Chapter 91: Come back to me

Chapter 91: Come back to me
Cae hadn't been expecting that. Her jaw dropped open in shock. 

"Gwendolyn, I need you to think about what you just said." She began, but Gwendolyn looked at her sharply. 

"Don't, Cae!" She said. "Don't even try to convince me otherwise. Kieran didn't just betray me. You did too. You knew about Medea, didn't you?"

"Gwendolyn..."

"Didn't you?" She yelled. "You knew he had a chosen mate. You knew he marked her."

"She left the pack years ago."

"I don't care if she did!" Gwendolyn shot to her feet in anger. Her voice was shrill and unsteady. "I had a right to know. You knew about this other woman and you kept it a secret. What am I to you? Some sort of joke?"

"Gwendolyn you don't understand." Cae rose to her feet too. Her voice shook as she spoke. "I am bound to Alpha Kieran by an oath. An oath to be loyal. It wasn't in my place to tell you about her. I would have been betraying Kieran if I'd told you. He was just trying to protect you." 

Gwendolyn scoffed. "Protect me? How is this protecting me? I am hurt, Cae! I feel like my heart has been ripped out. I love Kieran! I just opened my heart to finally accept him, only to be stabbed in the back this way!" 

Cae fell to her knees when she realized how angry Gwendolyn was. 

"Gwen, please I beg you." She clasped her hands together. "Whatever Alpha Kieran did, believe me when I say he did it to protect you. Give him a chance to explain. I'm sure you would understand everything."

"I'm done listening to any explanation." Gwendolyn shook her head. "I'm done. I guarded my heart from Kieran because I didn't want to get hurt. But he hurt me all the same. Give me a potion to get rid of this baby."

"Gwendolyn, please, the child is innocent."

"Cae, I don't want to fight with you. Just give me what I want. I'll reject Kieran and leave this pack. I'll find Julian and my mother. I was never meant to be here."

"Gwendolyn I'm begging you." Cae cried. "Don't do this. That child you carry is an heir to Nightshade. You'll be putting an end to his bloodline if you do this."

The more Cae talked, the more it infuriated Gwendolyn. She stormed out of the room into the sitting room, searching for anything that smelled a little bit like poison. 

She was so consumed by pain, the pain of Kieran's betrayal. He didn't just have a chosen mate. He marked her. She had a child for him. Where was the child? 

Tears streamed down her face as she searched the potted herbs and plants, even though she didn't know what she was looking for. 

Behind her, Cae stepped into the sitting room tentatively. 

"Gwen, please, think about this."

"Just give me what I asked for, and I'll get out of here."

Cae shook her head, her eyes gleaming with tears. "You know I can't do that."

Suddenly something snapped inside Gwendolyn. Her brown eyes flickered, transforming into total black orbs. She felt something take over her body, and when she spoke again, her voice sounded eerily calm. 

"Cae, I will only ask you once. Give me something to get rid of this child."

Cae took a step back when black fog suddenly spilled out of her body. It clung to her skin, swirling and pulsing. 

"I don't want to hurt you, Cae." Gwendolyn continued. "Give me what I want, and I'll leave."

But Cae shook her head. "Kill me if you have to. I won't let you harm that child inside you."

Gwendolyn took a threatening step forward, claws outstretched. But the door burst open suddenly. 

Kieran stepped inside, his gaze immediately landing on her. Cae had mind linked him the moment Gwendolyn awakened. 

He started to move carefully towards her, holding a hand out. 

"Gwen, look at me."

But Gwendolyn turned to Cae. "You called him?" She snarled. 

The cottage started to tremble. Deep cracks appeared on the wall, tearing the tiled floor open. Objects clattered from the shelves as the trembling intensified. 

The black fog swirled faster, slowly expanding. 

Kieran turned to Cae and yelled, "Cae! Get out of here!"

"But the black fog..."

"It won't hurt me! Just go! Stay away from the cottage!"

Cae turned and escaped through another door at the back of the cottage, leaving Gwendolyn and Kieran alone. 

Gwendolyn looked completely possessed now. Black webs latched around her eyes and spread towards the rest of her skin. Her eyes were completely black, devoid of emotion. 

"Moon of my heart, please listen to me." He yelled over the sound of the trembles. "I know I hurt you. I should have told you about Medea, and I'm sorry. But you know me, Gwen. You know I would never hurt you. You know how much I love you. You're my one true mate, the woman carrying my child."

The black fog expanded and swallowed him, but he wasn't hurt. He kept moving forward until he took her hand and pulled her into his arms. 

"Please, my love." He whispered. "Listen to my voice. Come back to me. I can't lose you. Please, I beg you. Tame your temper."

It took a while before the trembling stopped. The darkness in Gwendolyn's eyes cleared, flickering back to brown. Tears spilled out as she shut them and clung to him. 

Gradually, the trembling ceased. The black fog retracted, seeping back into her body and taking the black webs away. 

She collapsed in Kieran's arms, sobbing heavily. "You hurt me, Kieran. You really hurt me."

Kieran shut his eyes, and a tear drop slid down his cheek. 

"I know I did." He whispered. "Give me a chance to make it right. Please."

She didn't respond. Her heart was too heavy. So Kieran just held her while she cried the pain away. 

... 

Hours later, he lay on the couch in Cae's sitting room. Gwendolyn lay beside him, totally silent. 

The room was in ruins. The shelves were strewn about, potted plants and soil scattered across the floor. 

Gwendolyn let out a soft sigh and finally opened her eyes. 

"How did Medea become your mate?"

"I don't see her as my mate." Kieran murmured. "Before I found you, the Triad came to a decision to give me a chosen mate. One to give me an heir. And Medea was chosen. To mate with her, I had to mark her, to complete the bond. But I only did it because of my child."

"What happened to the child?"

"She lost it. When Medea had a miscarriage, she lost her mind. She left the pack, and I didn't stop her. I never wanted her. Then I found you years later. I never thought she would come back. That's why I didn't tell you."

Gwendolyn rubbed her eyes and snuggled against him. "Well, she's back. What are you going to do about it?"

"What I should have done long ago. I'm going to crown you my Luna."