Good Riddance
Good Riddance
Matt POV
My heart thumped erratically as I stood there frozen. There was so much tension in the air that one could slice it with a knife. With my jaw clenched, my eyes locked on Alpha Lucien and Luna Auren. And they were only looking at Tam, who was standing beside me. I hadn’t seen them before, but my stomach churned at the resemblance of Tam with Luna Auren. Tam
was a wolf.
The same golden hair and gray eyes. Same nose and slightly stronger jawline like that of her father. I had heard that Auren was the most beautiful she–wolf in the world, but because Tam also had Lucien’s features, Tam was even more beautiful than her mother.
“Matt,” my mom’s voice was soft beside me. “There are Tam’s real parents,” she said with a smile and tears in her eyes. Auren and Lucien. And Tam’s real name is Tamara.”
When Auren laid eyes on Tam, it felt like a dam breaking. Her emotions crashed down all at once. Her eyes brimmed with tears and for a moment, she couldn’t move. It looked like Tam’s presence was overwhelming. Tears finally spilled down her cheeks as she whispered, “My baby…”
Tam watched her with wide eyes, clutching the sleeve of my shirt. I didn’t know what to do except shove her behind me. Tam peeked at them from behind me.
Auren stepped forward. “Tamara, come to me baby,” she cried. “We’ve been searching for you for years!” Tam’s curiosity increased, but she still came out from behind me. Auren looked at her with so much tenderness that Tam seemed to melt. And that look of tenderness passing between them made my stomach twist again. My hands clenched into fists at my sides.
“Her real name is Tam AuLuc,” I protested. Even as I protested, I knew it was sounding weak. Tam smelled like her parents.” That’s what Uncle Magnus told me when he was dying!”
This time Alpha Lucien stepped forward. He swallowed thickly as he glanced at Tam. “Her name is Tamara, not Tam AuLuc. I think Magnus was trying to say our names as well. Au for Auren, and Luc for Lucien.”
The moment he spoke, everything hit me like a ton of bricks. I wanted to argue, but I didn’t know what to say. Images of Uncle Magnus dying in front of me flooded my mind. My chest tightened. Torben wanted to tear out, protest, but I knew his emotions were misplaced. He wanted to protect every one of his pack members.
As if understanding my emotions, Auren said, “We understand this is hard for you and your family, Matt.”
On the side, my mom was already crying softly. Dad had wrapped his arm around her shoulder to support her.
Lucien said, “She is our daughter and we have come to take her home.”
Veles! My breath lodged in my throat. I pushed Torben down. This was the best for my mental health as well. Tam had to leave. After she left, I wouldn’t see her face, and I would focus on myself. I won’t remember my uncle’s untimely death. How he was shot dead just to save her. It was a weight I carried for eight years. It was finally time to get rid of it. So I stepped away from Tam.
Tam glanced up at me, her stormy gray eyes wide and unsure. I knew that she didn’t fully understand what was going on. Auren dropped to her knees as anticipation was thick in the air. “Come here, baby,” she said.
Tam stepped forward, her small hand outstretched as if she hoped that I would take it, but I had my fists clenched on my sides. She looked at my parents, who encouraged her to go to her parents, to bridge the gap between them. To increase the gap that was widening between us. It had to. There was no other way out.
“M–Matt?” she asked hesitantly. “M–Mommy, Daddy…” she trailed off, unsure what to do. She looked scared. Torben pushed me to go to her and comfort her, but that was the stupidest thing he had said to me. But this was his constant emotion ever since he had come out. It was then I knew that Torben was an emotional mess. Nothing else. I had to tame my beast to become more feral.
“Matt…” Tam said again.
“Tam,” I whispered under my breath. “Go!”
The hurt in her eyes cut through me, but I maintained a cold look. “Go,” I insisted. “They are your parents!”
At this Tam turned to her real parents. Auren’s arms were outstretched for her long–lost pup. She was crying so hard that the emotion in the air turned somber.
“Come baby,” Lucien said, his impatience showing clearly.
“Go…” My mom urged her.
Tam took a few steps toward her parents. Suddenly, Auren grabbed her hand and pulled her against her chest. Tam squealed but Auren gripped her tightly, peppering kisses on her face. Lucien too, sat on his knees in front of his wife and
1/2
Good Riddance
daughter and wrapped them in his bear hug. Though Tam was flustered, I could feel that slowly her tension dissipated. It had to because the bond between the family flared to life. She felt bonded to her parents. She stared at them with confusion, with a thousand questions in her eyes, but it seemed like she had already begun to accept them. But why did it feel like she was betraying us?
It was a moment of emotions. After a long time when Auren stopped kissing her daughter, Lucien picked her up in his arms. He looked at my parents and said, “I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done. And I have no words to thank Matt. He saved her when she was a little pup. Please let me know how I can compensate you. I’ll do anything for you.” His words were full of genuineness. My parents smiled. They asked him to come to the library where they would hand over her papers and other things.
But me? I glared at Tam, my anger bursting. As if on instinct she looked at. When our eyes locked, I said, “Good riddance!” And before waiting for her to react, I turned and ran out. When I was in the forest, Torben tore through me with vengeance. And we ran. Away from the maddening crowd.
