I'm Dying, Mate.

(4) The Mark

I sigh, a headache coming to me. "we didn't abandon you"

"You left" She scowls "Your father died waiting for your sorry asses and you didn't have the decency to visit his funeral. You sent flowersas if that is enough"

"you didn't know" I say, the memories of me hunched over the desk as I cried in my office came back to me. Father was a good man and he was a great father, he was the only respite from her we ever had, especially of the times we were allowed to come home and we're greeted by this cold woman. "the pain of losing pappy was excruciating"

"Of course, I wouldn't know. Flowers don't talk, son" she hisses

It felt like a slap in the face but I kept a blank face. Through all the years of handling my mother, I've learned to never show anything for her to pick on.

"I went" Ross admits, I can feel he is as infuriated and mad as I am but he kept his cool façade. We learned the same things when it comes to our mother.

"I saw you but you were as spineless as ever. You didn't even try to make yourself known. I had to hire men to carry his casket when he had sons." She scoffs "Sons, I wonder if you really were ours. The elders have ruined you"

"the elders made us strong, they taught us how to handle the responsibilities of those who carries the Alpha gene." Ross defends and I nod in agreement.

"without them then we wouldn't be able to lead our packs along with our mates" I added

"Did it ever occur to you that life isn't just about your glorious destiny of being Alphas?" She laughs, a bitter and cruel laugh. "You boys always had this idealistic goal of being werewolves and heroes. But you are still men, you would die with nothing of the power you have"

"That's—" I was cut off with the doctor who I learned was Iona's long term helper came out, he looks disheveled and exhausted.

He looks at the us and probably senses the tension that we were in, the kids were on the plastic chairs while we argued. I couldn't blame them for not wanting to weigh in to our family squabble. He glances at mother and I see him relax at the sight of a familiar face.

The idea of her knowing this all along angered me. I could have saved my sister from that idiotic husband of hers and she would have been alive while taking care of her own daughter. But no, my mother had to be selfish and withheld everything from us.

We didn't even know how to look for them. How did I not scent my sister and Iona from mother on her visits with her grandchildren? How did I not know?

"Ah, Blackfield family" He takes off his blood gloves and even the mask. "I have good news"

"What is it Frederick?" Mother says, concern and worry wrought in her voice. We only catch glimpses of that but we never received any of her care.

"She's stable and..." he glances at us "She has the werewolf Alpha gene"

The silence in the room was deafening. I see my mother's face turn from relief in to pure and absolute fear. She glances at us, her werewolf kin and she sneers in disgust.

"What, mother? You're going to disown Iona too?" I mock

She ignores me while giving the doctor or Frederick a gracious smile "Thank you so so much. You've helped my baby a lot through the years"

He smiles back at her "That's what we do, we help as much as we can but also... there is more"

"More?" Ross asks, his interest piqued

"Iona's gene is...stronger and more complexed even. We think she has two mates"

I wanted to laugh at mother's face. It twists and twitched not knowing what face to show or muster. If I have seen that face when we were young, I would have took a picture of it to remind myself that the troll queen can be conquered.