BloodMoon: Captivated by the Forbidden Lycan Alpha
Chapter 271: BECAUSE FAMILY IS EVERYTHING

Chapter 271: BECAUSE FAMILY IS EVERYTHING

{"Together is my favorite place to be." }

ROLAN’S POV

Qadira’s fingers squeezed mine. "You’re ready," she whispered, her voice like moonlight steadying, beautiful. "Let them see the man I see."

I drew in a breath and stepped through the archway of ivy into the Royal Garden. Silence met us. Everyone that Tor had summoned was present, and I walked in, no disguise, no half-truths.

Tall, dark, marked with the faint sigils of the old ways, my silver eyes gleaming like moonlit steel, my hair no longer tied back, but falling in soft waves to my shoulders. The quiet stretched long, tense.

Then Alpha Tor stood. "Rolan," he said firmly, "welcome."

A ripple of nods followed. General Mortas was the first to step forward, giving a sharp nod and thudding a fist to his chest in respect. "Rogourau or not, you stood with us on Blood Stone Mountain. That is enough for me."

"More than enough," added Elder Crystal, her gaze appraising but warm. "You walk in truth now. That is all we ask."

Even General Tiger grunted approval. "I’ll take a warrior with a beast in his blood over a coward in silks any day."

I blinked. The weight in my chest, I did not know I had been carrying, began to lift.

Beside me, Qadira smiled with pride, her red eyes gleaming. "Told you."

I turned to the gathered members of the council, clearing my throat. "I... I know my presence may raise questions. The Rogourau were once hidden, feared. But I am not here to rule or rise. I am here to protect. I am here as a warrior, a mate, and one of the Bay Shifter Pack."

Alpha Tor gestured toward an empty chair beside the head table. "Then take your place, Rolan. You are among your family now."

The garden softened. The tension broke. Conversations resumed, laughter picked up once more, and I was no longer an outsider lurking in the shadows. I looked at Qadira, brushing my fingers along her jaw. "They accepted me," I whispered, barely believing it.

She leaned in, lips brushing my ear. "No. They saw you. And they chose you."

And for the first time in a long time, I felt like I belonged. I was still adjusting to the warmth in the air the kind that comes not from the sun, but from acceptance, when I caught the familiar gait of my brother Alpha Rou Rogourau striding through the garden. His presence was impossible to miss. Tall, commanding, broad shoulders and a gaze that saw through lies like glass. Beside him walked his mate, Commander Elle, fierce and graceful, with eyes that missed nothing. The two of them together radiated power, loyalty, and the kind of peace earned only after surviving storm after storm.

"Brother," Rou said as he reached me, his tone softer than I expected.

I straightened instinctively, bracing for teasing or a jab, something from the old days when we were more legend than men. But instead, he stepped close, clapped his palm against my shoulder, and gave it a firm squeeze.

"It’s about damn time," he murmured. "You have hidden too long, Rolan. Served too long. This... this is your time now."

I blinked at him, emotion catching somewhere between my throat and my ribs. "I didn’t think I had time left," I admitted quietly.

His lips twitched into something close to a smile. "You served the realm in silence. You carried more than your share. But now you walk in the open, and with your mate by your side." He glanced at Qadira and gave her a respectful nod. "You do not owe the world your shadow anymore. You owe yourself harmony."

Elle stepped forward, her gaze steady. "And if anyone tries to drag you back into hiding, they’ll deal with us."

I could not help the quiet laugh that escaped me, half-grateful, half-disbelieving.

Rou’s hand lingered for a moment before he pulled back. "You are my brother, Rolan. I know what it costs you to step into this garden without a mask. You have earned your peace. Do not question it."

"Thank you," I said, my voice rougher than I liked.

"Don’t thank me," he said, already turning with Elle. "Just live."

Qadira slid her fingers into mine, and I looked down at her.

"You, okay?" she asked.

"More than okay," I whispered.

Finally, Alpha Tor stood at the head, regal and calm, dressed not just in authority but in something even more grounding certainty. And beside him was the striking figure of Freyr Kayne. Pale, sharp, impossibly graceful... and glowing with a quiet power that turned more than a few heads.

Tor’s voice rose with clarity and confidence. "I would like to officially introduce to you my mate Freyr Kayne. Son of the former Coven Lord Dunco Kayne, a Vampire from Paradise Coven" There was silence for a minute, and then Tor continued, "I will officially introduce him to the Bay shifter pack tomorrow and will require your support. "

Then a thunderous burst of applause, howls, cheers, even a few enchanted whistles from younger warriors who clearly had no clue what kind of fire had just been bound to their pack. Wave stood and howled first, his voice echoing pure joy. Spark followed suit, clapping hard as his arm slipped around Wave’s shoulders. General Mortas pounded a hand to his chest in salute, while Elder Mercury let out a soft "blessed be" and dabbed her eyes. Even my brother Rou lifted his chin in silent respect, and Elle nodded toward Freyr with an arched brow of acceptance.

I watched it all with a strange warmth in my chest, and because this was more than a celebration of a bond, it was a declaration that the Bay Shifter pack would evolve... that love, strength, and unity would no longer be caged by bloodlines alone.

Qadira squeezed my hand. "It’s a good day."

I turned to her and smiled. "It is. For all of us."

Tor and Freyr exchanged a look, and in that moment, it was more than a look; it was a promise. Their bond radiated through the clearing like magic. Not just because it was rare, or taboo, or blessed. But because it was true.

The celebration swelled around members exchanging hugs, new allies shaking hands, joy flowing like wine under moonlight. And deep inside me, I knew this was the beginning of a new era.

The sounds of laughter and celebration faded behind us as we stepped out of the royal garden, the soft hush of night settling like a silken shawl over our shoulders. The moon hung low, a pale crescent carved into the indigo sky, and the stars stretched wide above the Bay Shifter pack lands, ancient, watching, eternal. Qadira walked beside me, her hand brushing against mine. I slipped my fingers into hers, grounding myself in the warmth of her presence.

"I still can’t believe how easily they accepted us," I murmured, my voice barely louder than the rustling wind. "All of it. My face... my truth."

She tilted her head to look up at me, eyes gleaming like obsidian under starlight. "Because they saw the man you are, Rolan. Not the mask. Not the role you played. Just you."

I let out a soft exhale and looked around the quiet trees that marked the outer edge of the gardens. "I served this realm for years. Buried who I was so deep I thought I would never find him again."

"You didn’t find him," she said softly. "You chose him. You chose yourself. And you chose me."

I stopped walking and turned to face her, drawing her into my arms. "And I’d choose you a thousand times over."

Her lips curved in a gentle smile, her fingers finding the line of my jaw. "Then let us choose this life together. No more shadows. No more pretending."

We stood there, wrapped in the hush of night, and the stars bore witness as I kissed her, a kiss without urgency, without fear. Just the quiet promise of forever whispered against her lips.

"I want to build something here," I said against her temple. "Something real. With you."

She leaned into me, her voice a breath of certainty. "Then let us begin, Rolan. Tonight."

We walked on, hearts lighter, as the wind carried the scent of sea salt and earth. Above us, the stars danced like the ancestors were smiling down.

We stopped at the edge of the Bay Shifter Pack beach, the hush of waves drawing long across the sand like a lullaby sung by the sea. Moonlight silvered the water, turning it into a mirror of the stars, and the breeze danced through Qadira’s dark curls as they spilled over her shoulders.

I turned to her slowly, letting my eyes trace every delicate line of her face, every expression written across it in moonlight. Her lips parted as if to speak, but I did not let the words fall. Instead, I pulled her close, arms folding around her waist with reverence and hunger all at once. I looked into her eyes for only a breath longer, then sealed her mouth with mine.

It was a kiss that tasted of freedom and fire, of long-denied truths and promises newly born. Her hands curled into my shirt, anchoring me, as if afraid the moment might disappear like sea foam. But I was not going anywhere. Not anymore. The world faded, the beach, the stars, the responsibilities that weighed on us like armor. All I felt was her warmth, the way she melted against me, and the way the ocean seemed to cheer quietly behind us.

When we finally pulled apart, our foreheads resting together, I whispered against her lips, "This is the first right thing I’ve done for myself."

She smiled, breathless and fierce. "Then hold on to it. To me."

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