Chapter 77 ACHING PAIN
Percival
Tears blurred my vision as I sat in the dimly lit cabin. The solitary lamp in the far corner cast a soft, hazy glow, doing little to pierce the darkness that surrounded me. My tears kept falling, each one reflecting the turmoil inside, a swirling mess of emotions that left my thoughts in complete disarray. I was deeply affected, more than I’d ever been before.
I was left to pick up the pieces after the wolves had taken what they wanted.
Tears streamed down my face as I sat on the cold floor, naked and hunched over, my hands clutching my stomach as if I could hold the pain inside. The intensity of the emotions she made her wolf feel was unbearable, threatening to drown me in its wake.
She wanted me to truly understand the gravity of the situation...
Hopelessness. Despair. Deep, aching pain.
I felt it all. The sharp pain in my chest made me gasp as my hand instinctively rose to touch my heart, trying to ease the agony, to dig deeper and uncover what lay beneath.
I barely made it to the trash can before vomiting, the bile burning my throat as the sensation crashed over me again and again, relentless in its torment. I wanted it to stop. I wanted it to end. But it kept battering my core, unlike anything I had ever felt. Did she feel this way during those first few weeks?
The door creaked open, and a wave of panic surged through me. I wanted to hide, to crawl away and conceal myself from whoever was about to see me in this state.
Through the blur of tears, I saw my mom. Her dark hair was elegantly pinned up, her fair complexion glowing softly in the dim light. She stood in the doorway, her eyes wide with fear and shock, her hand covering her mouth as she took in the sight of me.
She rushed to my side, dropping to her knees as she wrapped her arms around my trembling, naked body. Her hands were cool against my feverish skin, grounding me in a way nothing else could. I let her hold me, her gentle words like a balm to my shattered soul.
Through my blurred vision, I saw her hand reach up to wipe away my tears, her fingers gentle and soothing. I met her gaze, looking into her piercing blue eyes, seeing the pain and anguish she felt as she watched her firstborn suffer.
“Mom, it hurts,” I sobbed, unashamed of the tears streaming down my face. There were few people who had seen me cry, and Edeline was one of them.
She cradled me, letting my head rest in her lap as she ran her fingers through my hair. The softness of her touch, the coolness of her hands, provided the comfort I desperately needed as we sat together on the celery green rug that lay on the wooden floor. “Hush, my love, everything will be alright. I promise you. Just stay strong, alright? Stay strong. It will pass soon...” Her voice was a soothing melody, her tender lips brushing my forehead as she comforted me, her cheek pressed gently against mine as I lay there, my breath heavy with exhaustion.
After a few moments of her gentle rocking, the fire burning inside me subsided to a low, steady flame. The sadness still lingered, but it felt more bearable, more manageable. I let out a deep sigh, a sense of relief washing over me as the tension in my body began to ease.
Gazing into my mother’s eyes, I felt a sharp pain in my throat, and when I spoke, my voice came out hoarse. “Why is everything like this?”
She closed her eyes, her expression solemn, and I could see the flicker of pain in her features. “Sometimes… life takes unexpected turns. Circumstances beyond your control. Your father and I faced our own challenges in the beginning as well.”
I steadied myself, leaning up with a serious expression. She helped me into a seated position, ensuring that the blanket she draped over me covered me adequately. I couldn’t help but stare at her, my face a mix of bewilderment and astonishment. “What do you mean?” I asked, searching her eyes for answers.
She shook her head, her gaze lowering to her fingers as she avoided eye contact. “I’ll share a story with you. I met your father when I was 18. When I first met him, I caught the scent of another female on him... He hadn’t waited for me like I had waited for him. He promised me it was in the past, that I was his future. But I never forgot that scent. It was ingrained in my memory. When he brought me back to his pack, I met everyone, including one woman in particular—a mated woman. She was the one who carried that scent.”
She paused, her lips pressing into a thin line as she glanced up to gauge my reaction. I was taken aback by her confession, unsure of what to say.
“I never told your father or her mate that I knew what they had done,” she continued, her voice steady but tinged with sadness. “I kept it to myself. But I did tell that female that I knew. She was pregnant at the time. I wasn’t going to ruin her life with her mate over a mistake, but I made her promise to stay away from your father. She kept her word, but she never could shake the misery of what she’d done. I kept her close for a while, but she was never the same. I’ve carried the secret with me all this time… and even though it doesn’t matter anymore, it still haunts me sometimes.”
Her words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of her past. I could see the struggle in her eyes, the pain she’d carried for so long. My mind raced as I tried to process what she had just revealed.
“Dad was with another female before you?” I asked, my voice betraying the surprise that mirrored the expression on my face. “Why is she telling me this?” I wondered, trying to understand why she would share something so personal, something that could change the way I saw my father.