Kimi stared at her mother in stunned silence. The fragments of her past existed only in fleeting dreams and whispered conversations she wasn't supposed to overhear. Christine had always been careful to shield her from the truth, offering only the bare minimum about their origins from another pack and how this pack's Alpha and Luna had offered them sanctuary.
"Mom, we were fighting for survival during that war. We lost dad because of it."
The words hung heavy in the air as Kimi's voice faltered. She squeezed her eyes shut, biting down hard on her tongue as regret flooded through her. The last thing she wanted was to drag her mother back into those painful memories.
Christine's shoulders sagged, her face crumpling with the weight of old grief. Kimi immediately pulled her into a tight embrace, her voice barely a whisper.
"I'm sorry, Mom. I shouldn't have brought him up."
