A/N: pic up above is the woman 😁
CHAPTER 30
I woke up to someone petting my hair. My eyes remained close while I enjoyed the feeling of warmth that the small measure had caused me. I missed Hunter and the guys and this small sliver of affection was making me happy and hungry for more.
I took a deep breath in and relaxed. For once, I didn't feel half out of it when I woke up. I heard a small sound. I ground my teeth from preventing to frown as I wondered what that was. Not even a second later, there was a soft melodious hum. The person petting my hair was humming a melody. From the pitch, it was obviously a woman.
My eyebrow almost twitched as I wondered who was the one humming when an image of a woman crying appeared in my mind. My eyes sprang open to meet the jaw of a woman who was staring straight ahead, a blank look in her eyes. I was lying on the floor while my head was in her lap. She was day dreaming. I continued listening, slowly getting more and more relaxed as I heard more of the tune. My wolf crawled closer to the front of my mind. She too was intrigued by this woman.
I couldn't help but feel as if this woman was familiar somehow. Her.... For a lack of better words, her aura was familiar. My wolf agreed, entranced by the music. The pain and tragedy of each deep hum showed how deeply she felt and I couldn't relate more. I closed my eyes and took in another deep breath. Suddenly, I felt something drop on my face.
My eyes snapped open to see her tearing up. Her tear was the one that had fallen. She was stuck in a trance for a few seconds before she finally realized she was crying and rubbed her eyes. Sighing, she looked down at me only to see my eyes open. "Oh! You're awake.." she yelped.
I nodded slowly. I slowly got up and sat opposite of her. Turning, I glanced at her quietly. While she didn't seem like an enemy, I wouldn't necessarily trust her. My eyes flitted around the area we were in to see that we were in what looked like a guest room. The bed in the middle of the room was untouched and I bet the doors were locked and guarded. Done checking the place out, my eyes found hers once again to see her taking me in. We both stared at each other for a while.
She had dark brown wavy hair and her eyes were an almond colour. Her skin was fair, not too pale and not too tan and she was beautiful. One thing I noticed was that she was quite thin. As if she was fed the minimum to stay healthy and alive.
"Wh- who are you?" I choked out, immediately coughing right after. Quickly she grabbed a glass of water on the table beside her and passed it to me. I drank it greedily and sighed when the cool liquid went down my throat easily.
"My name is Merida." She smiled softly at me.
"Hi. I'm Madeline. You can call me Maddy." I nodded.
Her smile brightened. "Maddy.." she mumbled happily. I furrowed my brows.
"How do you feel, Maddy?" She asked with a concerned look.
I paused before replying. "I'm not going to lie. I feel like shit. I feel like 10 trucks just ran me over but on the bright side, I'm not fainting anymore." I answered.
"Oh here," she took a plate of sandwiches from the table and passed it to me. "You need to build up your strength so eat up."
I looked at her hesitantly. I don't even know her and she was giving me food. What are the odds that it's poisoned. With her beaming smile, I slowly grabbed the plate and nibbled on the edge of one triangle. It didn't taste funny so I took another bite which became another and another and another and soon, the plate was empty with only crumbs left.
She looked at me sadly. "I'm sorry I couldn't get you more.." she frowned. "You're probably still hungry."
I shrugged."It's better than nothing, I guess." Her frown deepened.
"Where's Wembley and the others?" I narrowed my eyes. I remembered what had happened before I blacked out. He brought me here but why.
Her eyes narrowed."Gone. I assume to discuss a plan of action."
I sighed. I really didn't want to get beaten up again. "Do you happen to know how long I've been here?" I asked.
She nodded slowly, as if hesitating to tell me. "One week."
My lips trembled. One week. Hunter still hadn't found me. Or maybe he knew but hasn't come to me.
"What... What did they do to my wolf?" I asked, swallowing.
"She's weak right now. They pump you full of wolfsbane to keep you almost human to stop you from communicating with your mate." Her eyes turned sad.
"Are you- is this what happened to you too?" I whispered. She nodded slowly. My eyes widened in horror. "How long have you been here?!" I gasped.
"10 years." I almost didn't hear her reply. I gasped.
My mouth opened and closed like a fish. I had really no comment for that. My wolf whimpered. She wanted her mate even more desperately now and I agreed with her wholeheartedly. "You...what... I... I'm so sorry. That's terrible." I frowned.
She smiled at me softly but I could tell it was fake. "It's alright. It's been a long time. I've gotten used to it."
I frowned, knowing those words were false. But I didn't comment on it. I could tell she had lost hope and that she was trying to get the best out of the situation. I honestly didn't know how she lasted this long. I would have killed myself.
"How." I added.
"Hmm?" She asked, a little out of it.
"How did you last? I would have killed myself..." I swallowed.
She swallowed. "My daughter... I've been waiting to see her. I miss her so much." Her lips trembled before a sob came out. "God I miss her so much." She cried out.
Feeling bad, I crossed over and hugged her. Her arms which were laying on the floor came around me and hugged me tightly. "Thank you." She said when she calmed down.
"You know... You don't look much older than me.." I added.
She laughed a little. "I'm 35 this year." She smiled. I gaped at her.
"You look so young!" I replied back.
She giggled. ",Yes. I had my daughter at 16. She should be 19 now." She smiled, deep in her thoughts.
"When was the last time you saw her?" I asked.
"Abou-" the door slammed open. Wembley came in snarling.
"Times up." He growled, stalking over to me. I pushed myself backwards but he grabbed my collar and pulled me up. "Had a nice time with your mother?" He spat out.
My eyes widened. I choked on my saliva and snapped my head to face her. She looked at me sadly. She knew.
"What..-" I mumbled. Wembley threw me against the wall. I heard her scream and suddenly she was in front of me, helping me up. My back hurt and my bones felt broken. I couldn't breathe and was gasping out.
"Why?!" I heard her yell.
"Shut up you bitch!" He shouted, pacing back and forth. "It's all her fault! Damn it." He growled. I took in deep breaths. My chest hurt and my eyes were blurry.
Blinking, I saw Wembley turn to face us. He snarled once before leaving, slamming the door tight.
The woman- my mother, turned back at me and kissed my forehead. "Oh I'm so sorry my love." I heard her whisper before she helped me sit up and rubbed my arms.
"I-"
"Shh. Let your body heal itself first." She replied. I whimpered when my back touched the wall in a sore spot. She frowned and looked around the room. Gathering me up, she carried me over to the bed and gently leaned me on the pillows against the headboard. Her hands were shaking.
"Mother?" I breathed out. My eyes were wild with sadness, betrayal and shock. My wolf as well. We had no idea. That made me realize when she said that she wanted to see her daughter earlier... That was me. She was talking about me.
"Yes." She sighed. "Unfortunately Wembley's plans have been slowly brewing for the last 15 years. When he found me he had already decided to attack your father's pack. It was the start of a war. He wanted more land, power and your father was his first target as he had just recently got the Alpha position.." she frowned.
"You don't seem surprised at that.." her eyes narrowed.
I bit my lip. "I've met him." I nodded.
She gasped. Her eyes started to fill with tears. "Is he alright? Health and all?" She asked, immediately her back straightening. I nodded. "Thank God." She sighed, smilies softly.
"What do you mean?" I asked, furrowing my brows.
"A few years back Wembley came to me saying that he had attacked their pack and that the Alpha was fatally injured." She frowned. "I was so worried. No one told me anything even when I begged."
"He's in good condition. Gavin's been keeping him in check." I replied.
Her eyes brightened. "Gavin! They were best friends, you know. It's remarkable that even after all this years they're still together." She smiled.
"You're not together." I stated.
She nodded slowly, hesitantly. "I know." She whispered. "I was 16. I knew I was going to shift that day. I was terrified to find if he wasn't my mate. I loved him so much it hurts but I couldn't do that to him. Little did I know I left with a piece of him." She grinned, petting my hair softly.
"You have his eyes. Beautiful stormy grey." She rubbed my cheek. I nodded, smiling softly.
"I have your hair." I added.
She laughed. "Yes you do. A perfect balance between the two of us. You're beautiful, my love." She sighed. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you."
"Why did you leave?"
"Because she was forced to."
My head along with my mother's, snapped to the door to see Alpha Penn there.
"What are you doing here?" She snapped at him.
"My my, can't I visit my prisoners?" He laughed boisterously. I growled lowly. "Calm yourself, pup." He smirked.
"Want to know the rest of the story, child? I'm sure it's as interesting as you'd hoped." He added, egging me on.
"Penn." My mom stated dangerously.
"I mean, she of course deserves to know the truth! You can't keep it a secret from her!" He further said. I furrowed my brows. What was he talking about. My mom gave him a sharp look.
"Stop. It." She growled.
"Or else what, woman? You'll kill me?" He guffawed. "Same old parlor trick from 20 a decade ago." He shook his head.
"Hmmph. I've made my point clear anyway. I should leave." He rubbed his jaw. "The truth is never as it seems, child." His eyes burned me. He as toying with me, I knew it. But I was curious. And curiosity killed the cat.
Penn left, leaving my head and heart in a state of flurry. My mom was sitting there staring, no glaring at the door probably praying that he would disintegrate or something.
"What was he talking about?" I asked slowly.
"Nothing. Nothing at all." She replied with clenched teeth. I wasn't going to argue. I knew she wasn't going to tell me. I was right. I really shouldn't trust her. She might be good and on my side but Penn was right too. People would still lie to protect the ones they cared for. And right now, my instincts were telling me it was a pretty big deal. I just knew it.
A/N: Okay, so my exams still aren't over but I'm feeling restless so here's another chapter. Hope you guys liked it! 2 in a row! One could almost say, impossible!
But anyway, if you liked it give it a vote or a comment. They're much appreciated and I enjoy reading your comments! They make me smile :)