Chapter 159 Wrath

Chapter 159 Wrath
Diya's POV

“Where is my grandson?”

My mother's voice hit me before I even had the chance to properly look at her. She sounded breathless and worried. Like she'd spent the entire journey here imagining the worst.

Her eyes moved frantically around the room until they landed on me.

“Diya, where is he? How is he doing?”

I opened my mouth, but no words came out immediately. Seeing her standing there suddenly made everything I'd been holding inside feel too heavy.

“Mama…”

I swallowed.

“How…how did you know?”

Pete answered from behind me.

“I called them.”

I turned toward him.

“You did?”

He nodded.

“I knew you needed someone.”

I stared at him.

There was something about those words that squeezed my heart. He hadn't just thought about me. He had thought about the people I needed.

My mother didn't say anything else. She simply reached for my hand and squeezed it before looking around the room again.

“Where is Matt?”

I pointed toward the bed.

“He's sleeping.”

The moment she saw him, everything changed.

Her eyes widened, and then she rushed toward him.

“Oh, my baby…”

Her voice cracked. She dropped into the chair beside the bed and immediately reached for his little hand.

“My precious baby.”

Her fingers trembled as she stroked his hair. I watched her face crumble.

“What happened?”

She looked at me.

“Why is my grandson in a hospital bed again?”

“He's okay, Mama.”

“Okay?”

She shook her head, tears already spilling down her cheeks.

“Look at him.”

She touched his cheek gently.

“He's so small.”

My throat tightened.

I had spent the entire night trying not to cry anymore, but seeing my mother sitting beside my son like that broke the last piece of resistance I had.

Prisca came closer and placed a hand on Mama's shoulder.

“At least we're here now and we can see that he's fine instead of you sitting somewhere imagining the worst.”

My mother didn't even respond to her. She looked back at Matt.

“Why was he rushed here?”

Pete hesitated.

I felt his hesitation immediately.

“Pete?”

He exhaled slowly.

“Matt is stable.”

My mother's head snapped toward him.

“Stable?”

“He's fine.”

“Then tell me what happened.”

Pete glanced at me before answering.

“After the bone marrow transplant, there were some complications. His body reacted to some of the changes, and the doctors believe stress made things worse.”

“Stress?”

Prisca's voice cut through the room. She looked at Pete in disbelief.

“Did you say stress?”

She shook her head.

“What could a five-year-old possibly be stressed about?”

Nobody answered.

My mother's hand stopped moving through Matt's hair. Slowly, she looked at me.

“Diya.”

I couldn't meet her eyes.

“Diya, look at me.”

I swallowed.

I didn't know what to say.

How could I tell my mother that her grandson had been frightened because his father's mother had deliberately tried to separate him from his father?

How could I explain that a child who had already gone through so much had been dragged into an adult's obsession?

I couldn't.

When I finally looked up, she was studying my face. Then her eyes moved to Shantel. Shantel had gone unusually quiet.

My mother looked between us, studying our faces. Her eyes stopped on Shantel again and Shantel suddenly became very interested in the floor.

Mama's expression changed.

She looked at me again.

“Oh….”

My stomach tightened. She already knew.

“What happened before he was brought here?”

I swallowed.

“Nothing, Mama.”

Her eyes narrowed.

“Don't lie to me, Diya.”

I looked away, and that was all the answer she needed.

She turned to face Pete.

“The stress is your mother, isn't it?”

The room went still.

“Mama…”

“Don't…Don't mama me.”

My mother stood.

“You don't have to defend her.”

“I'm not.”

“Then tell me I'm wrong.”

I said nothing and that was enough.

Mama's face crumpled for a second before anger took its place. She looked at Pete.

“I knew it.”

Then she turned toward me.

“So that woman has been tormenting my grandson?”

“Mama, please…”

“No!”

Her voice shook.

“I have been patient enough.”

She turned back toward Pete.

“So, is it that your mother has nothing else to do with her expensive life than to make my grandson suffer?”

Pete's jaw tightened. For a second, something flashed across his face…Pain, guilt…Maybe even shame. Then it disappeared behind the expression of an Alpha who had learned how to keep his emotions locked away.

“Mom,” Prisca warned softly.

“I don't care!”

My mother's voice broke.

“He is five years old!”

She pointed toward the bed.

“Five!”

Her tears returned.

“He has already gone through enough. He has been sick, he has gone through a bone marrow transplant, and now he is lying here because some woman cannot leave him alone?”

My chest tightened.

“Mama…”

“I swear, Diya, I have the good mind to walk straight into that fortress she calls a palace and slap that woman until her face cracks.”

“Mama!”

I hurried toward her. She turned toward me.

“Don't tell me to calm down.”

“I wasn't…”

“That woman is evil.”

Her voice dropped.

“And I don't care that she's powerful.”

She looked at Pete.

“I don't care that she's your mother.”

Pete's expression remained unreadable.

“If she thinks she can hurt my grandson and get away with it because she's Luna Maris, then she has another thing coming.”

“Mama…”

I took her hands.

“Please.”

She looked at me and I squeezed her fingers.

“She can't hurt him anymore.”

My mother's eyes narrowed.

“What do you mean?”

I took a breath.

“She's been arrested.”

My mother blinked.

“What?”

“Maris has been arrested.”

Her mouth fell open. For several seconds, she simply stared at me. Then her hand slowly rose to cover her mouth.

“Arrested?”

I nodded.

“How?”

She looked at Pete and this time, there was something different in her eyes. It was not anger, but worry.

“You…”

She swallowed.

“You allowed them to arrest your mother?”

Pete's face remained calm, but I saw the slight tightening of his jaw.

“She committed crimes.”

“But she's your mother.”

“I know.”

His voice was quiet.

My mother stared at him.

“I can't imagine what that feels like.”

Pete looked down for a moment.

Neither did I. I had spent so much time thinking about what Maris had done to us that I hadn't stopped to think about what her arrest meant for Pete.

Then he looked toward Matt.

“But she's still responsible for what she did.”

My mother's expression softened.

“You're hurting.”

Pete didn't answer.

She stepped closer to him.

“You don't have to pretend you're not.”

His eyes flickered toward hers.

“She made her choice,” he said quietly. “Now she has to face the consequences.”

My mother's eyes glistened.

“And you?”

Pete frowned.

“What about me?”

She shook her head.

“You're still her son.”

He looked away.

“I know.”

“And no matter how angry you are with her, seeing your own mother taken away in handcuffs…”

She paused.

“That has to hurt.”

Pete remained silent.

I watched him.

For the first time since we'd heard about Maris's arrest, I wondered what it must actually feel like for him. To love someone who had hurt the people he loved. To finally have to choose between being her son and being a father.

Pete's gaze moved toward Matt.

“And I'm his father.”

His voice was low.

“And…I have to protect him.”

My mother's eyes followed his and settled on Matt. She looked at Matt for a long moment. Then she nodded slowly.

“I understand.”

She reached for Pete's arm and squeezed it.

“Then protect your son.”

Pete nodded.

“I will.”

A knock suddenly sounded against the door and everyone turned.

Mike stepped inside. His expression was serious.

“Alpha.”

Pete looked at him.

“What is it?”

Mike hesitated.

“There is a phone call for you.”

Pete frowned.

“From who?”

Mike's eyes moved briefly around the room before settling on him.

“The council.”

My stomach dropped.

The room seemed to lose all its warmth.

Pete's expression hardened.

“The council?”

Mike nodded.

“They said it's urgent.”

I stared at Pete.

The council.

Of course. Because apparently, the nightmare wasn't complicated enough already. Lisa was in custody, Maris had been arrested, Dimon was threatening us, and now the council wanted Pete.

I reached for his hand before I could stop myself. He looked down at our joined hands, then back at me.

“What is it?” I whispered.

“I don't know.”

He squeezed my hand.

“Stay here.”

I nodded.

He released me slowly and turned toward the door.

I watched him walk away.

Something about the way Mike had said urgent wouldn't leave my mind. I didn't know what the council wanted. But after everything that had happened tonight, I knew one thing…They weren't calling Pete to wish him good night.

And as the door closed behind him, an uncomfortable feeling settled deep inside my chest. Something was coming….Something bigger than Lisa….Bigger than Maris.

The council didn't call an Alpha in the middle of the night because they were worried about his feelings. They called when they had made a decision.

And somehow, I knew we were about to find out exactly how far this nightmare was going to go.