Nia knew immediately what it meant – the map to the Garden of Eden, the mythical place that held the secrets of life and immortality. Home.

Antonio slowly turned to face his pack. “She found our way home.”

After many years of wandering through the world, Sophia finally stood before her king, her brother. Her heart pounded as she faced the family she loved and left behind. Her journey had taken her to the hidden corners of the earth, and there she had discovered something extraordinary – the elusive Garden of Eden, lost to humanity since the days of their excommunication from its lush grounds, guarded by the cherubim with its flaming sword, guarding the Tree of Life and the Tree of Immortality. Nothing in this world could damage such a holy and celestially created location. How it stood the test of time and the elements, it was truly beyond supernatural.

She stood before Antonio, her eyes locked with his, she felt a mix of emotions. He looked at her with an abundance of love. He expected to see her again, despite the passage of time, but not this soon. Nor at the moment.

Monika spoke to the pack. Her voice was filled with awe. “It’s still beautiful in the mass of its branches, and all the trees of the world are envious. The cherubim still guards it, outside the sight of humans. We can go home."

Some inhaled quickly, as others rejoicing smile painted their expressions. Antonio locked his gaze with Monika. “This day does not belong to us. Nor humans. It is for all." His pride for his sister spread across his face. He knew her journey embarked on so many years past, but the purpose and discovery were invaluable to the pack.

"Welcome home, Monika." His voice hardly retrained the emotion within him. “You have returned with a gift beyond measure.”

Monika nodded, tears brimmed in her eyes. “It was a long and arduous journey, but I knew I had to find the Garden. For Nia. For all of us.”

Antonio nodded, understanding the depth of her sacrifice. "You have done well, and I am proud of you. Now here is your daughter. Another gift beyond measure."

“My brother. My King. How do you gather the fragments of a former life? How do you move forward when deep inside, you realize there is no return to the past? There are certain wounds that time cannot heal, hurts that run too deep, and have firmly taken root.”

Antonio answered by bringing Nia to stand in front of him. His smile spoke more than words could say. He removed himself from Candace.

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Then, the moment they both had been waiting for finally arrived.

Nia's world shattered into a kaleidoscope of emotions. Relief, the sweetest nectar after years of thirst, washed over her first, tears blurring the dusty horizon as she fell into Monika’s embrace. Her mother's scent of earth and wildflowers stirred childhood memories. Years of questions, of longing, of simmering anger, all converged in that single moment. A frantic drum hammered in her chest.

But then, anger, sharp and raw, sliced through the relief. It was a torrent of unspoken accusations, years of yearning and fear condensing into a single question, unspoken but burning in her eyes: “Where were you?” Monika, her own eyes brimming with unshed tears, could only hold her tight. The unspoken reply overwhelmed with gratefulness to hold her child again.

Nia pulled away, the anger simmering into a desperate need for understanding. Her breath hitched. Tears welled in her eyes, blurring the image of her mother. A sob escaped her lips, caught somewhere between relief and a wounded cry. Then, with a force that surprised even herself, she launched herself into Monika’s arms.

The embrace was fierce, a tangle of limbs and tears. Monika held her daughter close, her hands stroked Nia's wild hair. Words were lost in all the feelings. Silent sobs were buried in one another's shoulders. Tears, hot and furious, burned their way down their cheeks as they held close.

When they finally pulled back, Nia’s gaze searched Monika’s face, desperate for a sign, a whisper of the woman she barely remembered. Monika’s eyes, once bright with laughter, held the weight of years spent alone, but in their depths shone an unyielding love that mirrored Nia’s own.

"I found it," Monika said, her voice thick with emotion. "The garden. It's real, Nia. But I never lost you for a moment."

Nia barely registered the words. All she saw was the mother who had returned, the mother who had chosen to come back, the mother who would now stay. The garden could wait. Nia, for the first time in years, felt whole.

Monika, sensing her daughter’s unspoken question, squeezed Nia’s hand. “I chose you, Nia. Always you. The Garden can wait. My place is here, with you, with the pack.”

Nia's genuine smile of unbridled joy lit up her face. The gnawing emptiness all melted away in her mother's hug. With her mother's hand in hers, Mom,” Nia whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I never thought I’d see you again.”

Monika held her daughter tight. “I’m here now, Nia. I never stopped loving you. I did this for you, to give you a chance at something greater.”

Nia nodded, understanding the magnitude of her mother’s sacrifice. “I know, Mom, and I’m grateful. I love you too.”

Antonio watched the reunion, his heart swelling with happiness. The pack, drawn by the raw emotions of the reunion, gathered around. Antonio, his eyes softened with relief, watched as Nia and Monika embraced again. The mountains seemed to exhale, the tension that had hung heavy in the air dissipating like the dust in the twilight.

The world can wait. For now, the pack was whole. Wolves who found their own paradise in the beating hearts of each other.

Antonio looked out across the horizon. A full blood-red moon stretched the sky.