Chapter 38: Chapter Thirty-Eight: Mother

Freya’s POV.

Rose begged to sleep in my room last night, she felt bad about what happened with her father and Gamma Sarah. In the morning we sat around talking, getting to know each other a little better.

Rose told me about her passion for the arts and how she got it from her mother. The way she talked about her mother made her sound like she was the sweetest and most empathetic person. It almost made me wish I could have met her. “Losing her firstborn took a toll on her,” Rose said. “I think that’s why it was so hard for her to fight when she got sick. It’s not something she ever got over.” She didn’t deserve to get her baby taken from her, no one did. “I know that’s why Dad is being kind of ruthless but she wouldn’t want the pack to hurt innocent people to get you back.”

Rose went on to apologize to me about the attacks her father was involved in. She described some of the dreams she used to have with me in them. She was impressed with me and took an interest in my medical career. I was starting to see Rose for who she was, a gentle and kind person.

She was the kind of girl I’d want for a little sister.

At first, I thought she was growing attached too quickly and only because we shared DNA. Now I realized that she just noticed that we were kin spirits from the beginning. “You know you’re going to have to go in two weeks right?” I asked to make sure we were on the same page so things can go smoothly next time. I didn’t want to hurt her.

“I guess,” Rose said, staring at her feet as she sat crisscrossed on my bed. “I like it here, Alpha Demetri isn’t anything like what I’ve heard about him from my pack.” There must have been a lot of propaganda about us over there. How else would they get their pack to be okay attacking us? “Is there any way you’d come back with me?” Rose asked, raising her head to look at me. “Not to stay but to talk some sense into our Dad.” But he wasn’t our Dad, not mine. “He’s really not that bad, he’s just been such a different person the last couple of months. Getting you back in his life would stop that, it would fix everything.” He needed to let me go.

“Let’s just focus on us first,” I said, putting on a counterfeit smile.

Rose nodded, pushing down her disappointment in a swallow.

When Gabriel woke up Rose left to meet Cameron for their breakfast plans.

Gabriel hadn’t seen his grandpa since he woke up from his coma so I took him to Mom’s room. Dad was happy to see Gabriel, and vice versa. I asked him to take Gabriel to the dining hall for breakfast while I talked to Mom. Dad didn’t ask any questions before leaving with his grandson.

Mom and I stared at each other for a minute in silence. I expected her to start with an apology but she didn’t so I spoke first. “I hope you’re ashamed of yourself. I don’t know how anyone could do what you did and be okay with it.”

Mom turned her head to look out the window as she parted the tan floral patterned curtains. “I know what we did was wrong Freya.”

My fists balled up. “And??” I said, my emotions starting to get the better of me.

Mom turned to me and she struggled to force her frown away, her lips quivering. “There’s not a part of me who regrets it,” She said, stirring up my emotions. “I’d do it all over again if I could go back.” She took a step closer to me. “I wouldn’t want a thing changed.”

I took a step back. “You wouldn’t change someone having their baby kidnapped??”

“Freya,” Mom said. “The cold lightning pack didn’t deserve you and you completed our family.”

“I wasn’t yours!”

That was her plan?? To double down on her involvement in kidnapping me?? She was generalizing an entire pack.

My mom’s first tear broke through and rushed down her cheek until it hit the floor. “Then why are you still here? They want you back,” her voice shook. “They nearly killed your father while trying.” It was low of her to bring that up now! “If that’s the kind of pack you want— if that’s the kind of family you want then why are you still here telling me how horrible I am?!” I didn’t think she was horrible.

“I want to know why, Mom,” I said, my tone calmer than before, or at least I was trying to make it calmer.

“I was the head childcare provider of the pack,” Mom began. “Alpha Austin wanted me to look after you until he could find the right pack members to adopt you. He told me the truth and how important it was for no one else to know. After not even a full hour alone with you I knew you if you weren’t going to be with your birth family then you belonged with us. You were already here with the pack and Alpha Austin wasn’t giving you back. I did nothing wrong Freya.”

“You never told me.”

“Of course, I didn’t,” she said, throwing her arms up. “Do you see how hurt you are?? I wanted to avoid this and I didn’t want this to happen, for you to blame me and see me as a criminal. “I deserved to know the truth, regardless of how I’d react.

“I thought you might leave and break up our family.”

Our family, right? “We’re gonna have to tell Dad,” I said.

Mom shook her head. “Freya, he’s gone through enough.”

“You don’t think he’s going to hear about Rose and who she is from another pack member?? News travels fast around here.”

“Rose?” Mom asked, her brows furrowed in confusion. “Who’s Rose?”

I swallowed, forgetting I hadn’t mentioned her yet. “My sister from my birth family, we got a DNA test. She’s staying here and we’ve been getting to know each other.”

Another tear fell and mom turned her back to me. “Demetri said something about that, I’ll tell your father,” her voice cracked. “You can go.”

We got mostly nowhere.

I went to the dining hall and Mom stayed put in her room.

During breakfast, Dad avoided asking where Mom was and when Gabriel asked I said she wasn’t hungry. Spending time with my dad and son lifted my mood a bit.

Afterward, I left Gabriel with his grandfather so I could meet up with Becca in the city since she suggested we get new dresses for our double date. After the conversation I had with my mom I had doubts I’d have a good time tonight.

We were in about the nicest clothing store I’ve ever stepped foot in. Becca was taking this “date” a little too seriously. “So you and Demetri had a little alone time during the full moon,” Becca said and I acted like I didn’t know what she was talking about. “Behind the tree.”

Fine. “We might have kissed,” I said exciting Becca. Then I mumbled the next part as I buried my face in a tall clothes rack, “And he told me he loved me.”

“Freya!!” Becca squealed.

I rolled my eyes as I pulled away from the clothes to look through them. “Don’t get excited, I don’t know if we could ever make it work.”

“Freya you guys never got a real chance to try and make it work,” she said pulling a dress off the rack. “Go try this own, I’m gonna make sure you look stunning tonight.”

And that’s what she did. She bought me an expensive ass short off-the-shoulder tight black dress and spent three hours doing my makeup and hair.

I was afraid I was going to be overdressed since she didn’t spend nearly as much time on herself as she did me. Luckily when we got to the venue I mostly fit right in. The restaurant Becca chose was a fancy five-star place that was opening a new location in our city.

Not the mention by the way Demetri looked, he might have been taking this date as seriously as Becca was. His trendy black suit looked straight out of a fashion magazine. Kyle, on the other hand, was dressed a little more plain. He didn’t have any interest in being here and I found myself afraid it was because of me. Being around Kyle was getting less annoying and more… sad. Since he wasn’t being outwardly rude anymore it made me think. He was family I was so disconnected from despite being so close with before.

“You look Gorgeous,” Demetri said to me and when I looked up at him, he looked mesmerized by me. His gaze left me speechless.

I had a feeling this was going to be one hell of a night…