Way of the Wolf: Equilibrium

Chapter 34 ~ Past Mistakes

“We’ve all been under the impression he’s acting purposefully belligerent; challenging an Alpha, flouting our rules, but what if he genuinely doesn’t know them? From what he said, his mother told him very little about our kind and the rest he’s probably tried to piece together himself. I get the feeling his father wasn’t in the picture.”

Dad gave a soft sigh and patted the back of Mum's hand. “Human blood would certainly explain why his wounds haven’t been healing as quickly as Sam thought they would. And it also explains why he insisted on Sam tending to him instead of Oria. Perhaps he feels a connection with her as she’s part human too.”

“That was my guess,” I agreed.

“If his mother doesn’t know much about our kind then perhaps his father was Wulver,” he theorised. “But I can’t believe any Wulver would be foolish enough to leave a half-breed living amongst humans...”

In that moment, I decided I hated the label half-breed. That term alone would make one feel they didn’t belong to either side of themselves. No wonder Braden had such a bad reaction when I’d called him a mutt. My nose scrunched. Was I feeling bad for the male who nearly killed my father?

“Something still doesn’t fit right though.” Tapping my leg, I chewed my lip as I searched for something I’d missed. “It doesn’t explain how he can shift if he has a human parent. Maybe it’s a grandparent?”

“What if both parents were Wulver? What if one had been cursed to live without their fur?” Mum murmured, her eyes looking straight through me.

Dad stiffened, frowning at her in confusion, disbelief, and then growing horror as his eyes slowly widened.

“A curse? What are you talking about?” I asked, growing frustrated at the silent conversation my Alpha pair were having.

Dad gripped her hand tighter, then tugged her closer. His features pinched in pain but he didn’t seem to care as he tucked his mate into his side and kissed the top of her head. She sought comfort from him, her face pressed beneath his chin. I averted my gaze and sat quietly, feeling as though I was intruding.

Once her breathing had evened again, she sat up with straight shoulders and her chin tipped up as she met my gaze. “Do you remember much about stories of Brenna?”

“Brenna?” I repeated, rocking back. “The she-wolf who worked with Robert to take over our pack.”

She nodded, looking down at her hands in a way that was so unlike her that it hurt to watch. It must have hurt Dad too. He growled deeply and gripped her chin until her face lifted again. 

“I didn’t want to execute her, or simply banish her. That felt like an easy out for all she’d done. Oria found a herbal mixture, a potion I guess you’d call it. I’m not entirely sure how it works but it stopped her ability to shift. It cut her off from her fur and tore her soul apart.” Disgust tinged her words while I stared wide eyed at the fierceness I saw in her.

A cold shiver went up my spine at the thought of having such a thing done to me.

“She deserved it,” Dad stated, stroking mum’s cheek.

She scoffed and stood up. “Did she? I sentenced her to live in a limbo, alone and broken. I’m no goddess, what gave me the right?” 

I’d never seen her like this before. Golden eyes bright and wild, hands wringing together while she paced the length of the room. Sickly guilt tinged her scent while she fought with herself.

“She hurt you and an innocent pup without second thought, covered up for a male who murdered my parents, and would have killed her own packmates to gain the title of Alpha Female. She threatened our pack. You're my mate, my Alpha Female, that gives you the right.” The firmness in Dad’s voice stopped her in her tracks. The electric current of his power flickered in the air and my head ducked down under the pressure.