2: New family

WREN’S POV

I woke up to a loud bang on the door, someone trying to bring it down. I groaned, wanting to go back to sleep, then realized my hands were inside my pants, and I was having a very wet dream.  

I scrambled from the bed with wide eyes, staring around. I was back at the pack, and the usual routine must be continued. The sun was already out. SHIT! I’m doomed before the day even begins.  

Making my way to the door, I opened it to see Piper on the other side, holding a large jug in her hand. Before I could react, she poured it all over me. The water was freezing, biting into my skin.  

She was seething, her face red with anger and hatred. She looked terrifying, like her wolf was about to break free.  

“Who gave you the fucking right to lock the door? Do you think this is your house?” she screamed, her voice hoarse but sharp.  

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry” I stammered, shivering as the water seeped through my shirt to my skin.  

“Fuck your apology!” She sneered, throwing the jug against my chest. “Don’t forget your fucking place. The sun is out before you today, don't let that happen again or you won’t like what I’ll do to you.”  

She stormed away and I followed, knowing I didn’t have the liberty to go back and change or even brush my teeth. That would just earn me another round of wicked confrontations and one dose was more than enough.  

I made it to the kitchen and started making breakfast for everyone, trying hard to remember who was allergic to what and which table needed which casserole. It was tedious, working in a cold, wet shirt with messy hair and bad breath.  

As soon as I finished, another maid came and summoned me to my mother’s room. I hadn’t seen her since dinner yesterday. She hadn’t looked like herself then so I left her alone. Besides, Piper was there. 

Why would she send for me now, knowing I was working?  

I cleaned my hands and headed to her room, trying to smooth my hair into something presentable. She hated when I didn’t dress up around her, and I knew she’d have something to say about how I looked.  

I knocked on the door, waiting for a moment before stepping inside. Piper was there, along with a man who looked like a doctor, standing beside my mother’s bed.  

My heart dropped. She looked worse than I’d imagined. Her skin was pale, her eyes pale and shadowed and dark veins ran beneath her skin like a map of grief.  

Rushing toward her, I tried to take a closer look, desperate to figure out what was wrong as a nurse but she flinched away from me. I didn’t let the sting of rejection show even after noticing how Piper held her other hand protectively as if I wasn’t worthy of touching her.  

I forced a smile and straightened up, stepping away from the bed and refusing to meet Piper’s smug gaze.  

The doctor finished what he was doing and turned to me.  

“You’re Wren?” he asked, tilting his head.  

He looked young and unfamiliar. I’d never seen him in the pack before. When did he start working here? Where was he from? What were his qualifications? Why wasn’t the pack physician here?  

“Yes. And you are?” I asked in the same breath, only to hear Piper growl low in warning.  

Of course, I’d overstepped.  

“I’m Doctor James” he extended his hand, shaking mine briefly.  

“What’s wrong with her?” I asked softly, trying to suppress the panic building in my chest. She doesn’t look good. 

The doctor hesitated glancing between my mother and Piper before speaking. 

“Lunara’s Blight” he answered with a heavy tone.  

My heart skipped. Lunara’s Blight. The illness was rare and only whispered about in pack histories as a sickness tied to grief, loneliness and the weight of loss. Or the loss of a wolf. 

It wasn’t physical but emotional. A werewolf’s bond with their wolf becoming fragile or breaking entirely. Without treatment it left the wolf dormant and the person weak till they died. 

When I heard of it when I was younger I was glad I didn’t have a wolf. Of course that was stupid. Every werewolf needs a wolf. 

“She’s been under immense stress” The doctor continued. “The symptoms worsen if the emotional state isn’t addressed. Her wolf… it’s slipping away.”  

I looked at my mother, who turned her face to the wall as if ashamed. She was intentionally doing it to herself because she has lost her mate. She didn’t want to live anymore. 

Then why did she agree to marry the alpha in the first place? 

“Why wasn’t I told sooner?” I whispered in a thin voice filled with emotions. 

“Because there’s nothing you can do. You left her here all alone. Just like always.” Piper scoffed. 

The door was pushed open without knocking, a figure entered the room with a commanding presence. I felt a shiver racing down my spine as he raised his head and stared at everyone in the room with bottomless sharp eyes. 

He looks nothing like Piper. She definitely got her looks from her mother. 

Alpha Ronan is a tall man and masculine in every sense. He has the most beautiful set of golden eyes I have ever seen. Like aged whiskey under the sun. 

I was startled as the heaviness of his gaze landed on me. My heart stuttered in my chest and I instinctively stepped back, bumping into the wall behind me. Alpha Ronan's presence was overwhelming. 

"How is she?" He turned his attention to the doctor, his voice cutting through the room with power. Like a true alpha. . 

"She’s suffering from Lunara’s Blight, Alpha. The symptoms are advanced” Doctor James straightened, his posture rigid under the Alpha's scrutiny. 

"And what are you doing about it?" The Alpha’s jaw clenched, the muscles in his neck tightening as he processed everything. 

"I’ve started her on the treatments we have available but this illness..." The doctor hesitated, glancing toward my mother. "She needs more than medicine."  

Alpha Ronan’s golden eyes flickered toward my mother, softening for a fraction of a second before hardening again. Then his gaze snapped to me, pinning me in place.  

"And you? What are you doing here?" He asked, his voice low but laced with authority.  

I opened my mouth to respond but no words came out. Piper was the one who answered for me, her tone dripping with contempt. 

"She’s just here to gawk like always."  

Alpha Ronan’s eyes narrowed slightly and for a moment, I thought he was going to dismiss me entirely. Instead, he turned to the doctor. I definitely look comical right now. 

"Do what you can. I’ll handle the rest."  He commanded. 

Doctor James nodded quickly then started gathering his tools and headed for the door without looking back. I stepped aside to let him pass, my pulse still racing.  

"Leave us” Alpha Ronan to me without looking at me. 

I hesitated, glancing at my mother, who wouldn’t meet my eyes. Piper’s smug expression practically burned into the side of my face as I turned and walked out of the room feeling rejected. 

She wants so bad to remove me from the little family they made while I was away and it hurts so much. 

I didn’t leave though. I stayed outside until Piper stomped out of the room, she didn’t see me behind the door so she walked down the corridor growling about killing me. I shrunk deeper behind the door. 

Alpha Ronan walked out next and watched me with those eyes that made me shiver with both fear and desire. 

“Pack up your bags. We are going to an island in five hours. Your mother will explain everything to you” He said coolly then left just like that.