Chapter 19: Too Late to Call Me Sister – 1

Thea’s POV

I adjusted my hoodie and scarf, trying to look somewhat presentable rather than like someone who’d barely survived a lethal attack. The soft material caught against the bandages, making me wince.

“Mommy, why are you wearing a hat inside?” Leo’s suspicious eyes peered at me through the video call. We’d finally managed to connect after days of delays—mostly because the wolfsbane’s aftereffects had left me barely able to stay conscious for more than five minutes at a time. But today I felt stronger.

I leaned back against the headboard, grateful for its support. Leo still didn’t know what had happened to me. As a child with Alpha bloodlines, he was especially sensitive to danger. I intended to keep him in the dark about this forever.

“The house has been a bit chilly lately,” I lied, knowing even humans would find that excuse weak given a werewolf’s naturally elevated body temperature. Guilt gnawed at me for the deception, but it was necessary.

“But Mom, your neighborhood has central heating,” he pointed out, his brow furrowing in that way that made him look exactly like his father.

I sighed internally. That was the trouble with having a clever wolf pup. But I’d been lying to him since his grandfather’s assassination. Part of me felt like the worst mother ever, but protecting him came first.

“What fun things did you do today, baby?” I redirected.

His frown instantly transformed into a brilliant smile. “Mom! It was amazing! Grandpa shifted and took me exploring! We ran all along the beach and up these cliff trails to this waterfall behind the hills! His fur was like silver waves in the sunlight!” he exclaimed, joy making his green eyes sparkle. “He ran so fast and the wind was whooshing past my ears like we were flying!”

I forced myself to keep smiling. “That sounds wonderful, sweetheart.” How I wished I could have witnessed his first experience of that freedom. It was one of the most precious werewolf family traditions—elders in wolf form guiding their pups through nature. Something I, as a wolfless mother, could never give him.

“Grandma says Grandpa almost never shifts anymore, but he did it specially for me! She took lots of videos to send you. I wasn’t scared at all riding on his back; his wolf form is so majestic!”

I nodded, swallowing past the lump in my throat. I’d finally accepted Sebastian’s new phone, complete with a new number and all the necessary setup. He hadn’t just replaced the device—he’d handled everything.

I’d been deliberately avoiding Sebastian. He called occasionally to check on me, but I kept those conversations brief and businesslike. I wanted peace in my life, and Sebastian’s involvement only brought complications. Especially with Aurora in the picture.

“Mom, is Aurora Dad’s mate?” His sudden question made my heart stutter.

“What do you mean?”

“Yesterday during our video call, I saw Aurora in Dad’s study… she was sitting in his lap. I don’t like her.” His frown matched his father’s exactly.

I tried to pretend those words didn’t hurt, but deep down they stung. Knowing Sebastian had already established such intimacy with her meant their relationship had progressed far beyond casual dating.

Why did we lie to ourselves about moving on? When triggers like this came, all our pretenses crumbled, and the pain felt sharper than before.

“That’s something you need to ask your father about, sweetheart.” I fought to keep my voice steady. I wouldn’t explain this to Leo. If Sebastian chose to display his intimacy with Aurora in front of our son, he could handle the explanations himself.

“I want you and Dad back together. Then we could be a real family again.” His eyes welled up, breaking my heart.

“Leo, you need to understand, your father and I… we’re too different,” I said softly. “Some things can’t be changed.”

We’d put on such a perfect show for Leo. Tried to give him the illusion of a happy family. Pretended we had a normal Alpha and Luna bond. But it was all lies. Sebastian and his wolf had never truly accepted me, though Leo had been too young to notice.

Okay, here's the cleaned-up version of the text:

Looking back, I should have refused marriage when I accidentally got pregnant. I’d been naive enough to think my love and dedication could compensate for being wolfless. That time would make him accept me. I’d been wrong.

Even in our most intimate moments, we’d lacked the soul-deep resonance that mates shared. I was his accident, and Leo was that accident’s only gift. He’d been careful to prevent any more such “accidents.”

“Don’t you love Dad anymore?” Leo asked the same question he’d posed to Sebastian weeks ago.

I took a deep breath. After so many lies, I owed him this truth at least. “Love isn’t the problem, baby. Sometimes love isn’t enough. You might not understand now, but when you’re older, when you find your own mate, you will.”

I genuinely hoped Leo would find his true mate one day, unlike his father’s entanglement between Aurora and me. Even though saying it felt like knives in my heart, it was the best blessing I could give my son. Maybe someday, I’d find someone who didn’t care about my defect either.

A knock interrupted my thoughts. Sage appeared in the doorway. “You have a visitor, Thea.”

Thank god she’d finally dropped the formal “Miss Sterling“ or “Madam“. The Ashworth Pack nurse had proved helpful, despite my initial resistance to Sebastian’s arrangement.

“Who is it, Mom?” Leo asked curiously.

“It’s Sage, my nurse,” I answered, expecting either Kane or Iris. They were the only regular visitors these days.

“You need someone to take care of you? But you’re always the strongest!” He tilted his head in confusion, reminding me of my days at the Ashworth mansion, handling everything alone. I’d foolishly thought proving my capability would make Sebastian and his family accept me, would make him see that I could be Luna even without a wolf. How laughable that seemed now.

Then Roman appeared in the doorway. My body instantly tensed.

“Leo, baby, I need to go. Your uncle’s here,” I said hurriedly.

He sighed in disappointment but said goodbye. The moment the screen went dark, the gentleness vanished from my face.

“Get out, Roman. Or have you forgotten everything you once said to me?” I glared at him.

He shifted uncomfortably, notably suppressing his Alpha aura. “You’re my sister, pack blood…”

“Stop!” I cut him off. “Pack blood? That’s rich. Where was that when you all abandoned me? When you drove me from pack territory? When you excluded me from every pack ceremony to please Aurora?”

“Thea… back then…” he hesitated.

“I’ve stayed away from your perfect sister and her destined one like you wanted. Now leave my territory. It might not be pack land, but it’s my home.”

“At least let me explain. You gave Iris a chance…” His voice held a plea.

“Iris never looked down on me for being wolfless. She didn’t say ‘a wolfless mother will taint pack bloodlines‘ while I was carrying Leo.”

I knew Iris had told me many things. When her relationship with Roman got serious, she’d discovered the truth about my exclusion from pack activities. She was the first werewolf to ever see me as an equal.

“Let it go, Roman. Like you said, Sterling Pack has one perfect Alpha daughter. Forget about the defective sister.”

I turned my back to him. It took a long time before I heard his heavy footsteps retreat.

Tears fell silently. They wanted too much. I’d once given everything to love this family, even as they hated me for my defect. I’d clung to the foolish hope that someday they’d accept me, let me feel the warmth of family. But they’d only torn my heart to pieces again and again.

Now Roman wanted back into my life, but he didn’t understand it was too late. Being wolfless meant I’d never truly belong to any pack, but that didn’t mean I’d keep letting them walk all over me. They’d hurt me too deeply, and I had nothing left to give them.

For them, my heart was already dead.