Chapter 456 Lanie My mother enfoldedin her embrace, and all I could do was cling to her as I shook with sobs. I breathed in her familiar scent. Her warmth. She rockedas we hugged, and her hand stroked down my back, over and over again, exactly the way it used to when I was a little girl who'd woken up from a nightmare.
"Oh, my Lanie. Letget a good look at you." She pushedaway only for a second before hugginghard again. "No, not yet, I can't let you go. Oh, I just can't let you go." I closed my eyes and let my mother hold me. It had been so long since we'd been together. I'd forced myself to barely think about her, my sister, and my dads, much like I'd stopped myself from thinking too much about my best friend. It had been easier for my mind to focus on the dangers we were navigating. But, oh, now that my mother was here and hugging me, every second of the twe'd spent apart slammed intolike a hammer pounding a nail.
"Mama?" At the sound of Stella's hesitant voice, I turned. I had to wipe away the tears blurring my vision, but I used one hand to do that while I held out the other to gather my daughter close. My mother drew in a sharp breath. "Is this...?" she asked, sounding awed.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtI knew that there'd been sadvance word, rumors, about Stella, but since I hadn't been expecting my mom to be here at the mansion, I couldn't assanything about what she may or may not have heard.
"Mama. This is my daughter. Stella. This is your grandma, Julia Stanton," I said to Stella.
"But she's..." My mom fanned her face, her eyes wide.
Stella might be adult-sized, and she might be special with all the talents of ever supernatural that had ever existed, but I could never forget that she was also my child. I pulled her in next to me, offering my support and warmth. I could feel her muscles trembling the tiniest bit with her nervousness.
"Beautiful," my mother finished and opened her arms for a hug. "Stella. Chere and givea hug." "Hello, I'm here, too," a voice said in a sour tone.
I'd been so caught up in greeting my mom that I'd almost totally missed my sister. "Selena!" She huggedhard, but only briefly before stepping back. She eyedcautiously. The last tI'd seen her, she'd been underage, but now she was over eighteen. Shit, I didn't even know if she had been mated yet. I didn't know anything about what had gone on while we were away. Had the High Council and Elders still been assigning two males to every female wolf in the pack? Or had that stopped? Were pack members allowed to choose their own mates? So much to find out...so much to consider about the way things had been and how they were going to be. Everyone was askingabout making changes. Well, I'd finally started thinking of a few I was going to tell the Constantine Alphas to make.
There was more to learn about my baby sister, now that she'd cof age. For instance, had the spell our mother asked a witch to cast to dampen her vampiric powers worked on my sister? It had failed in me, but that didn't mean it hadn't worked for my sister.
.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmSelena's eyes blazed soft green for a moment. Her wolf was close. I could sense my sister's agitation and hated that the first twe saw each other in so long had to be tainted with any bad feelings. But could I blher I for being wary of me? Mason and I had snuck out of my childhood hwithout saying goodbye. I'd left my sister behind to take care of our mother, even though I knew Orion had been targeting her. She'd toldI had to, but...even so, the look on her face toldshe wasn't ready to acceptback with open arms. .
She looked at Stella with a blank expression, very different from the first tthey'd met when Stella was an infant.
"I'm your aunt Selena," she said in a stiff voice. "I'm sure you don't remember me. You probably never even heard of me." "Selena," our mother said in a shocked tone.
.
Stella, my dear little star, stepped forward. "Of course I did. Mama told toldso many stories about the two of you when you were both little. I don't remember you from when I was a baby, but of course I know who you are." .
.
Little white lies. As a Celestial, Stella could certainly call on the memories of anything that had happened when she was a baby. She was being kind and gracious. .
Too bad my sister didn't respond the sway.