His Abandoned Luna, Her Disabled Alpha

CHAPTER 23

Ivy's feet carried her to the rose garden almost on instinct. The farther she went from the noise in the courtyard, the easier it became to breathe.

Moonlight spilled over the flower beds in silver patches, revealing rows of red roses that seemed dull. Many buds had already wilted, their petals curled inward as if they had sensed the loss of the woman who cared for them.

Ivy followed the narrow stone path to a quiet corner of the garden and lowered herself onto a small wooden chair.

Her grandfather had carved it decades ago for Grandma. Knowing how much she loved flowers, he had placed it in the perfect spot where she could sit for hours and watch the buds bloom one by one. The wood had aged with time but it remained sturdy, carrying the marks of years spent beneath the open sky.

The side wing was much quieter than the main courtyard. Surrounded by the moonlight and the scent of roses, Ivy let herself curl up on the chair. The cool air caressed her skin. Her eyelids grew heavier with every passing minute until she finally closed them.

Ivy didn't know how long she slept.

A heavy hand settled on her shoulder and shook her awake. Ivy jolted upright.

For a second, panic flooded her body. Her heart hammered against her ribs as she looked around wildly, her mind was trapped in a nightmare that she couldn't tell apart from reality. It took a moment for the sight of the garden, the open sky and the chilling breeze to ground her to reality.

You're not there anymore, she chanted.

The realisation slowly pushed away the fear. That's when she noticed someone next to her. Brenda stood there frowning with concern.

"Why are you all alone dear?" She asked softly. "Did you have a bad nightmare?"

Ivy rubbed away the sweat on her face, forcing herself to relax.

"I'm fine." Ivy said, shaking away the lingering dread. "I didn't feel like staying there so I came here."

Her gaze moved to Brenda's weary face. "Why aren't you sleeping yet?"

Brenda wasn't part of the Alpha's family. Her place in the household came from decades of friendship with grandma. At her age, nobody expected her to stay awake throughout the night long ceremony.

"I cannot sleep." Brenda admitted. "I keep thinking your grandma might visit me in my sleep."

A faint smile tugged on Ivy's lips. "You're joking."

"I'm not." Brenda folded her arms and looked entirely serious. "Your Grandma knew she was leaving sooner rather than later. Recently, she kept saying she would haunt me if I didn't look after you."

Brenda continued with complete conviction. "I don't know whether she was serious of not but I'm not willing to take that risk. It hasn't even been a full day since she left and someone you've managed to get yourself covered in blood. Tell me, how am I supposed to explain that to my old friend?"

Ivy instinctively looked at her injured wrist and pursed her lips. In her defence, it hadn't been intentional.

If Emma had not stepped in at the wrong moment, Ivy was sure the injury would never have happened in the first place.

Unfortunately, the ugly wound was still there, and Brenda looked one step away from questioning every decision she'd ever made.

Seeing that she had no way out of this, Ivy quickly changed the subject, "The flowers are about to wilt."

Brenda followed Ivy's gaze towards the garden and her expression softened.

"Well, your Grandma couldn't take care of them ever since her health got worse, and I was busy taking care of her." She sighed heavily. "Whatever little energy she had left was spent dealing with visitors."

Bitterness crept into her voice.

"She has way too many visitors recently. Especially Emma."

Ivy's eyebrows raised in surprise. She knew Emma had been visiting Grandma recently. However, Brenda didn't sound too happy about it.

"Emma came every single day." Brenda continued without asking. "An hour here, two hours there. She always showed up around mealtimes for some reason. It would affect Madam's meals. She didn't like to eat with someone around. So I'd try to make her leave. But she always had an excuse ready. Said it was the only time she could visit. Said Alpha wanted her to spend more time with the old lady. But each time she came, your grandma's health always got worse. She rarely got any rest."

Brenda sniffed and shook her head. She wiped away the tears but more fell as emotions took over.

"They rarely came when your grandma was healthy. After you left, this place became awfully quiet. Your Grandma was regretful. She wanted to spend more time with you. Watch you grow up and marry... But fate simply refused to give it to her, dear."

Ivy shifted closer to her and pulled her head on her shoulder. The old woman's body shook with silent sobs. The lady in the house was gone, leaving behind just a garden of wilted roses and two broken hearts.

They talked until the first rays of dawn stretched across the horizon.

Somewhere between memories, complaints and stories about grandma, the heaviness in Ivy's chest eased slightly. She should have been exchausted after staying awake all night, but the conversation left her feeling strangely lighter.

For the first time since the funeral began, Ivy felt like she could breathe without the weight of grief crushing her ribs.

The only reason their conversation ended at all was because Brenda's aging body finally began to surrender to the cold.

Ivy practically forced her inside. Brenda grumbled all the way, insisting she was perfectly fine, but Ivy refused to listen.

Only after making sure the older woman was safely indoors, did she turn around and headed back to the courtyard.

The festivities had finally come to an end. The music was gone, replaced by the quiet murmur of departing guests. Servants moved around clearing up the decorations and empty plates while the last of visitors prepared to leave.