Chapter 183

Ava

Just moments after Chris left to follow Bernard, Patricia quickly grabbed the seed from the table and excused herself, hurrying after them. I found myself alone with Clara, an awkward silence settling over the breakfast table.

Clara cleared her throat and offered me a small smile. “More coffee, dear?”

I nodded, grateful for something to focus on. “Yes, please. Thank you.”

As she poured, I noticed her hands trembling slightly. The fine china clinked softly as she set the pot down.

“I’m sorry about all this,” I said softly. “We didn’t mean to cause any trouble.”

Clara shook her head, her silver-streaked hair catching the morning light. “No, no. It’s not your fault. Bernard... he wasn’t always like this, you know.”

I raised an eyebrow, curious. “Oh?”

She nodded, a faraway look in her eyes. “When we were young, he was so loving, so full of life. He still is, really. It wasn’t until the infestation hit that he became so… cut off.”

Before I could say anything, Clara suddenly said, “Did you know he was actually betrothed to another girl before me?”

This surprised me. “I had no idea. Was it an arranged marriage?”

Clara sighed as her finger traced the rim of her coffee cup. “Yes. It was arranged by their parents. But Bernard fell in love with me instead. He broke the betrothal, and... well, it caused quite a scandal at the time.”

“That must have been difficult for everyone involved,” I said, trying to imagine a younger Bernard defying his parents’ wishes. He seemed like such a stickler now.

Clara nodded. “It was. The other girl was heartbroken, of course. And Bernard... he carried that guilt for a long time. Sometimes I think he still does, because he never made it up to her in any way.”

Suddenly, Bernard’s hostility toward Chris and me made a bit more sense. “Do you think... maybe his anger towards us is just a projection of his own guilt?” I muttered.

Clara looked at me sharply, but then her expression softened. “You’re very perceptive, Ava. I think you might be right. He never quite got over the way he broke that girl’s heart. And seeing you and Chris, forgive me for saying this, do something similar to our daughter…”

“We really never meant to hurt Patricia,” I said quietly, setting down my coffee cup and giving Clara a genuine look. “Or cause any pain to your family. I’m so sorry.”

Clara reached across the table and patted my hand. “I know, dear. And deep down, I think Bernard knows it too. He’s just... struggling right now. With the infestation, losing our trees... it’s been hard on all of us, but especially on him.”

I nodded, understanding the gruff Alpha a bit more now. “Thank you for sharing this with me, Clara. It helps to understand where he’s coming from.”

She smiled warmly. “Of course. I hope it helps. And I hope you know that despite Bernard’s behavior, I think you and Chris make a lovely couple.”

“Thank you. That means a lot.”

We sat in companionable silence for a few moments before I stood up, my chair scraping against the tile floor as I did. “I should go find Chris. Thank you for the coffee, Clara. And for the conversation.”

She nodded, giving me another warm smile. “Of course. Good luck.”

I made my way out to the gardens, following the path Chris, Bernard, and now Patricia had taken. The morning air was crisp, and dew still clung to the sparse grass that remained. As I approached, I heard voices and slowed down, not wanting to interrupt. Up ahead, I could see Patricia peering around a bush, clearly having the same thought that I did.

“...makes me a better Alpha, a better man,” Chris was saying. “She challenges me, supports me, and loves me unconditionally. I intend to marry her, to spend the rest of my life with her…”

There was no stopping the way my heart swelled in my chest upon hearing Chris speak about me like this. I knew he loved me, of course, but hearing him defend our relationship so passionately to Bernard was something else entirely.

I was about to step forward when I heard Patricia’s voice join the conversation. “Father, please… Can’t you see how much they love each other?”

I hesitated, not wanting to intrude on what seemed like a family moment. But as I listened to Patricia speak to her father and saw Chris and Bernard shake hands a moment later, I realized that this might be my chance, too, to make things right.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped out from behind a large bush. “I want to apologize, too,” I said, causing all three of them to turn and look at me. “And I have another offer.”

Bernard’s eyes narrowed slightly, clearly still not fully trusting me. “What kind of offer?”

My heart pounded a bit as I approached. “Last night, I couldn’t sleep. So I spent hours researching the beetles that have been plaguing Crescent Moon. And I realized something—they have no natural predators here because they’re an invasive species.”

“We knew that already,” Bernard said somewhat dismissively, but a sharp look from his daughter caused him to soften a bit. “But… Thank you for trying.”

I shook my head, stopping a few feet away from Bernard. “I’m sure you’ve tried everything,” I said, taking a deep breath, “but perhaps a new perspective could be helpful… That’s why, as the new Luna of Moonstone pack, I’d like to offer my help. I’ll personally work with our chief scientist to develop a safe and effective way to eradicate the beetles. If you’ll allow me, that is.”

Bernard raised an eyebrow. “How do you intend to do that? We’ve tried all the pesticides known to man, even human inventions.”

I exchanged a glance with Chris. If he had his own secret plan, then I did, too. And he was clearly somewhat surprised.

“Perhaps we could create a genetically modified plant that will poison and kill off the beetles without harming anything else,” I said.

“A genetically modified plant?” Bernard huffed. “That sounds... risky.”

I nodded. “It does sound risky, but we’ve had success with similar methods in Moonstone. It worked with our blight problem, and I think it could work here too.”

“Blight?” Bernard’s voice was sharp. “What blight?”

I glanced at Chris, who nodded slightly despite looking a bit surprised by my candor.

Taking another deep breath, I continued, “I’m sorry that we haven’t been entirely honest. Moonstone is suffering from its own problems—a fungal blight that’s destroying our crops and forests, very similar to your beetles. But that’s why I’m bringing it up now. We need to be completely honest if we’re going to work together.”

“Even though Moonstone is suffering,” I continued, “we want to help however we can. Since you, Patricia, and I all have experience with cultivating plants, I thought maybe we could work together to figure something out. For both of our packs.”

There was a long moment of silence. I held my breath, waiting for Bernard’s response. To my surprise, he looked... intrigued rather than defensive.

“That’s... not a bad idea,” he said slowly, stroking his chin. “I’ll admit, I am curious to see what might come of it. But how can we be sure this genetically modified plant won’t cause more harm than good?”

“That’s a valid question,” I replied. “We’ll run extensive tests before implementing anything. And I promise to personally communicate with you every step of the way, Alpha Bernard. I’ll be at your beck and call to bring our packs together and ensure everything is done safely.”

“Father, this sounds exciting,” Patricia cut in, touching his arm. “I’m curious to know more about Ava’s expertise with plants.”

Bernard nodded, his expression thoughtful. “I’ll consider it. Thank you for your honesty, Luna Ava.” With that, he turned and walked back toward the house. We watched him go for a moment before Patricia suddenly threw herself at us and, to my surprise, pulled both Chris and me into a tight hug.

“Thank you both so much,” she muttered into my hair. “I’ve never seen Father so open to an idea before. I’ll find a way to convince him, I promise!”

With that, she ran after her father, leaving Chris and me alone in the garden.

As soon as they were out of sight, Chris’s arms were around me. The world spun as he twirled me around, a surprised laugh escaping my lips. Once I was sufficiently dizzy, he set me down and kissed me deeply. When we broke apart, he was grinning from ear to ear.

“You’re the best Luna anyone could ask for, you know that? The way you handled that... I’m in love.”

I laughed, feeling lighter than I had in days. “Well, one of these days, you’d better give me a real proposal instead of a fake one. I think I’ve earned it.”

Chris’s eyes twinkled mischievously, and he pulled me close.

“Oh, don’t worry,” he murmured against my neck. “That’s coming.”