MOONBOUND

Chapter 3

Theodore

"Your daughter is turning 18 next week. What's your plan to celebrate her birthday? Do you want to go all out or keep it simple?" My beta, James, asked me curiously.

It seems like he is more excited than me. James treats her like a daughter, showering her with love, gifts, and home-cooked meals. He's praying to the Moon Goddess to bless Clara as a mate for his son, Jason, who turned 18 last month.

Clara is my one and only daughter, but we don't have a typical father-daughter relationship. We are more like strangers. Clara's mother, Eleanor, passed away while giving birth to her. I have resented her since birth. It is not her fault, but because of her, I have lost my Eleanor.

Eleanor and I have known each other since we were toddlers. My father was Alpha, while her father was Gamma. We grew up together, madly in love, and promised each other that even if we were not mates, we would marry each other and never be with someone else. Fate was in our favor when we found out we were each other's mates.

We were living a happy life. I was training hard day and night to become Alpha, like my father. We wanted to start our own little family. Eleanor always wanted to have pups and dreamed of having a big family. We struggled for 5 years to get pregnant, and the pregnancy was not easy for her. We knew it wouldn't be a smooth journey. On the day of delivery, everything was going according to plan, but the umbilical cord was wrapped around the pup, making it impossible to push. The doctors tried their best to save both mother and pup. Unfortunately, while saving our daughter, they were not able to save Eleanor. We never had a happy ending.

I was depressed and devastated after the loss of Eleanor. I wanted to end the pain, but I had a daughter to raise. After several months of sadness, I snapped out of it and took control of my life. I tried to raise Clara, but whenever our eyes met, it reminded me of the death of Eleanor. I didn't want her to grow up in an unhealthy environment, so I gave the responsibility to her grandparents.

They did a great job of raising her and making her into a fine young lady. Her maternal grandparents moved to the Moonstone Pack. The Nightfall Pack reminded them of Eleanor, making it difficult for them to move on, so they chose the Moonstone Pack. Clara spends her summers here and her winters with her maternal grandparents.

As for me, I tried to stay away from her. We hardly interact with each other. Most of the time, I am out of the pack taking care of business, which makes it easy to avoid her. It took me a long time to come to terms with the fact that Clara is not responsible for Eleanor's death and that it is too late to make amends and have a father-daughter bond with her.

"Theo, I am talking with you. What are you thinking about?" James' voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

Umm, nothing.

"You can talk with me, Theo. You've been keeping your emotions bottled up for a long time. Once in a while, you should let go of your emotions," James said.

I am fine, James. Let's finish up our business and head home. We have to organize and throw the best birthday party for Clara.

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