Chapter 4

Mom stopped brushing my hair and I could tell she hesitated for a second before moving to squat in front of me at the vanity. She began in a serious yet hushed voice, “Listen to me and listen good. I’m only going to tell you this once, because I fear what would happen if I ever spoke these words again. Do you understand what could happen to us if what I am about to tell you were to be overheard by anyone?” She stared me in the eyes more seriously than I think I had ever seen her in my life. 

A knot immediately began to form in my stomach and I grew scared and concerned, but nodded my head in agreement. I would never tell another living soul what my mother was about to tell me.

“Our pack is in a remote location, so no one really knew which pack was which or where each of our packs were really located. Because of this, your father persistently worked to conceal our pack’s exact location, while also protecting the identity of the packs near us so if we were ever attacked, our enemies wouldn’t know what pack they were actually attacking,” I could tell she was struggling to explain what she felt she needed to tell me.

“But why go through all that trouble to conceal the pack’s identity when we live way out here anyway?” I was confused. I mean, I understood it was a war defense tactic to try and keep us safe, but with where we live, it seems like my father should have focused on some other way of defending our pack instead of just hiding it.

Mom continued, “Your father couldn’t let anyone find out about the deepest secret he died protecting.” 

A tear fell from her eyes as she remembered and talked about him. It’s obvious in every pore of her body that she still loves and misses her fated mate. Will she ever heal from the pain of the loss I know permeates deep into her bones and soul?

“Violet,” she sighed, “each Alpha she-wolf in our pack has the possibility to inherit the Moon Goddess Gifted abilities. Our bloodline carries the gift. Your grandmother was the last Moon Goddess gifted Alpha she-wolf known in existence until she passed away. You also have the possibility of obtaining this gift, Violet.”

She took a deep break, seeming to try and hold on to the courage to go on, “After your father died, the burden of protecting the pack, and keeping the secret, fell on my shoulders. I needed to make sure our bloodline lived on.”

She said those words with a cold and harsh tone as she glared directly into my eyes, holding onto my shoulders.

Realization began to set in as she paused.

The tears began to steadily stream down her face as I began to feel her sorrow.

“Mom, don’t cry,” I began to try comforting her by wiping the tears from her cheeks and quieting her, “it’s okay. I don’t have to know anymore. You don’t have to tell me.”

“NO! I need to tell you. You HAVE to know,” she insisted.

Clearing her throat before continuing, she began.

“The night I met your step-father was the night the pack wars made it to our packlands. Alpha Donovan and all his pack warriors arrived just after I had put you to bed for the night. Because they didn’t know exactly which pack they had arrived at, they didn't see us as a threat to them as they took over our pack. Even though we were not a threat, he was ready to slaughter us all. Wolves with blood in their scent tend to move towards violence no matter what. That is ingrained into every Alpha on the warpath for power, control and land.

Mom paused and I handed her the glass of water I had been sipping on. She took a shaky sip to cleanse her dried nervous pallet as I helped her up and we walked over to my bed and sat facing each other on the bed before continuing, “I knew that if I didn’t act immediately, he would disregard the pack, and kill us all. No one was left that could help me defend our pack! I had two priorities - save you, and save our pack; our home. I saw no other way to save us at that moment, Violet.” 

Mom had tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she nodded, “Yes. I had to make the choice to watch everyone and everything I ever loved and held dear die, or lie, forsaking our pack, in a last ditch effort to somehow save all our lives without losing our home.” 

She added, “So, I offered myself to Alpha Donovan, Violet. I admitted that I was the Luna and you were my daughter. I just had you 6 months before. You were still nursing. There was no way I could hide those facts. 

 offered him our home. Our packlands. My body; So long as he spared your life and the lives of everyone in our pack.” 

I rubbed my mom’s back listening intently with so much heartache and concern for my mother and what she must have been put through, as she continued, “I told Alpha Donovan that you wouldn’t be a threat to him. I promised him that he could arrange a marriage for you as an alliance so he could grow his pack to be even more powerful. I convinced him that you were worth more to him alive, than dead, especially since you were of my blood and could be Moon Goddess gifted like your grandmother was! That kind of valuable mate was worth a pretty penny and would get him LOTS of things for his pack. He agreed and has allowed me to raise you under his control.” 

She sighed as if finally finished, and so relieved to have finally gotten that off her chest.

I sat, allowing the load of information my mother just dumped on me to sink in.

She wasn’t finished angrily growling, “But then he got smart and put two and two together, realizing I could produce an heir for him WITH the ability, so he hasn’t stopped trying to breed me ever since.”

I was hoping for good news that would encourage me to accept this chosen mating, but all her story is doing is making me want to run for the damn hills as fast and as far away from this fate as I can.

Then I realized something, “So…how have you not had a pup by him all this time? You’ve gone in and out of heat religiously every season!”

She smiled bitterly, “I’ve been taking contraceptives since you were born. I was afraid of something like this happening while your dad was gone. I’m so glad I did because if I hadn’t, I would have already had a litter of pups for him.”

She was a sly little shit! What a brilliant idea! I reveled in that knowledge. 

“Okay, so if we’re such a value to him, why does he barely treat you with the respect you deserve and he treats me like a wolfless omega that’s just a piece of meat he can’t wait to bite into?!”

Mom sighed, “Because I’ve been hiding most of my Alpha aura, which I will teach you how to do as well once you shift and they see your wolf! As long as Silas Donovan thinks you are as weak of a she-wolf as me, he won’t see you as a threat. Trust me my sweet angel, you are safer away from here!”

In that moment, I realized how much my mother had been protecting and shielding me my entire life from the horrors of this cruel Alpha and his pack. She was right. I needed to get the hell out of here and this was the only way she could try and get me away to some other semblance of safety. 

I broke down in tears.

“Oh, honey! I didn’t mean to make you cry! I’m so sorry! Don’t mess up that beautiful makeup!”

A light knock on the door notified us that it was time to go and greet our guests.

I dabbed at my cheeks and touched up what I could around my eyes and turned to show my mom for inspection to make sure everything was still good. She nodded before giving me a big hug.

“Don’t forget that I love you and I will ALWAYS have your back!” She whispered into my ear before releasing me from her embrace.

I nodded with a final sniffle before we plastered the fakest smiles on our faces, leaving the bedroom. 

At that moment, Alpha Donovan screamed through my mind-link. I had forgotten he ordered me to keep my link open for 24 hours. Shit!

‘VIOLET! WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU!’

‘I’m sorry Alpha! Luna and I are on our way downstairs now.’

‘HURRY THE FUCK UP! They have arrived and we are waiting for you.’