Chapter 112 Craving A mother’s Love
The office smelled faintly of leather and polished wood, but that aroma couldn’t mask the tension that hung in the air. Darius had transformed what was once a formal, sterile workspace into something else entirely, a war room. Maps of border packs were tacked onto every free wall, each pinned with colored markers. Holographic screens hovered in the corners, displaying reports of hybrid sightings, border breaches, and strange activity that hadn’t been fully explained yet. On the central table, files and folders were stacked high: surveillance reports, genetic studies, and journaled observations from pack leaders.
I sank into the chair across from him, letting my fingers trail over the surface of the table. The evidence we’d collected in Nevada, from the failed hybrids to the stolen omegas, had been meticulously catalogued. Even after everything I’d seen, my stomach twisted at the memory of the sounds, the screams, and the smell of chemical sterilization mixed with fear and blood. I still shivered at the thought, but the shock had solidified into something sharper, focus. Purpose.
I picked up a photo that had been sitting among the files. It was old, sepia-tinged and slightly faded at the edges. A group portrait of the Vampire Royal Family. Men and women in elegant, impossibly refined clothing, their faces stoic, their eyes sharp with the dignity of centuries. I studied the women in particular, tracing their jawlines, the slope of their noses, the expressions that were so reminiscent of some deep part of me. My heartbeat picked up as I considered the possibility, one of them had to be my mother. But which one?
Darius stood behind me, close enough that I could feel the warmth radiating off him, but far enough that he respected the boundary I had unconsciously set. I didn’t need to speak to feel his presence, steady and unwavering. After a moment of silence, he asked, “Do you want to meet her?”
I froze, the question echoing in my mind louder than the hum of the computers in the corner. The word “mother” carried weight I hadn’t realized I was holding. Meeting her wasn’t just a reunion; it was a confrontation with every unanswered question that had haunted me for years. The way she had been absent while I endured my father’s twisted experiments, the silence that had followed, and the legacy of manipulation and danger I had inherited from her bloodline, it was all tangled in a knot that I wasn’t sure I could untangle.
“I… I don’t know,” I whispered, barely audible. My fingers lingered on the photograph as if the touch could bridge the gap between me and the mother I’d never known. A part of me craved to feel the love and warmth of a mother but another part of me was scared what if I reminded her of what she endured, the torture she was put through to give birth to a child she didn't want.
Darius’s voice was low, even, comforting without being soft. “I understand. But knowing her might give you answers, Lyra. Not all of them will be easy, but at least you’d know. You wouldn’t have to guess anymore.”
I looked at him, and for the first time, I saw vulnerability flicker in his eyes. Not his Alpha side. Not the King of Wolves. Just Darius. The man who had spent years guarding his own secrets while I bared mine, who had held me when I was afraid and steadied me when my own power threatened to consume me.
“I’m scared,” I admitted, my voice cracking. It wasn’t just fear of what she might say, or even how she might react. It was fear of what I might become in the process,what truths I might unearth that could shatter the fragile balance I had managed to build around myself.
Darius’s hand hovered near mine, not touching, just a presence. “Scared is normal. You have every right to be. But you won’t go through it alone. I’ll be there, every step. No one else has to know until you’re ready.”
I let out a shaky breath, my gaze returning to the photograph. The women looked so composed, so regal, so untouchable. And yet, I recognized fragments of myself in their faces. My sharp cheekbones, the curve of my lips, the intensity in my eyes that always seemed to unsettle others. There was a part of me that wanted to run, to flee back to the safety of Darius’s presence and pretend that the question of my mother didn’t exist.
But another part of me,the part that had endured everything and survived,felt the pull of truth. I had been made this way for a reason, and no matter how much I hated it, that reason was tied to her. To her bloodline. And if I wanted to find peace and out an end to all this, I would need to find her.
Darius sensed my hesitation before I even voiced it. “You don’t have to make a decision right now,” he said. “We can take it slow. Research first. Observe. I know the vampire councils and the Royal Houses. We can find a way to meet her safely, on your terms.”
I closed my eyes and let his words settle over me. The idea of negotiating with the vampire hierarchy made my stomach twist, but having Darius by my side made it bearable. The truth, no matter how dangerous, became less frightening with him there.
I opened my eyes again and picked up another file, this one a set of genetic logs. Each sample was cross-referenced with known vampire lineages. My own DNA markers were meticulously noted, indicating not only my hybrid nature but also the rare traces of royal vampire lineage, markers that were unique, powerful, and potentially dangerous if exploited.
Darius leaned closer, glancing at the file over my shoulder. “These markers,” he murmured, “they’re why you were a success. You’re not just a hybrid. You’re a weapon… and a bridge.”
I swallowed hard. “A bridge?”
“Yes,” he said. “Between humans, vampires, and wolves. But more importantly, between the mistakes of the past and the chance to fix them. You’re the only one who can do this.”
I felt the weight of his words pressing down on me, but instead of fear, there was determination sparking within. I had survived everything,my father’s experiments, the Council’s scrutiny, the attacks, and I would survive this too. But I couldn’t do it alone. Darius, even standing beside me silently, reminded me that I didn’t have to.
I looked back at the photograph. I traced the outline of one woman’s face, wondering if she was my mother, and if she had even thought of me over the years. Did she know of my existence? Did she care? Had she tried to reach me and failed, or had she deliberately stayed away?
Darius’s hand finally brushed against mine, a gentle, grounding touch. Not commanding, not possessive,just steady. I intertwined my fingers with his, feeling the pulse of life, of support, of unwavering trust. “We’ll find her,” he said quietly.
“I hope she wants to find me too,” I admitted, my voice barely more than a whisper.
“Even if she doesn’t,” Darius replied, “I’ll make sure you know the truth. And if she refuses, we’ll deal with it. Together.”
I exhaled slowly, letting the tension in my shoulders ease slightly. I didn’t need the entire answer now. I didn’t need certainty. I just needed this moment, him, me, the plans forming before us. The knowledge that whatever came next, we’d face it side by side.
For the first time in a long time, I felt the fear and the weight of responsibility settle into something manageable. I felt like myself again, even as the shadows of the past and the uncertainty of the future loomed over us. And I knew, without a doubt, that with Darius beside me, I could face anything, even the woman who might be my mother.
I finally looked up at him fully, letting my gaze meet his. “We start tomorrow,” I said.
Darius nodded, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Tomorrow,” he agreed.
I felt the faint stirrings of hope again.