[THREE YEARS AGO]

Ashleigh had been gone for a year. Reports of her missions were sent back to Summer, as well as her medical checks.

She was clearly taking little to no rest between her battles, jumping from one pack to another so long as they provided her with a target to eliminate. She was efficient in her missions but reckless with her life.

Fiona questioned whether she had made the right choice in letting her go without an argument. When she heard that Ashleigh would be coming home for a few days, she knew she needed to talk to her.

But as she was going to see Ashleigh, she received heartbreaking news.

“Ashleigh,” Fiona called softly as she entered the room.

Ashleigh looked up from her duffel, where she was pulling clothes from. She gave a gentle smile.

“Good to see you, Fiona.”

“And you,” Fiona smiled.

It was good to see her.

No matter what had happened before or after Caleb’s disappearance, Fiona had always liked Ashleigh. It was one of the reasons she could feel so angry with her at times. Because she loved her a great deal.

“I hear you have hardly had a moment to yourself since you left,” she said. “Maybe you should stay longer, a few weeks at least. Get some rest and catch up.”

Ashleigh turned back to her duffel.

“I just came back because I needed to discuss something with my brother in person,” Ashleigh said. “Now that I’ve done that, I’ll leave in a few days.”

She took a step closer to Ashleigh.

“I thought you would have come back sooner,” she said. “We all miss you.”

Ashleigh continued to look through her duffel without a word.

“I’d love to hear about the places you’ve been,” Fiona continued. “The things you’ve seen… learned…”

Ashleigh paused.

“I haven’t had time to explore or sightsee,” she said. “I’m just there to hunt the monsters.”

Fiona nodded.

“Most of those that volunteered have come home,” she said. “Others will be going back in their place.”

“I know,” Ashleigh said.

“You should consider it,” Fiona continued. “Your body needs rest, and as I said. We all miss you.”

Ashleigh stood up straight. She sighed and turned to face Fiona.

“There is no point in lying to you… I’m not going to do that,” she said. “I’m not staying here any longer than I have to.”

“Ashleigh…” Fiona called, reaching a hand to Ashleigh.

Ashleigh took a step back, and Fiona stopped.

“I hate being here, Fiona,” Ashleigh said. “I hate every minute.”

Fiona took a deep breath.

“It’s suffocating. Painful. Every single place I go here, everywhere I look… he’s not there, and it kills me.”

“I understand,” Fiona said softly.

“No, you don’t,” Ashleigh replied, shaking her head. “You don’t. Yea, you lost your mate, but you felt him die. You felt him leave this world forever.”

Ashleigh’s words stabbed into Fiona’s heart.

“And as excruciating as that must have been, you felt it… You know…” Ashleigh continued. Her voice began to shake. “I… don’t know… I’ll never know.”

Fiona took a shaky breath and looked down at the floor.

“Being here and seeing all of you… Seeing Summer move on without him… I can’t.”

Ashleigh took a deep breath and moved past Fiona toward the door.

Fiona gathered her strength and called out to her.

“Ashleigh… There is something I need to tell you.”

Ashleigh stopped. She turned back to face her mother-in-law, wiping away her fallen tears.

“What is it?” she asked.

Fiona swallowed and raised her eyes to meet Ashleigh’s.

“Over the past two years, we have found many areas within our territory damaged or destroyed by the fae during that last fight.”

Ashleigh clenched her jaw and looked away.

“Recently, some of our scouts have noticed a change in many trees. A disease, spreading across the roots that overlap each other,” Fiona continued. “It has taken this long for us to see the signs, which means it’s too late to stop it from killing those trees. All we can do is tear them down to keep it from spreading even further.”

Ashleigh furrowed her brows and looked back at Fiona.

“Why are you telling me this?” she asked.

Fiona licked her lips and took a step toward Ashleigh.

“Because,” she said softly, “one of the trees affected is where I built Caleb’s escape.”

Ashleigh’s eyes widened. She furrowed her brows, and for just a moment, a look of panic and fear took hold. But just as quickly, she took a breath, and her expression became neutral.

“So, you’re going to demolish the treehouse?” she asked calmly.

“I don’t have a choice,” Fiona replied, lowering her gaze. “The tree is dying. Whether I have it taken down or not, the treehouse won’t survive.”

Ashleigh turned away.

“Why are you telling me this?” she asked.

Fiona looked up at her, only seeing her back.

“I thought you would want to know,” she said. “Maybe you’d want to go see it before…”

“I’m surprised you haven’t taken it down already,” Ashleigh interrupted.

“What?” Fiona asked.

“Actually,” Ashleigh said with an angry scoff, “I’m surprised you didn’t burn it for the vigil.”

Fiona let out a low and angry growl, but Ashleigh had already walked out the door.

A week later, Ashleigh was gone, and Fiona stood alone in the forest surrounded by a field of large holes.

Her chest felt heavy, and her knees weak. She leaned heavily on her cane, something she had taken to using more frequently in recent days.

She took a deep breath and let it out shakily.

Fiona could still remember the day she found that perfect tree.

Caleb had been struggling with the weight of his future and the responsibilities he was set to inherit. She wanted to give him a place he could call his own and feel free of his burden.

So, inspired by Cain’s lab, she had built him his treehouse. A place he had cherished, where he had grown into the amazing man he was. Where he had almost lived with his wife.

And now, after all these years, it was gone, just like Cain’s lab. Fiona’s legs weakened, her cane fell into the hole, and she tumbled to the ground with a sob.

It was necessary. It was the best option.

But it did not change the fact that Fiona had been the one to wipe out the last traces that remained of her husband and her son in Summer.