Chapter 49

DAKOTA’S POV

I looked at the door to the infirmary, not sure what to expect. Odin had told me that she had died, but deep down, I wasn’t feeling the loss. My heart was beating heavily in my chest. I swallowed hard.

“Are you ready?”

I nodded at Orion. He opened the door and stepped aside for me to go in. I took slow steps into the infirmary and found several beds, some occupied and some empty. I followed Orion as we walked down rows of beds, and then finally stopped at one that was somewhat partitioned from the others with curtains. He opened the curtain, and we were greeted with the back of a doctor.

“Doctor Paige.”

The doctor turned around and did a small bow.

“Alpha. Good afternoon.”

“Good afternoon. How is she?”

“She’s fine. Responding to treatment.”

I could have sworn that my eyes were the size of saucers.

“What?”

I looked at Orion and Akela.

“She’s alive?”

Orion nodded. He waved me inside. And there was my mother. She had several burn marks, and the room smelt of burnt flesh. I could feel the hot tears running down my cheeks. I faintly heard the doctor excusing herself. One thing was certain; this wasn’t a suicide.

“What happened?”

Orion sighed.

“Come with me.” He began walking out of the infirmary, and it took everything in me to will my legs to move and follow him. We walked to what must be his office, and we took seats behind the mahogany desk. Orion took his seat on the other side of the desk. It took a while, but I was able to get myself together.

“What happened to her?”

“She was attacked.”

“Who would want to attack my mother?”

Orion shrugged.

“Only your mother can answer that. But there is something peculiar about this.”

“What is it?”

“The stench of rogues was all over the house. Even with the fact that it was gutted with fire.”

“Wait, fire?”

“Yes. Whoever did this was trying so hard to make it look like a suicide.”

I immediately remembered what Odin said to me.

“Odin mentioned suicide.”

“What do you mean?”

“Odin came over to the house the other day and told us that Vanessa committed suicide.”

“How did he know that? No one outside of the high ranks doesn’t know what happened.”

“What if he…” Akela started, looking at me.

“…called for her murder.”

My heart began beating a funny rhythm in my chest again. He was able to get to my mother. What about Chief Hanu, his wife, and his pack? What about Alan and Anna? I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if anything happened to them.

“Oh my goodness!”

“What association does Odin have with rogues?”

“He has been doing a lot of traveling lately, and word around the pack is that he is making alliances. But my father looked into that, and we found that there were no new alliances to be formed,” Akela said.

“Maybe those alliances were with rogues?” There was silence in the room. We were in some very serious trouble if Odin was in cahoots with rogues. That was a very serious offense.

If he was conspiring with rogues, one thing was certain—no one was safe.

A knock on the door disturbed the perfect silence that was in the room. We all looked back towards the door as it opened a crack, and Doctor Paige popped her head in.

“Alpha…Vanessa is awake now.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. A weight lifted off my chest.

“Thank you.”

She nodded and closed the door behind her. I was already on my feet, and Akela followed suit, still holding my hand. I couldn’t be more thankful for the support.

“Are you sure that you are ready to see her…to hear her?”

I nodded at Orion. He shrugged and stood up, leading us back to the infirmary. He pulled open the partition and stepped aside for us to walk through, following us into the small space. My mother was sitting up against the metal headboard, propped up by pillows.

“Hey, Mom.”

“Hey, baby.”

I hugged her. We might have our differences, but she was still my mother, and I loved her.

“I’m glad that you’re okay.” I laughed with tears in my eyes and throat.

“You’re one to talk. It’s not like I’m the one in the hospital.” She smiled sadly at me.

“I see that you have jokes.”

Orion cleared his throat, and I moved away from my mother.

“Vanessa. We want to ask you a few questions.”

“Okay.”

“Did you try to kill yourself?”

“No!” She looked at all three of us, her eyes filled with something akin to alarm, and they finally settled on me.

“Did you think that I would kill myself?”

Before I could respond, Orion beat me to it.

“We both know that the death of a mate can be quite cruel—that, and being forced to leave a pack that you’ve always known usually throws some wolves off.”

My mother laughed.

“I am finally able to live my life for myself, and you think that I would jeopardize that to kill myself.”

There was some sort of silence in the ward. I finally gathered the courage to ask what I have been meaning to do.

“Mom. Did Dad challenge Odin because of what Odin did to get the position of Alpha?”

I could see whatever trace of happiness she had turned to sadness.

“That was only a tiny part of the reason.”

“What?”

“Your father didn’t challenge Odin because of what he did all those years ago. He challenged him for something else…more like someone else…”

I was more than confused now.

“What do you mean?”

“Dakota…your father and I were not on the best of terms the past two years of our relationship. We were just trying our best to make compromises and hold it together.” The more she spoke, the more I was convinced that she was speaking Latin. I couldn’t comprehend.

“What do you mean?” I was beginning to ask this question a lot. She sighed and adjusted herself on the bed.

“Honey, what I want to tell you…it is important that you understand that your father loved you very much…”

I looked at my mother; she was engrossed in staring at her fingers. I noticed how tears began to drop on her fingers. There was pin-drop silence in the room.

“You’re scaring me.”

“Some time ago, your father was on a mission outside the pack. You must know by now who your grandfather is. And on one of those missions, your father found his mate.”

My confusion was compounded. I threw my head back and laughed, but once I noticed the grave seriousness on my mother’s face, I stopped. Disbelief and something akin to panic set in.

“You are his mate.”

She shook her head.

“He found her and was ready to throw everything to the wind. Everything including me…”

“You are his mate.”

“I am his chosen mate. He found his fated mate…and she bore him a child…”

I could hear mom and Akela calling my name. And then darkness.