Chapter 28

VANESSA

I can't remember the way it felt to be loved. I can't remember the face of my son, of my mate, of Alec. I occasionally hear their mind-links, but the warlock had made it nearly impossible sometimes. I was in a break area, where he had my arms chained to it hanging. I've not touched the ground in 6 months. But no one has died, and I will endure this pain more. He comes in everyday to make sure I remember when I banished him. As a regular wolf I could feel everything and heal so slowly. Yet he made sure he tortured me more, so I didn't heal. I wasn't fed properly. I survived off of water, and it was the best damn water I could taste. I begged that he killed me one day. He's gotten no words out of me since, and with the amount of electric therapy he's given me I was forgetting everything. I pray and pray to the gods to kill me already; I was becoming too weak to want to live.

He eventually tried to burn my mate mark off, but that was no use. Warlocks were smart, but he was dumb as hell. I watched all the spells he's done, yet it was all wrong. I don't want to escape; I want to die.

DREW

"You have not been doing fucking enough dammit!" I have searched every day since I was 16 to find my mother. She left to protect us, by putting herself in danger. I watched as Alec and my stepdad Asher searched day and night. But one day they just stopped trying so hard, that it was a lost cause. I see the mark that was barred on his shoulder, to know that she was still alive and hurting. My mom was my entire existence and she will not die!

"Drew, we've searched everywhere. We come to dead ends. She didn't want to be found soon. I miss her more than you know." I almost spit at his response.

"She birthed me, trained me, loved me! I've not felt my mom's embrace since I was 13! Don't you dare tell me I don't know. You won't ever love her like I do." How dare he compare his month of knowing her to my lifetime with her. We were there eternity. Asher walked over to me and laid his hand on my shoulder.

"She sent me one mind-link when she could. She told us not to find her." I shoved his hand off of mine.

"You're her mate, that shouldn't mean anything. She is doing it to protect us. Now she has me. I hold her power within me. Alec holds her other power. She can defeat him; I am going to find her with or without you. You're a joke as a king!" Asher had growled as it was commanded, but I have my mom within me. I am a king to be, and I take no commands from anyone. He stood in front of me, noticing how I wasn't submitting.

"I know this is a hard son, it sucks. I push it to the back of mind, so that hurt doesn't start. I am sorry." I saw the pain strike on his face. He raised me well and loved me. This mate bond killed him for months, and he knows how it hurts. I wrap my arms around him, and feel his tears soaking my jacket. Why is it all so jacked up, we were living peace while she was out there being a test subject.

"Please, can we start looking again. I can feel her, and I need my mom’s hugs." He pushed back from me and looked at me.

"Yes, we can, we will find her." He was a great dad, we disagreed a lot, but he always had my back, and never betrayed my mother.

I hung there waiting for death. The warlock had come in and drugged me up with more and more cocktails, when he realized they had no effect on me which I don't know why. Silver was supposed to hurt wolves, and it did after first. Maybe I was becoming immune to it. He injected me of a liquid that was mixed in with shifts claws. It didn't hurt anymore. But when I reached my wolf, she didn't exist anymore. She hasn't done anything in a few months, so I knew I was dying finally. I rested my head on my arm and watched as my breathing was finally slowing down. My body was going limp. The hybrid is dying.

My head slowly rose up, as there was noise upstairs. Yelling, screaming, banging was happening. My head fell with no strength left.

Last thing I remember hearing.

"Her pulse is weak, we need a—" blank.

ASHER

I don't know what happened. My shoulder started burning as the mark was starting to melt off. She was dying. I fell to the floor in the middle of the meeting, and it was melting. No, she can't be dead, no.

"Asher." I looked up to see Alec standing there. He looked at my shoulder, and tears were forming into his eyes. I let out a loud growl that was letting everyone know that she is dying. No, she can't be dead. NO! I clutched my shoulder that was siring in pain. Alec reached out and held me as he held his tears in. Suddenly the mark stops melting. I looked at him, and now we are wondering what's happening. It pained me not to know where my mate was, and what's happening to her. It pained me that she made a choice without me.

"My King, there is someone on the phone for you. She said it's urgent." I immediately took it and held to my ear.

"Hello?" I waited for the voice on the other side.

"My King, we have found the queen." I stood up almost immediately. Darting out the door.

"Where is she? Is she alive?" I already knew that answer but needed to confirm it myself.

"We are in Spain, at the Marble memorial abandoned hospital. She is. Well she is hanging out a thread, so I suggest you make your way down here now." I was out the door, jumping into the car as fast as I could.

"Asher, where are you going?" Drew came out as soon as he heard from Alec.

"I am going to go get your mother. They found her." Drew eyes showed hope in them. I saw him open the passenger door and sit down.

"Well what are you waiting for. drive." I'd usually argue with him, however that wouldn't happen. He would find his own way there. The love he had for his mom was eternity, and his loyalty stood by her. If he found his mate, and his mom said she didn't like her. He would drop her easy. My wolf once again was alive, as the thought of having her back into her arms. I started driving when a bang came to the door. I rolled the window down to see Alec.

"You think you're leaving me; she is going to need the power she's given me." He opened the back door and jumped in. Weird isn't it? He rejected and chose a mate all in the same car. We drove what seemed like hours to a 30 mins drive to the airport.

"I told you we should never give up faith, my mom always told me giving up could be almost there. You'd never know if you gave up." For the first time since he was 13. He smiled.

"Momma's boy" Alec jokes. Drew reached back to punch him on the arm playfully.

"At least she wanted me," He joked back.

"Burnnnnn!" I managed to say. We all just laughed the entire way there. We were soon the plan, yet we still wouldn't be there until tomorrow night. No sleep is all we can think off. We left with only the clothes on our back, which wasn't much as Drew only had pants on. He had a hoodie from the back of mine since airports find nakedness appalling.

VANESSA

I woke up in an unfamiliar room. It had doctor stuff for everyone, yet it was in a dirty place. Is this what happens when you die? I tried to move but my body ached in pain. Someone had saved me, and I don't know why. I had to go back before everyone got hurt.

"Good morning my queen." I looked to figure out what was coming. It was a female with blonde hair. She was wearing some heavy outfits.

"You need to take me back" I managed to croak out, as it's the first words I've said.

"Your mate is on his way to take you home," She said.

"No, to the warlock. We are all in danger with me not here." She walked over to me and grasped my hands.

"We killed the warlock, you are free." No, it wasn't that easy, he was alive I know it. The machine next to me started beeping, as my heart raced to the thought of people getting hurt.

"You need to calm down" Suddenly everything went black again. as a pinching was placed on my arm. I find myself waking up again. "She freaked out a few times, so we had sedated her. She said she had to go back." My eyes started opening as I stared into the faces of my son, my mate, and Alec. I was shaking to death. Drew ran over to me, as he has grown. I missed his rapid growth because of this warlock. I didn't care if I was in the pain. I pushed myself to sit up, and he wrapped his arms around me. He was crying, my baby boy was crying.

"Mom you stink" I let out a laugh, as his humor didn't change.

"You always have to embarrass me, I thought this was the exception." He laughed with me.

"I will always do so, mom I missed you." I cried harder to his words.

"I never stopped thinking about you son, you were my motivation to stay alive." We couldn't let go of each other, until a husky voice came through.

"Can you save some love for a special mate?" He kids. His eyes had a shade of red, he missed me. Drew had moved over, and Asher had sat next to me. He put a hand on my cheek, that made me melt.

"I stink like Drew said, maybe I should shower." He rolled his eyes at me, as he planted a kiss on my lips.

"You do stink, but I don't think I could wait till you showered. My little skunk." I use the strength I had to punch him on the arm. While everyone erupted in laughter. He wrapped his arms around me, and I was whole once again. I tried to hide the pain, but the flinch I made didn't help.

"Did I hurt you?" He asked. I shook my head lying to him.

"I think I can help with that, don't kill me Ash." He came to my side and planted a heavy kiss on my lips. I felt anger radiating off of Asher, but he let it happen. I felt the magic running into me, as he was safely returning it. I kind of didn't want it, but this was bad. He pulled back as soon as it stopped. He gave me a hug, and it was a great hug to have after being bound to chains for so long. I started to feel the magic returning to its rightful place, as it was healing my wounds one by one.

"As much as I should be mad, I am happy you're healing." He reached over and punched Alec in the face.

"Don't kiss her again." He held his face, but then just laughed "Alright get out, I need to shower." This bromance that these two have going on, yeah, it's scary. Because I will be spending more and more time with Alec, which scared me. But it scared me to know exactly what was happening with my kingdom. Drew had helped me up, so I can stand up. But I fell, as I had not walked in 6 months or so.

"Don't worry mom, I got you. You took care of me, let me take care of you." He picked up in bridal style and carried me to the bathtub where he sat me down. He carefully lifted up my gown, while I let him. I know seeing his mom nude wasn't ideal, but he insisted.

DREW

I lifted my mom’s gown over and noticed the scars that were on here. She was bruised from head to toe, and even as they faded, they still left a mark. I turned the water on, and she soaked in the hot water that fell on her. I was getting soaked, but I didn't care. She deserved the world, and more for her selfless act. I grabbed a rag and poured soap on. I gently started rubbing it on her skin washing all the black and red blood off her. The shower was turning black of how dirty she was.

Asher had walked in to hand her a toothbrush and toothpaste to brush her teeth.

"Son, let me do this part. I don't want to scar you." He said.

"She's my mom, I will always take care of her." Was my response. I was always protective, forgetting she now has a mate that wanted nothing more than to help her.

"Let me, I got her. Go check in on the kingdom" I always thought he was in it for the king spot, but never really dawned on me how much he loved her. I kissed her on the forehead and exited out the bathroom.

ASHER

Most kids would ever want to help the way he did Vanessa, but that was his hero. He walked out the bathroom, where I stripped down to my nude and jumped into the shower with her. I grabbed the rag and started to wash her off some more, as she raised her mouth out. I rubbed the rag on her face that showed a beautiful brown girl that I loved. I cleaned her everywhere even in her privates. She was in her period as she was bleeding. Still didn't bother me, I want to see her ugly. I helped her stand up but put her pressure on me like she didn't know how to walk.

"You didn't have to do this, I am bleeding" I brought her face to mine and kissed her lips.

"So, it's just blood. It's a normal baby." She smiled and laid her head on me. I didn't realize how much she missed me, but this proves it. She started cleaning out her matted hair, but when it became so bad, she had enough of it. She was frustrated.

"Get me scissors please." I sat her back down, stepped out and wrapped a towel around me. When I walked out, everyone was waiting.

"Anyone have scissors?" I asked.

"Why do you need those? The warrior asks.

"She is about to chop her hair that's why." She walked over and grabbed some.

"Tell her to come out and let me do it. I know what I am doing." I went back into her holding herself up, trying to walk. Her body was not ready. I reached for her, and she fell against me. This was sad to see, she wanted to be useful. I grabbed a towel, and wrapped her with it and sat her on the table. The warrior came in, looked at it.

"You sure you want to cut that very long hair?" She asked.

"Most of it is matted, yes chop it as short as you need too." She walked over to her and started chopping. It was so matted that it was cut to her shoulders. The warrior managed to make it really sexy where it framed her face. She almost looks like a completely different person, and it blew my mind. I see the anger in her eyes, and I don't know what it was. She was different...