Chapter 11; The Mother Behind the Door

"Natalia... don't let him touch you."

Reymond moved instantly. He grabbed my waist and hauled me violently behind his broad back. I felt his massive muscles lock, his claws fully extending in the dark with a sharp metallic snick. The sound of heavy, armoured footsteps flooded the corridor outside the broken iron doors.

"Stay behind me," Reymond ordered, his voice a low, lethal vibration that shook my chest.

A loud mechanical clank echoed from the basement. The chateau’s backup generators finally kicked in. Harsh, yellow emergency lights flickered on, flooding the cavernous hall.

I stepped out from behind Reymond’s shoulder and froze.

Standing at the far end of the throne hall, surrounded by two dozen heavily armed rogue wolves, was a woman. She looked older than the last time I saw her. Her dark hair was streaked with heavy silver, and a jagged, angry scar ran down the side of her neck. Her clothes were torn and stained with fresh blood, but pinned clearly to her heavy winter coat was the silver crescent moon and thorny vines.

The Walker royal insignia.

"Mom?" I whispered.

My legs moved before my brain could process the command. I took a step toward her. Reymond’s hand instantly clamped around my wrist.

"Stop," he warned quietly. "We don't know who is with her."

My mother’s eyes snapped to his grip on my arm. A vicious snarl ripped from her throat.

"Don't go near him" she shouted, stepping forward.

Her rogue soldiers immediately raised their rifles, aiming directly at Reymond’s chest. Instantly, Reymond's syndicate guards raised their own weapons. The click of safeties coming off echoed across the stone room like firecrackers.

"Stand down" Reymond roared to his men, though he didn't release my wrist. He glared across the room. "You have a lot of nerve breaking into my mountain, Elena."

"And you have a lot of nerve putting your hands on my daughter," my mother fired back. She looked at me, her eyes softening into something desperate. "Natalia. Come here."

I pulled my arm, but Reymond's grip held firm.

"Let me go, Reymond," I demanded, staring at the woman I had mourned for seven years.

"Natalia, think," he said, his voice tight and urgent. "She broke in with a rogue army. Mauris is already inside the walls. Aubert’s men are at the gates. This is a warzone, and she just dragged the frontline straight to you."

"She is my mother" I yelled, finally yanking my wrist free.

I walked halfway across the room and stopped. The space between us felt like a massive canyon. I wanted to hug her. I wanted to collapse into her arms and cry like a child. But the anger and the deep, rotting betrayal were burning a hole in my chest.

"You were alive," I said, my voice shaking. "Seven years, Mom. I slept in alleys. I starved. I swallowed black-market poison every single day to hide from Dad. And you were alive?"

"I had to keep you safe," she pleaded, taking a step toward me. "If you knew I was alive, Mauris would have hunted us both down to finish the job. The only way you survived was by letting the world believe the royal line burned to the ground."

"By abandoning me?" I cried, tears finally spilling over my eyelashes.

"I never abandoned you! I have been building an army in the shadows to take our home back!" She pointed an accusing finger at Reymond. "I will explain everything. Every single detail. But not with him in the room."

Reymond let out a dark, mocking laugh. "You don't want to explain it in front of me because you know I won't let you lie to her."

"You are the liar" my mother shouted. "You’ve been twisting her mind! You took a terrified, vulnerable girl and groomed her for this exact moment. You manipulated her memories of that night to make yourself the hero"

"I kept her breathing while you played dead!" Reymond snarled, taking a massive step forward.

"Stop it" I screamed, pressing my hands over my ears.

The room went dead silent. Only the howling wind outside and the heavy breathing of the armed men filled the space.

I looked at my mother. Then I looked at Reymond. My chest heaved. I didn't know who to trust. I didn't know what was real anymore. But I knew I needed the truth, and they were never going to give it to me while they were at each other's throats.

"Reymond," I said, my voice dropping to a hard, flat tone. "Get out."

He froze. His silver eyes snapped to mine. "Natalia"

"Get out," I repeated, pointing toward the broken iron doors. "Take your guards and leave us alone. Now."

Reymond stared at me. The betrayal in his expression almost made me take the words back. His jaw clenched so hard a muscle feathered in his cheek. He looked at my mother, his eyes promising absolute murder, before turning back to me.

He didn't argue. He raised a hand, signalling his guards to lower their weapons and fall back.

Slowly, Reymond walked toward me. My mother’s guards tensed, tightening their grips on their rifles, but Reymond ignored them entirely. He stopped right in front of me. The heat radiating off his body wrapped around me, a stark contrast to the freezing hall.

He leaned down, lowering his voice so only I could hear him.

"Whatever she tells you about me," Reymond whispered, his molten gold eyes locking onto mine, "remember one thing. I never lied about wanting you."

The words hit me like a physical strike. My breath caught in my throat. Before I could respond, he turned his back and walked out of the throne hall, his guards trailing closely behind him.

The heavy iron doors slammed shut.

I was alone with my mother.

She didn't waste a second. "We need to get off this floor. Mauris's men will breach the upper levels soon."

She grabbed my hand and led me toward the back of the throne hall, pushing through a heavy tapestry that hid a narrow, forgotten doorway. It led into a small, dusty royal chamber. It was completely windowless and entirely secure.

"How do you know the layout of this chateau?" I asked, pulling my hand away the second the heavy door clicked shut.

"Because the Walker pack owned this mountain long before the Smith Syndicate stole it," she answered quickly, checking the locks. "But that doesn't matter right now. What matters is the contract."

I crossed my arms, guarding myself. "How do you know about the contract?"

"Because I have spies inside Aubert's camp," she said, pacing the small room. "I know Reymond made you sign a fake mate agreement to secure his throne before the Solstice. I know you bled on the paper. Did he tell you what that means?"

"He told me," I said defensively. "He said my royal blood triggered an ancient claiming law. If we complete the bond, he becomes my legally recognized protector."

"He becomes your owner, Natalia!" she snapped, grabbing my shoulders. "It isn’t just political protection. The blood signature awakened the ancient royal bond. It binds your wolf to his on a genetic level."

"I know how a mate bond works," I argued, trying to pull away.

"You don't!" she insisted, her grip tightening. "A normal mate bond is a partnership. A royal bond is an absolute submission of power. If you consummate this bond with him, the magic seals permanently. You will completely lose the ability to ever choose another mate. Your body, your wolf, your entire bloodline will belong solely to the Smith Syndicate. He used that contract to trap you!"

"He didn't know I was going to cut my hand on the pen!" I yelled, pushing her away. "It was an accident!"

"Nothing Reymond does is an accident," she said, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "He has been hunting you for seven years. He funded the black-market dealers who sold you those suppressants. He made sure you stayed hidden and weak until he needed a Luna to save his crown."

I shook my head, backing away from her. "No. No, he told me the truth about that. He said he kept me hidden to protect me from Mauris."

"To protect his investment," she corrected harshly.

I stared at her. The absolute certainty in her voice was terrifying. But Reymond's words were still echoing in my head. I never lied about wanting you.

"Reymond was there the night the estate burned," I said, challenging her. "He told me you called him. He told me you gave him the blueprints. He said you asked him to rescue me."

My mother stopped pacing. Her face went completely blank.

"Is that what he told you?" she asked softly.

"Yes. He said he failed to arrive in time. He said he pulled me out of the snow and let me run so Mauris wouldn't track my scent."

My mother let out a slow, heavy breath. She looked at me with an expression of pure, devastating pity.

"Natalia... the fake mate contract is a death sentence for your freedom," she said, stepping closer. "But that isn't why I warned you about him."

I frowned, my heart kicking into a frantic rhythm against my ribs. "Then why did you warn me specifically about Reymond?"

Her expression hardened into something cold and unforgiving.

"Because Reymond isn't the wolf who rescued you that night," she said clearly.

She looked past me, staring at the closed wooden doors of the chamber, before her eyes snapped back to mine.

"He's the reason your father found us."