Who is the man in the PHoto?

~Janine~

I trailed the mark of Kaden on the nape of my neck with a finger and smiled while staring at the mirror, and last night we went on a date.

My cheek flushed, and being with Kaden made me feel happy, which I hadn’t felt in a long time.

I brought my paintings to the house because the Luna said I could do everything that I wanted, the painting I was working on, was my mother’s, it was just the face that I saw in my dreams though it was a bit blurry, I was able to make out her eyes, when she looked at me.

I dropped my hand from my neck and stared at my dress. I was going to see my grandpa today, and I told Kaden that he was in an asylum, locked up somewhere.

They would allow me in since I was his daughter.

My phone beeped with a message. I picked it up from the table, it was a message from Kaden.

*I am outside your door.*

I replied to his message. *I will be out in a sec*

I dropped my phone in my bag and opened the door, he was leaning causally opposite the wall of my room.

He smiled when he saw me, and moved away from the door, taking lazy steps, he placed his hand above my head and stared at me, from my head, down to my feet.

Was he checking me out?

“You look beautiful, Janine.”

My heart thumped in my chest, and he leaned closer, I lowered my gaze shyly. He raised a finger to my chin and tilted it upward and I was facing him.

My stomach felt as if it was about to erupt with butterflies, I could feel his warmth from his shirt and was engulfed with his scent. Crisp, clean, and invigorating, scents like Bergamot.

“Don’t shy away from me.” He mumbled and smiled.

“Let’s go.” He took my hand in his large hand, and we walked out of the hallway. I haven’t seen the former Alpha since the day we ate at the dining. I haven’t heard a word about him since then.

I wanted to ask Kaden about him but didn’t know how to ask him, I have noticed that he doesn’t say much about himself. He was ready to listen to me, but whatever was bothering him, he was not willing to share.

He kept to himself.

“Get in, I will drive you there. You said your foster Mom will be aware that you visited?”

I nodded.

Since she was the one in charge of the asylum he was placed in, they would inform her of everything.

We got to the Asylum and I came out of the car, Kaden went to ask about him and inform the nurse that I was there to see my grandfather.

They directed me to his room, and outside his door were two guards, Monica’s bodyguard.

“Alpha.” They bent their neck in submission to Kaden. “Open the door, Janine is here to see her grandfather.” He ordered.

They looked surprised that I was able to find him, we drove for an hour before we got here.

He was right when he said Monica hid him away.

They opened the door and stepped aside.

“Go in, Janine. I will be around take your time and speak with him.”

I nodded at Kaden and entered the room, I shut the door behind me.

Grandpa was lying on the bed, he wasn’t asleep because he lifted himself from the bed when he heard the door closed.

“Janine?” His eyes widen in surprise. He came down from the bed and took my hand.

“Janine. You came, how did you find me?”

I showed him my palm, which he had written on the day he came to visit me at the hospital.

“Oh, my granddaughter.” He pulled me into a hug. “Janine, I’m not sick. She trapped me here so I couldn’t go to you, I’m not sick at all, look.” He disengaged from the hug and twirled around.

I didn’t know if I could laugh or cry.

“I heard you’re Kaden’s mate. The Alpha’s son. I will give you my blessings if you want me to go and beg the Alpha to take you as his daughter-in-law. I will go on my knees and plead with him. If he wants money, I will offer him a lot of money, he shouldn’t think that nobody wants you, he should be honored to have you as his son’s mate. I will show him that you’re the daughter of a noble wealth wolf in the pack.”

I wrapped my hands around his neck, and his hand was on my back. I blinked the tears away from my eyes. “Go on and be with Kaddn, you've my support, be happy.”

“Don’t cry, Janine, I’m sorry, it all my fault.” He pulled away from me and went back to the bed. “It’s all my fault.” He muttered continuously.

I wiped my eyes and saw a note on his table, and opened the chest of drawers that was beneath it. I found a pen and picked it up, I wrote on it.

“What did you do, grandpa?”

He stared at the note. “You said you forgive me, Janine.”

I nodded.

But I didn’t know what I forgave him for.

“I thought you forgave me.”

I went to him and took his fragile hands, whatever he was taking was making him weak. I managed to smile at him. His hand left my hold and caressed my cheek.

“What do you mean Janine is there? What is she doing here?” I heard Monica’s voice from outside. We both turned to the door immediately, he held my hand. “She mustn’t know you’re here. I don’t want her to meet you here.” He opened a small wardrobe that was in his room and pulled me inside.

“Stay here and do not make a sound.” He whispered and closed the door.

I heard the click-clack of Monica’s heel as she strode into the room.

“Where is she?”

I peeped through the small opening. She was wearing a black blouse with a jumpsuit, red heels, and red glasses.

Grandpa went back to the bed and sat on it.

“She already left.” He announced.

“Have you been taking your drugs, you sound normal...” She scoffed. “And you shouldn’t sound normal. Well, I need you to be normal so you can transfer all your shares and all your properties to your son, and that’s basically me.”

“Janine is my heir.”

She took her red glasses off her face.

“I am waiting till she graduates. I want to be there for her graduation and hand it over as her present for surviving under your care and that’s when I can die in peace, I will fight you till my last breath. Monica.”

I watched my grandpa as he spoke, his voice was shaking, and he didn’t seem to be afraid of Monica. He should be because she could do anything to him, and he had told her he planned to give me everything.

I dabbed my eyes and sniffed, I sat in the corner and my hand touched something.

“I gave you the document the last time I came here, where is it? All I need is your signature. Since you want to prove stubborn, I will treat you the way you want to be treated. Don’t ever think you’ll escape here, how can you be so selfish to your son? You want to give everything to a stranger.”

“You know Janine is not a stranger.” He lowered the tone of his voice and sighed. I drew my legs up to my chest and slowly pulled the stuff that my hand touched, I picked it up and placed it on my thighs.

There were several documents and a picture, I brought it to the light, so I could see a clearer picture of the photo.

“...is that what you told Janine, that you’ll make her your heir?”

“She doesn’t know anything. She has forgiven me, she told me.”

Monica snickered. “For what?”

“Everything.” He retorted.

I stared at the old photo that was hidden between some of those documents. It was the picture of the woman I saw in my dream, the woman I was painting.

My Mother.

A part of the photo was folded. So I unfolded it, and there was a man beside her, his hand intertwined with Mom’s, and was smiling brightly.

I gasped.

Tears clouded my eyes, and I placed a hand on my mouth.

“I heard something.” Monica glanced around.

“It was me.” I heard Grandpa responding to her, I didn’t care about what they were saying, my focus was on the photo, and tears streamed down my face.

Why was this man in the picture with Mom?

Why does my grandpa have a photo of my Mom and me, and him?

I felt a pain in my head, I groaned and suddenly couldn’t breathe. I clenched my chest and gasped for breath, and the pain in my head persisted, I squinted my eyes, and could barely make out what was happening around me before I passed out.