Derek's POV
I glanced at her with some surprise and said, "I thought you weren't interested in us, but I didn't expect you to be well-informed."
Andrea had to tilt her head up slightly to meet my gaze, and after hearing my words, she seemed to have a lot on her mind.
In my memory, she was still an unfamiliar presence to me, but I never expected that so many years would pass in the blink of an eye.
She lifted her hand as if to touch my face, but stopped just short of making contact.
Her feelings toward me seemed to have always been complicated.
I knew from the start that she had hoped my birth would make that man change his mind, but instead, she received his heartlessness, which in turn made Andrea harbor resentment toward me.
She had never fulfilled the responsibilities of being a mother, to the extent that now, standing in front of her, I felt like she was a stranger.
Andrea reluctantly withdrew her hand, her expression somewhat crestfallen. "I suppose Elena and you must have a low opinion of me. I've caused both of you pain."
"What's the point of saying all this now? He never turned back, and you became the laughingstock among the werewolves."
When I said these words, I looked directly into her eyes. The old Andrea would have gone berserk upon hearing such words, but today her expression remained quite calm.
She did get better, and she didn't get angry when talking about the person she hated the most.
"As I grow older, I've come to see that it's not worth spending the prime of my life on someone like that. Over the past two years, I have been silently keeping an eye on you, which is how I learned about Elena's predicament. Given how I treated her back then, she must hate me to the core. Even though she is still alive, she has never come back to find me."
I never thought in my lifetime that I would hear Andrea's confession.
"Did you call me back this time to try and get me together with Kelsey?" I asked straight out.
Andrea chuckled, "What do you think of her?"
"Since you're aware of Elena, you should get where I'm coming from with Tabitha. If you're trying to come between us, even if you weren't my mom, I wouldn't stand for you hurting her."
Andrea shook her head in resignation. "You really are like him. Even in your devotion to love, you're exactly the same. Don't worry. I spent my whole life without being with the one I loved, so how could I possibly ruin your relationship?"
She was really different from the crazy mom I had in mind, and I couldn't help but ask, "So what do you really mean?"
"I..." Andrea hesitated, moistening her lips before continuing in a subdued tone. "If I tell you that I realized my mistake a long time ago and I've been wanting to apologize to you face to face, would you believe me?"
I was utterly shocked. "You..."
I'm scared my condition might get unstable and I'll end up doing those things when you were little again, so I've been forcing myself to stay away from you.
"Until this day, I can confirm that I have recovered well. I want to meet you and also meet your mate and your Luna."
The words "mate" and "Luna" made my eyes well up with tears.
Andrea stood there, unsure of what to do, wanting to hug but seeming to hesitate.
"I've been a bad person, blaming my hatred for your father on you, and turning our once happy home into what it is now. I've been living in a daze, going crazy most of the time, only being truly awake for a few moments here and there. And it's during those moments that I think of you."
"So, if that's the case, what about Kelsey?"
"She's someone who's just killing time out of boredom."
My wolf also sensed the complex emotions in my consciousness, and it seemed to remind me to be cautious about Andrea's transformation.
I silently pondered in my mind whether Andrea's words were trustworthy.
Had she really changed?