Chapter Three

I was worried. I paced my room anxiously and quite roughly, almost wearing out my carpet. Where was she? Why was she not back? What was she doing? What if she had been abused physically? The pack members hated us and they had only verbally abused us, but what if they had physically touched my mother?

The sun was beginning to lose its shine. Its beam was becoming dim, an indication it was preparing to go home. To make way for the moon to take over. Though the day was bright enough, it was almost evening. From my window I saw pack members returning home after a long day. I saw students too. I was no longer allowed to attend our pack’s school in like forever. I used to seat by my window and watch my mates walk with friends to school and watch them return too, it broke me and I got sick for many days and refused to eat, but I had to stop showing how worried I was because it made my mother feel depressed too. As I watched them laugh amongst themselves as they walked back home, I didn’t feel any pang. If I did, I did not notice it because today was different. Today, I was worried about my mother. I was done with packing, I did not really have much to gather. I wanted to take a short nap when I realized my mother was yet to be back. I stopped pacing and sat on my bed, rubbing the shiny stone embellishing the single bracelet adorning my left hand, the action was done absentmindedly.

I stood and went to the window again. Torn between taking the risk, swallowing the fear and going out to search for my mother and staying here, hoping she was fine and waiting for her to come home. Twenty more minutes, my thoughts had run wilder and my stomach churned nervously. I was scared for her, for me. For us. What if something had happened to her? What if these despicable people had done something to her and here I was, thinking she was fine and on her way home? That thought had me quickly slipping into my casual footwear and I was almost at the door when It opened unexpectedly, making me take a staggering step back in absolute stun.

I blinked.

“Mother?”

She took in my appearance, then frowned slightly when her gaze landed on my feet. Her eyes strode back to my face.

“Are you okay, darling? And you look…”

“Scared? Frightened out of my soul? Yes.”

I replied quite sharply. Relief mixed with some anger. I was angry because she had scared me, my mind had conjured some very mean things the pack members were already doing to her.

“Using that tone on your mother now, are you?”

Her voice was calm but I felt the disappointment rolling off each words in waves.

I sighed. “I’m sorry, mother. But you scared me, I thought something bad had happened to you.”

“Oh, something bad?”

She pulled off the coat she’d worn, draped it over a chair in my room, peeled off her strapped sandals and joined me cross-legged on the bed. I observed her on my bed and a small laugh escaped my lips.

“What? What’s funny?”

She was truly confused.

“The way you sat with ease, you look like a teenage girl waiting for gossip from her best friend.”

She shrugged mindlessly. “Maybe I am.”

“What?”

“Not the teenage girl part though.” She clarified before continuing. “But I am waiting for you to tell me what’s been bothering you, if that counts as gossip and you are my best friend. It’s just the two of us against the whole pack, remember?”

I chortled. “Yes, I remember.”

“So hit me with it.”

“Nothing much, I was just worried sitting here, waiting for you. I wanted to take a nap after I was done packing, then I realized you were not home yet and I became worried and scared.”

“Why though? I was going to come home at some point.”

“Yes, I know. It’s just you promised to come home early, and it was getting late. We even missed lunch.”

“Ah, it was so about the food. You missed my food.”

She teased and I shook my head in amusement.

“That was not it mother. I didn’t even think of food because I was so busy getting everything together. See?”

I gestured around my room, showing her how I had worked the morning and afternoon away arranging my room and getting everything I needed. Her eyes travelled round the room and she nodded in acknowledgment.

“You’ve really been busy.”

“So I didn’t think much of food and I was done and noticed you were yet to be back.”

“I’m sorry darling. I did not mean to make you fret or grow anxious waiting for me.”

“What kept you?”

She stood and took her coat and sandals walking out of my room.

“I want to make dinner. Care to join me?”

We both knew my presence in that kitchen was more for chit-chat than actually helping. But why was she dodging my question?

I followed her without a word, she began slicing band dicing and peeling and washing the things she needed to make dinner with while I sat on a high stool and threw salted chips in my mouth.

“When are we leaving mom?”

“Soon. Right after we have dinner.”

“But what kept you?”

She continued slicing the vegetable on the cutting board, paying a deaf ear to my question. I knew she’d heard me but why she was choosing not to reply was befuddling. This was strange.

“Did something happened out there, mom?”

Still no reply.

“Talk to me, mother. Were you harassed? Did you encounter any brutality? Insults?”

She sighed. “You’re not going to drop this until I tell you, right?”

“You know me too well, mother.”

Another sigh from her. I frowned. What was it that was so hard to talk about? What had happened?

“I met someone.”

My heart skipped. “Who?”

Had she been truly harassed? Had someone from the pack walked up to her and abused her? Even if that were the case, I could not do anything about it. But it would hurt me. Cause a bruise in my heart because I hated to see her go through humiliation because of me.

“He’s a werewolf.”

“Was it someone from the pack? Did he hurt you? Tell you mean things? Insult you? What did he do, mom? Tell me. What did this man-wolf do to you?”

I wish she would just tell me and let off this suspense hook. She turned fully to look at me. Her gaze was solemn and serious.

“He is my mate.”