Rescuing His Captive Mate: Saving The Future Luna

Chapter 116 - Artem - The Box Part 2

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Artem

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Star was depressed. That was the only way to describe what had happened to her. She was having a hard time with what had happened last week.

She hadn't come out of the room once since we went back there the night the boys had slipped into their current states. She showered, she dressed, and she ate, I didn't have to worry about that. But still, she hadn't left the room. She barely spoke to me. And it was clear as day that she was struggling.

I think she was having a version of survivor's guilt or something. Her talisman had come off but she hadn't been affected like the others had been. She had been just fine.

Since Star had locked herself into our room I had been making some progress on a few things. 

There seemed to be a big lack of information in our pack for many things. I'm not going to deny that a big part of that was my fault. I had been distracted these last few months and hadn't been running the pack properly.

Daniel was helping me out a little, as was Will from the Crescent Moon pack over in the next city. I was learning bit by bit what I should have done in the beginning. The fact that I had waited so long to do this meant that I was having more problems than I might have before.

I was finally making my position in the pack known. I was finally getting to where I could run this pack. Though there were several that still held out and refused to accept me as their Alpha.

One of the main reasons I had finally decided to see everyone in a gathering type of setting was because there had been three people who had come to my door the night the boys had fallen into their comas. They all had children we had not managed to save.

If I had known about them then I would have gone for them as well.

I took custody of the boys and put them in the infirmary with the others. I then went to see every single member of the pack and found four others. This made thirteen young boys that were currently in this state.

I complimented those that came to my door, worried about the children that wouldn't wake up. The others were content to just leave them to rot in their basements. Those were the people I was going to have to deal with soon.

Counting Nico who was a slave to his wolf there were now fourteen boys that I needed to save. I had called back to the Red Springs pack and given more details to their Beta. The date was set for them to come and help us, now we just had to wait.

Still, I was worried about my Star. Very worried about her.

I spoke with Reed, Bailey, and Daniel. We all wanted to help her out of her depression and we all thought that finally opening the box that she had received on her birthday should help her. So, with that in mind, we made a plan to go rescue my mate.

We set our plan into motion by surprising her in the room. It didn't start that well, since she blew up and yelled at Reed. I managed to calm her down a little.

Daniel was the one who actually moved the conversation to what we were here for.

"Star, I never got to help you while you were growing up. I couldn't save you. I was too old and too weak. But I want to be here for you now. I didn't know your mother for long but I knew her when she was a very little girl and when she came back to us when you were still so young." He sounded so heart broken, so hurt that he hadn't been able to help her. 

"I don't remember her at all." Star hung her head like she thought that was something to be ashamed of.

"That's understandable. You were so little when she was lost to us. We can rebuild her in your memories though. We can help you to see her face again." Daniel tried to make things better for her but I could feel the tension and fear that was stiffening her body.

Listening to what Daniel was saying I wanted to add something as well.

"Star, the night I rescued you from Howard, I found something that I have been meaning to show you. The problem is, we haven't had the time, nor did it feel right just yet. But, I found some pictures of you and your mother together from when you were very little."

"Really?" She looked at me like she didn't believe it at all. 

"Yes, I think it would be good for you to see them." What she didn't know was that I had brought the pictures out of the closet with me when I brought the box. I wanted her to get as much help as she possibly could.

"O-ok." Star nodded apprehensively. "I-I want to see the pictures, and what's inside the box." She looked so nervous at that moment. It seemed like she was more scared of the answers than she was letting on, but I think this would help her in the long run.

After Star agreed to learn more about her mother, her past, and who she was in general, Bailey handed her the box that was wrapped in silk. It was time to unbury the truth and see what it was that had been hidden for so long.

Star nervously took the box and held it to her chest for a moment as she looked at each and everyone one of us. I could feel how hard her heart was pounding. After she looked at us she pulled the box away from her chest and sat it on her lap.

Slowly, as if it were a bomb that needed to be defused, Star untied the silk wrapping from the wooden box. When the cloth had finally been removed and set aside Star took a deep breath and lifted the lid. 

I was looking over Star's shoulder as the box opened. At first, all I saw was the upper tray of a jewelry box. It was filled with very beautiful and obviously expensive pieces that I could tell had been well cared for when Star's mother had been alive.

There were pearls, diamonds, and other precious stones decorating the pieces. But what stuck out to me the most was not the jewels, it was the designs they had been made in.

There were several pieces of the jewelry that were made with wolf themes such as paws, moons, and even a wolf's head. But there were just as many if not more that were made with nature themes. Like leaves, flowers, tree branches, ivy, and others that went along those lines. They were all so delicate looking but also so wonderfully made.

I saw the shock on Star's face as I leaned over her shoulder. She had not been expecting what she saw and I think she was a little disappointed. She wanted answers from her mother, not jewelry.

After a few moments worth of hesitation, Star finally lifted the tray away. Below that layer of fine jewelry was a treasure trove of the goodies that Star had been looking for. There were letters, pictures, and small personal trinkets. I could sense the joy, the elation, and the hesitation that came with seeing those things lying there under the jewelry.

With trembling fingers, Star reached into the box and pulled out the very first piece of paper she could grab. It looked to be Star's birth certificate. It showed the day Star had been born, which was May the fifth eighteen years ago. Well, at least she had known her actual birthday, that was good.

Also listed on the birth certificate was her mother's name, Vivian Marie Westbrook. It said that Star's mother was twenty-five when she was born. That was kind of rare for a female wolf, to go that long without finding your true mate. Unless Daniel had been wrong and Star's father was Vivian's real mate after all.

There was no father's name written on the birth certificate. There was no information at all listed for the man who had helped to conceive Star. I guess that would have to remain a mystery for now. Though, I could tell that just this one document was enough to make Star both happy and sad.

'Goddess, what must she be feeling right now?' I asked myself silently so as not to interrupt my mate's progress. There was still so much that she needed to see, to sift through, inside that box. I didn't want to discourage her at all. This was a process of self discovery and healing for Star, for all of us really.