The cab pulled over in front of the gate, she alighted and walked straight to her mother's favorite spot, which was behind the small garden.
"High moon, mother."
Mother opened her eyes, and her surprise was quite apparent. Probably, because of the little transformation she saw. She stared at her with a glint of wonder in her eyes.
"Lunara called me a while ago…"
"I'm not interested; I'm here for my manuscripts," she said and turned to walk away. "I'm tired of Lunara this and Lunara that."
"You need to hurry up and leave before she comes! She is on her way here."
"Mother…"
"Emma, hurry up with whatever that brought you here and leave at once! Both of you don't know what I go through each time I listen to your outbursts!"
"Mother, you need to call her to order! If she doesn't stop talking ill of me on the territory vision hearth screen, I'm going to report…"
"Shut your trap! Will you?" Father yelled through his bedchamber window.
"Daniel, allow the poor she-wolf to speak her mind," Mother said. It was obvious she did not like what Lunara said about her on territory vision hearth. Mother has a soft mind, but she was being influenced negatively by father and Lunara.
"Everything Lunara said about the moon-cycle ago was nothing but the truth! I expect you to embrace change and be grateful to her!"
"I was expelled from Elite Healing Academy because I failed my exams and not because of bad conduct! Father, she lied" I'm not wayward; you sent me to the region to..."
"Help my sibling in her rice farm and see how difficult it is to make silver! You went there and chose another path! Lunara is right. You are lucky she didn't tell the world you started prostitution at the age of fourteen."
"Daniel!!" mother stood up and yelled. Emma bit her lower lips. He knew her real age yet he told his sibling that she was sixteen.
"Aren't you ashamed of yourself? I blame the royal kingdom for ever giving you that scholarship! You are a huge disappointment and a disgrace. Please, go back to wherever you came from; I don't want to see you here again," father said and drew back his curtains.
For once, since she got mated to Brandon, she was happy that she did. At least Brandon doesn't rub her failure on her face. She had a breath of fresh air and a little peace of mind since she mated him. She stood still for a moment and appreciated Brandon for coming to her rescue. The problems she had with Brandon were not fitting properly in his high class and his mysterious behaviors that made her believe he was on a revenge mission.
She looked at her mother, she was worried and really needed her to take her things and go away before Lunara came. She walked swiftly towards the grand foyer and climbed the stairs hurriedly. Mother followed her and walked in the direction of her bedchamber instead.
She opened her bedchamber door and walked in coldly. Everything in her bedchamber, including the bed, had been removed. She stood still, looking around the empty chamber, wondering where they kept her manuscripts and her special Moonlit box.
"Are you legally mated to him now?" Mother, who walked into her chamber, asked. She stared at her mystery box and the books she dropped on the floor and knelt down with joy.
"Your father burnt everything, but I managed to save your books and your...."
"Thank you," she interrupted. She already knew what she wanted to say. No amount of pressure would make her throw the moonlit box away. It was a birth cycle gift from her first love. Since he didn't come back to her as he promised, the box was the only reminder of the innocent love they shared. The eight words in the mystery box give her a lot of hope.
"Are you legally mated to him?" She asked again.
"Yes"
"You like him?"
"He is so mysterious."
"That is not the answer to my question."
"Well, I….I don't know," she sputtered and continued arranging her manuscripts.
"You will never like him as long as this evil box remains in your possession. Get rid of it and give your mate a chance. You couldn't reciprocate Evan's love because of this evil box."
"I'll try."
"Emma, I want you to sit up."
"By constantly standing behind Lunara? I know."
"That she-wolf is really working very hard…"
"She is just lucky, mother!"
"Why are you so unlucky?"
"Since I was a pup, none of you have ever offered me encouragement and support. Have you ever gone through my work and given me reasonable suggestions? All I get every day is a constant reminder of how ugly I look, how dull I am, and how unlucky I am. You never stopped telling me negative things; how do you expect me to stay focused? I tried to help myself, but I couldn't because you, father, and Lunara still wouldn't let me. Mother, a little support and just one word of encouragement from you would have done the magic," she said, fastening her books on her box.
"All the things Lunara said about me on territory vision hearth screen last moon-fall were not true, mother. Please, talk to her when she comes. My mate heard everything she said."
"What did he do?"
"He encouraged me. That's what real pack-kins do."
"I guess you are saying we are not real pack-kins or I don't know how to raise a pup."
She kept quiet and focused on what she was doing. She never insinuated that she did not know how to raise a pup.
"If one really needs encouragement and support to succeed in life, Lunara wouldn't have succeeded!"
"If Lunara wasn't offered support and encouragement in the royal kingdom, she wouldn't be where she is. A high Luna encouraged and supported your she-wolf, but couldn't support another she-wolf's pup…"
A thunderous slap greeted her face before she could complete the sentence and blurred her vision. She staggered and fell to the floor.
"Lunara is right! You are so ungrateful! I picked you up when your wretched mother left you and fled back to her territory and fed you for twenty-one good winters! Emma, leave this pack and never come back; now!!"
"Mother, I'm sorry."
Another slap landed on her face, at the exact spot the first slap landed. She held her cheek as hot exultant tears flowed down her cheeks.
"Emma, go!"
"Which territory is she from?" She asked with a melancholic voice.
"Get…out!!!"
She stood up immediately, picked up her moonlit box, and ran out of the chamber. Tears kept flowing down her cheeks. She shouldn't have said that to her.
She ran towards the gate but halted when she saw Lunara's royal convoy driving in. She waited until all the cars had gone in before leaving the compound. She knew they wouldn't hesitate to run her over if she had continued walking.
One of Lunara's guards opened the door for her, she alighted, stared at her wickedly, and began to walk towards the lobby. She left the compound and was happy she had finally escaped a fight with her. She looked around the main road, but the cab she asked to wait for her was nowhere to be found. She saw a he-wolf coming towards her with a look of surprise.
"Where is my car?" He asked.
"Who are you?"
"I'm the cab driver that dropped you off about twenty minutes ago."
"Oh sorry, I didn't look at your face. Where is your car?"
"I left it here and walked down the street to buy a cigarette."
"Then where is it?" She asked.
"I don't know; I'm surprised."
"Lunara!"
"Who?"
"My sibling! I'll be right back," she said, handing her box and manuscripts over to him