Chapter 252
Chapter 253
FAYE
Helen and I had breakfast alone.
The dining room was quiet in that early–morning way I’d grown used to since becoming Luna- sunlight filtering through the tall windows, the table set neatly, food still steaming faintly.
It should have felt peaceful. Instead, there was a strange tension in the air, the kind that sat between words and made even the smallest movements feel deliberate.
I was very aware of the empty chair at the head of the table.
Alexander hadn’t come down.
I hadn’t gone to get him either.
Part of it was intentional. Not spiteful–just… careful. Alexander had never been fond of breakfast. On most days, he skipped it entirely, choosing work over food, strategy over routine. If I went knocking on his office door now, it would feel like pushing. And after how things ended in the office earlier, pushing was the last thing I wanted to do.
Helen noticed, of course.
She stirred her tea slowly, eyes lifting to the empty seat before drifting back to me. “Alexander isn’t joining us?”
I kept my expression neutral as I buttered my toast. “He usually doesn’t,” I said lightly. “Breakfast isn’t really his thing.”
It wasn’t a lie.
But it wasn’t the whole truth either.
Helen hummed softly, clearly unconvinced. “But I’m syee always made time before,” she said. ”
Even if he didn’t eat much.”
I paused, then forced myself to keep moving, tearing off a small piece of toast and bringing it to my mouth. “This morning is… different,” I admitted. “There’s a lot on his mind.”
Her eyes sharpened just a fraction. “Because of me.”
I looked up immediately. “No,” I said, a little too quickly. Then I softened my tone. “Helen, please don’t take it to heart. Truly. This is just Alexander being Alexander when he’s stressed. He retreats
into himself.”
She studied me for a moment, her gaze thoughtful, unreadable.
“I know my son,” she said quietly. “And I know when he’s upset.”
+25 Pointe
I met her eyes, then sighed. There was no point pretending she wouldn’t sense it anyway. “He’s not upset with you,” I said gently. “He’s upset with the situation. With everything that doesn’t make sense right now.”
That seemed to ease her….at least a little.
Helen nodded, lifting her cup again. “He’s always been like that. When he was younger, he’d disappear into his thoughts for days whenever something didn’t sit right with him.”
I smiled faintly. “He still does.”
A small, almost nostalgic smile touched her lips.
I took that as my cue to steer the conversation elsewhere, away from the sharp edges neither of us needed to press right now. “Did you sleep at all?” I asked. “You looked exhausted earlier, even if you didn’t want to admit it.”
Helen chuckled softly. “A little. More than I expected.”
“That’s good,” I said. “You should take it easy today.”
She raised an eyebrow, amused. “Is that a request or an order, Luna?”
I smiled back. “A request,” I said. “From someone who’s very glad you’re here, and I want you to get all the rest you can.”
Her expression softened then, something warm and almost maternal flickering across her face.” Thank you, Faye.”
We ate in companionable silence after that, the tension easing just enough to breathe again. I kept my focus on Helen–on making sure she ate, on keeping the conversation light, on pretending that everything was momentarily normal.
But even as I nodded and smiled, my thoughts kept drifting back to the office. To Alexander.
And to the uneasy feeling that whatever had brought Helen back to us so easily… hadn’t let go yet.
ALEXANDER
When they were done with breakfast, I went to see my mother in her room..
I didn’t rush. I didn’t storm down the corridor like an angry Alpha ready to interrogate a suspect.
I could see Faye’s point now. Not everything she said was wrong.
If this conversation was going to happen–and it was–it needed to start calmly, deliberately. For
both our sakes.
Her door was slightly ajar. I knocked once, then pushed it open.
Helen was seated near the window, already dressed, her posture straight, composed as ever.
She turned when she sensed me and smiled. A small one. Careful.
“Alex,” she said.
I closed the door behind me and crossed the room, pulling a chair opposite her before sitting down. For a moment, neither of us spoke. We just looked at each other–mother and son, former Luna and Alpha–each trying to read what the other wasn’t saying.
“How are you feeling now?” I asked.
She raised an eyebrow as if taken by surprise. “I’m alright.”
I exhaled slowly. “Mom, I want you to know something,” I began, keeping my voice even. “I am happy you’re back.”
Her shoulders relaxed just a little at that.
“I mean that,” I added. “No matter how it looked earlier. No matter how careful I was being. I’m relieved you’re here. Safe… in the pack house.”
She nodded, eyes softening. “I know, ” she said gently.
“But,” I continued, “you also need to understand why I can’t let this go. Not until it’s resolved.”
She didn’t interrupt.
“What happened to you,” I said, “isn’t something I can ignore just because you walked back in one
piece.”
“I know,” Helen said calmly.
“I need answers,” I went on. “As someone responsible for the safety of this pack, and my mate, Faye. And as much as I want to believe everything is fine now, too many things don’t add up.”
She didn’t interrupt me. She didn’t bristle. That, too, told me she already knew this conversation was coming.
“I’m not here to accuse you,” I said. “But I won’t pretend this didn’t happen. And I won’t move forward blind.”
Helen folded her hands in her lap, considering me carefully. “That’s fair.”
I leaned back slightly, keeping my tone measured. “What I want is simple. I want us to talk.
Properly.”
She nodded once.
25 Points
“I want you to tell me everything,” I said. “From the moment you were taken. How it happened- when, where, what was said. I want it all.”
I held her gaze. “No gaps, no comissions. No protecting me from things you think I don’t need to
hear.”
There was a brief silence.
Then Helen sighed softly.
“Fine,” she said. “No problem.”
I wondered briefly why she was so humble now. She almost didn’t look the same.