am just like them. These are my people.

“I… I was born in a place far from here,” I declare, “a place I can’t even remember. My first memories are with Reagan, right at the border of the White Moon clan. I remember my first meeting with you all. With Clark, with my parents, with my friends, with all of you. I was young, so I struggled with my identity. I grew up with parents who didn’t look like me. With friends from a different background. I felt like I could never fitin, so I fought harder because I thought a strong werewolf was the only part of me you’d accept. I hated the word ‘adopted’ because it reminded me of something I didn’t have. I wished my parents were my birth parents many, many times. I often wished I was more like the other kids. I wished I knew where I came from, though I never said it.”

I take a deep breath, glancing at Nathaniel. He’s gently smiling at me, his hands on Estelle’s shoulders. I take a deep breath and turn to the crowd again.

“When you’re a child, you don’t know how to cope with your insecurities. I struggled with my identity. I made bad choices, because I was desperate to fit in, and rejected people who rejected me twice more. I couldn’t see what I had, only what I was missing. I met… the wrong people, and lost sight of the ones I should have held close. I made poor choices.”

I don’t want to go on too long about Diego, not in front of my daughter, so I don’t say his name. They will read between the lines.

“By doing that, I… I was hurting myself indirectly. It is sometimes easier to rebel against people who wish you good than to leave people who are intoxicating. It’s sad, but it was my way of… punishing myself. No matter how many times my parents and the few friends I had left warned me, I… I didn’t listen.”

I hold back my tears, looking to my wolf for all the strength I need and solemnly put a hand on my tummy. I need them to understand, because I won’t say it. I find Daniel’s eyes in the crowd, and look at the pair of blue eyes to give myself some strength.

“I lost… a lot. I’ll never get it back. I… I shut down, and I lost my family a second time. You all know what kind of place I went to. I don’t know what you think I had done wrong for that, but the truth is, if I injured anyone, it was myself. Because I reactedtoo late and put myself in danger. I lost… what no girl or woman should ever lose. I lost my Angel.”

I feel the tears slowly run down my cheek as I confess the truth. I take a moment and hear the audience’s shock. Some women cover their mouths, some men are stuck between confusion and anger as they slowly come to understand.

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