I fumbled with my fingers as I sat down on the couch, waiting for who I now know as my aunt get me something to drink.
*Flashback*
"April?" My mother's doppelganger gasped.
I furrowed my eyebrows at her in confusion. And my confusion increased when I saw a couple to stray tears rolling down her cheeks.
"You know me?" I asked.
"Of course, you idiot, how can I not know my one and only niece." She replied as she pulled me into a tight hug.
Warmth spread through my whole body instantly. She reminded me so much of my mother that a single involuntary tear escaped my eyes.
It was like hugging my mother once again after a long time and I didn't want to let go.
**
I was snapped back to reality when I heard her approach, a warm smile grazing her lips.
She had a tray in her hands where a glass of orange juice and a plate of cookies laid.
I hurried from my seat to help her carry it.
"No need my dear." She said with a smile, but I didn't listen and took the tray before placing it on the table.
Her eyes didn't leave me as we both sat down on the couch.
"A-are you going to keep looking at me?" I asked in a low tone, hoping I don't sound rude.
I heard her chuckle nervously.
"Sorry, it's just that, it's been so long since I've seen you and truth be told, I thought you were..." She trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.
"Dead?" I finished for her.
She sighed before nodding.
"That's what everyone is saying. I was devastated and it actually took me a couple of weeks to go back to my normal self."
"How come I never saw you before?" I asked.
"Your mother and I had a big fight twenty years ago, and ever since then, we stopped talking to one another. I only got news about her and you from your father. He had great hopes that one day your mother and I will make up and he wanted me to know about you in case something happened." She explained.
It took me some time to process what she said.
"Can I know what the fight was about?" I asked hesitantly.
"It was about my husband, Chris Doyle." She answered making me raise my eyebrows at what she said.
"She didn't approve of our relationship and it only got worse when we announced our engagement." She continued.
"But isn't he your mate? How can she oppose?"
"Well, that's the thing, cuz you see, my dear April, Chris Doyle isn't my mate." She revealed.
"He...he's not?" I gaped at her in shock to which she shook her head.
"I never met my mate and Chris's mate died in an accident four years before meeting me."
Everything started making sense now. It's now reasonable why and how Chris left here and didn't look back for seven years. She wasn't his mate, so his wolf didn't yearn for her.
"Do you know where he is?" I asked the most important question. I know that Hugh found him in North Carolina with his son, but I still wanted to make sure and see if she had anything else to inform me.
She shook her head again making me sigh.
"We believe that he's in North Carolina with your son." I stated.
Janeen looked at me like I've grown two heads.
"No way, I just spoke to Brandon yesterday and he never mentioned anything about his father staying with them."
"Do you think your son, Brandon, is helping him hide?" I asked.
"I don't know my child." Janeen shook her head for the nth time.
"But then again, why would he? Is he hiding from me because he doesn't want us to be together anymore? Well, he doesn't have to, I don't want him either."
I looked at Janeen in slight confusion. It seems that she knows nothing about her husband's involvement in my parent's death.
"Looks like you'll be the one breaking the news to her." I heard Hugh say, making me sigh.
I honestly didn't want to, but she has to know in order for her to help us.
"Janeen, there's something that I have to tell you." I started with a heavy heart.
She looked intently at me before nodding.
With a deep breath, I proceeded on telling her everything. From when the rogues told me about Doyle to the bank statement from Alpha Rosewood up until what Hugh and I found recently.
I, of course left out a couple of private info like my own slavery and how Prince Lucian is my mate. I only told her what she needs to know.
Janeen was gaping at me the whole time and didn't utter a single word.
"He....He did that? Was that why he left all of a sudden? Because he killed my sister and her mate?!" She snapped once I finished, her anger rising more with each word.
"Calm down Janeen, please." I pleaded.
"Calm down? How can I calm down when I know that my husband was the one who....the one who...." She gasped, not believing her own words.
"Janeen please, you have to calm down to help me." I pleaded again, this time gaining her attention.
"My help?" She titled her head in confusion.
"Yes. I need to find your husband and maybe, just maybe, we'll be able to lure him down here by you." I replied.
"And how are we going to do that?" She asked. "He didn't send me as much as a letter for seven years, why would he look at me now?"
"I have a plan. I don't know for sure if it's going to work but we'll try."
"Well, what do you have in mind?" She asked with a newly found confidence.
A small smile tugged at my lips before I proceeded in the explanation of my plan.
----
After laying down everything for Janeen and explaining the role she'll play fully, it was time for me to leave.
I placed my mask on as Janeen opened the door for me.
"I'll swing by tomorrow to take you so that we could start on our plan. I'll make the phone call and ready everything by that time." I said to which Janeen nodded her head.
Once I stepped out of the house however, I was pulled back by my arm.
I was pulled into another of Janeen's warm hugs.
"I'm so glad I saw you." She mumbled into my shoulder, seeing as I was a couple inches taller than her. She was about five foot two at the most.
"Yeah, me too." I replied back as I tightened my hold on her small body.
We soon let go and I started heading back home.
I felt someone's gaze on me as I jumped from branch to branch.
Turning around, my eyes met those of Alpha Rosewood.
He was standing behind his office window, looking intently at me, his eyes unreadable.
I didn't know if he was looking at me because he was okay with me entering his territory and speaking with one of his pack members without permission, or if he was accusing me of not keeping him informed about his beta.
Either way, I couldn't help him with either since I still didn't trust him enough.
We stared into each other's eyes for a minute or two before I turned around and continued on my way.