**************
Chapter 170
~Zara’s POV~
Snow’s sharp glare silenced her complaint immediately. He was getting angry with her lack of emotion in such a touching scene.
"Tell me," Zade demanded, his tone icy, "what did she look like, this woman who handed over the child?"
Liam closed his eyes as if trying to conjure the image from memory. "She had long brown hair, delicate long eyelashes, and thin lips. Her eyes were a striking green, and she wore a ring shaped like a claw."
I froze, the description sparking a memory—fragmented and distant, but undeniably familiar.
"She was beautiful," Liam added softly, earning a sharp glare from Selene.
Zade exchanged a knowing glance with Snow before turning back to my father. "Did she tell you her name?"
"Yes," Liam replied. "Her name was Zaria. And after she passed, I insisted on naming the child after her—Zara."
My knees went cold at the mention of her name, and Snow was quick to hold me.
"Zaria?" I whispered, the word feeling foreign yet intimate.
Liam nodded, his eyes filled with regret.
Zade’s expression darkened, and he spoke slowly, his voice dripping with finality. "Zaria was the name of our beta’s wife—an incredible woman with brown hair, green eyes, and the beauty you described. She was my mother’s namesake, and she was my sister’s favorite."
Liam’s eyes widened in shock as he turned to look at me, then at Zade. "No wonder," he muttered. "I sensed something, but I didn’t know."
Selene, however, wasn’t catching on. "You said... your mother?" She stared at Zade, her confusion clear. "You’re saying Zara—"
"—is my sister," Zade finished for her, his tone resolute.
Selene shifted back, disbelief etched across her face. "That can’t be true. Her mother was Zaria!"
"Yes," Zade confirmed, "but not the Zaria you think. The woman who you saw with Zara was a traitor to the Golden Claw Pack. She stole my sister, believing she could protect her during the attack that ruined our pack. But she met her demise... in your hands."
Selene paled, her lips trembling as she struggled to process the revelation.
"And if you don’t believe me," Zade continued, his voice steely, "I have proof."
He pulled out a folded piece of paper—the DNA test results—and handed it to Liam, who opened it with shaking hands. His eyes scanned the document, widening with every word, before he passed it to Selene.
Selene shook her head violently. "This could be fake! How do we know it’s real?"
Snow’s fist slammed onto the table, rattling the room. "Enough!" he roared, his blue eyes glowing fiercely as they shifted to red. "What is wrong with you? Do you care so little about the truth?"
The room fell silent, the tension suffocating.
And then, as if on cue, the front door opened, accompanied by the sound of heels clicking against the floor from the entryway.
All heads turned toward the door as it opened, revealing a figure dressed in an all-white fitted knee length gown. A matching jacket hung elegantly over her shoulders, and sunglasses shielded her eyes.
Her poise was regal, her presence commanding as she entered the room.
She stopped just before us, reaching up to remove her sunglasses. As her face came into view, the room collectively froze.
She looked exactly like me—every feature, every detail.
"No fucking way," Elias breathed, breaking the silence.
"Luna Zaria, Luna of the Golden Claw Pack, wife to Alpha Alexander and my mother," Zade said softly, his tone filled with reverence.
Liam and Selene stared at her, their jaws slack.
"Hello," Zaria said, her voice calm yet laced with authority. Her piercing gaze swept over the room before settling on me. "It’s time we set the record straight."
There was something deeper, an aura of power and grace that I could never hope to imitate.
She turned to my parents, her expression softening just slightly. "Thank you," she said smoothly, "for taking care of Zara all these years. You gave her a life when mine was stolen from her."
My father nodded stiffly, his throat bobbing as he swallowed hard. "We did what we could," he said hoarsely.
Meanwhile, my mum stayed silent, her face still pale with disbelief.
Zaria turned to me, her eyes softening further. "Zara," she said gently, reaching out a hand.
I hesitated, unsure of what to do, but something in her gaze drew me forward. Her fingers wrapped around mine, her touch warm and steady. She helped me rise, her presence grounding me in a way I hadn’t realized I needed.
From her pocket, she pulled out a delicate golden necklace. The pendant was simple but elegant, engraved with the name Zia.
Behind it was a small emblem—a crescent moon intertwined with a wolf’s silhouette.
"This," Zaria said, holding the necklace up, "was made for you. Every member of the Alpha family of the Golden Claw Pack has one. It carries our symbol, our heritage."
I stared at the necklace, my mind racing. "Zia?" I asked. "Who is that?"
A flicker of sadness passed over Zaria’s face, but she quickly masked it with a soft smile.
"It’s your given name," she said. "The name I gave you when you were born. Zia, meaning ’light.’ But through Zaria, you were renamed Zara, perhaps as a way to honor me. It’s fitting in its own way."
I took the necklace, feeling it in my palm. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she cupped my cheek. "Now that I’ve found you, I won’t let you go again."
Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, but before I could say anything, Zaria turned to Snow and Zade.
"You," she said, her gaze sharp as it landed on Snow. "You’ve protected her when I could not. For that, you have my eternal gratitude."
Snow nodded, his tone calm but firm. "I would give my life for her."
Zaria’s lips curved into a faint smile. "Good. Then you’re worthy of her."
She turned to Zade next. "And you, my son. You’ve brought our family back together. Your father would be proud of you."
Zade’s expression softened, a rare vulnerability flashing across his features. "I only did what was right," he said simply.
When our little pleasantries were over, Zaria focused on my family.
The source of this c𝓸ntent is fr(e)𝒆NovelBin