For a long time now Lana tried to focus at least on some vague object in her line of sight. Everything around was blurred and it took her a lot of straight just to keep her eyes open. She wanted so much to hurry up and get rid of the constant fog in her head. At last, the gaze caught on to something and the blurred figures began to take on a more distinct shape. Above Lana was a white ceiling with a small chandelier, but the light in the room was not from it, so logically one could assume that now was a daytime. It was very quiet in here and since she did not recognize the chandelier, Lana could assume that she was not at home or somewhere in a familiar place.
She tried to move. The body did not hurt much, but a feeling of sluggishness and dizziness made her feel like she had a hangover. Lana finally managed to raise a little and look around the room. There was no much furniture and it was rather laconic tasteful. Everything was done in pastel colors of beige. In the armchair next to the bed on which she was lying, Lana saw a silhouette. As soon as she turned to look. who it was, the person jumped up and run to her side. It was Vicky! Lana immediately recognized her daughter's familiar features. Her beautiful girl!
" Mom?! "- The voice was full of anxiety and fear. "Mom, can you hear me? How do you feel? Does it hurt anywhere? Do you want to drink?" - Without hesitating, she bombarded Lana with questions. She was always an impatient girl. The children's period "Why" began to her kid as soon as she began to speak, and maybe even earlier, still never ended... Nicky always threatened to give her a gag as a birthday present, although he often perceived her chatter as white noise. Lana smiled tenderly at Vicky to calm her down.
" I'm Ok. Nothing hurts, but I would like a drink." - she croaked, her voice was broken and somehow alien.
"All right," - responded Vicki and rushed to the door, then stopped abruptly and slapped her palm on her forehead, went back to the room:
" I'm an idiot! The water is here, "she muttered, going around the bed. Meanwhile, Lana tried to get up. The first attempt was unsuccessful. Her head spun, and her hands lost all the straight halfway, she collapsed on the pillow with a groan, knocking her head against the back of the bed, unfortunately, it was not soft at all and her nape met with a hardwood. Vicky yelped and rushed back to her splattering the water in her hand everywhere around.
" Mom don't get up! Sophie said that you need to rest, we did not expect that you will recover so quickly."
" How much time has passed? What happened?" - Recovered a little, asked Lana without trying to rise again. The face of Vicky instantly became pale and serious.
" Don't you remember?" - she finally whispered.
Lana was silent for a moment. She clearly remembered how she came home, cooked, then Ralph arrived ... She shivered remembering everything that happened next.
"Ralph got angry and ..." Lana could not find the words and fell silent, lowering her eyes.
" Angry? Mom, how long are you gonna be like this?!" - Vicky screamed suddenly in range and slammed the glass of water back on the nightstand. Lana did not expect such a reaction and raised her eyes in surprise to Vicki. She was fuming like a demon.
"Mom, he almost beat you to death. If Nick and I did not get back early, I don't know what could have happened! He ... He went berserk on you!"
" Vicky, calm down," - from the door came the low voice of her brother. His face was serious and worried. He crossed the room and sat down on the bed beside Lana, looking her up and down.
" How are you feeling, Mom?" - he finally asked, laying his broad, cool palm on Lana's forehead. She gave her son the same warm and slightly tired smile.
"I'm fine," she assured him, intercepting his hand and squeezing it a little.
"Sophie said that you need to lie down for a while and rest. She left some medicine in case you wake up." He wanted to get up, but Lana stopped him.
"Wait, It doesn't hurt anymore. Sit a little bit with me. You, too, Vicki," - she added, turning to her daughter and holding out her hand. Vicky was still smoking with outrage, but she took her hand and sat on the bed.
" Where are we now?" - Lana finally asked, not knowing where to begin. Vicky opened her mouth, but Nick interrupted.
"We're at Sophie's, Daniel's assistant's home. We could no longer allow you to stay in this city. After what happened, even Daniel did not dare stop us. And Sophie offered us a place to stay for as long as needed."
Lana wrinkled her forehead, trying to remember. Indeed, Daniel had a family business assistant who lived outside Bennin, in a large city of humans. She rarely appeared in Bennin and so Lana only met her a couple of times. A sweet girl, but too independent to be a part of the pack.
"So Daniel also knows?" Lana suddenly realized.
Nick wanted to answer but was interrupted by Vicki.
"Of course he knows! What do you think?! Mom, when we came back, our living room floor was splashed with your blood all over! This ... Dad acted like a lunatic. Nick immediately sent me away to find help. When I returned with Uncle Tom, Robbie, and Grandma Ani. we were forced to drag dad away from Nick, who tried to stop him from raughting you up. We were patient enough, but it's already an end! I do not know who called Daniel, but he appeared in about ten minutes. He ordered to lock dad up ... and took you to the hospital. But then, when Doc said you were going to make it, Nicky demanded that we will be allowed to take you away. They argued for a long time, but in the end, Daniel let us go, only with the condition that we stay with Sophie until you are fully recovered." - finished Vicky took a breath and siped from a glass of water which she didn't pass to Lana in the end. Then, suddenly realizing this, she offered it to her mother with embarrassment.
" Sorry, Mom, I'm just a mess of nerves. You had a fever for almost two days. You screamed so much and wriggled, even shifted twice. And constantly called for some Greg ... "- said Vicky and looked at her mother questioningly. Lana immediately blushed. But it was too late to hide. She lowered her eyes and sighed deeply.
" Vicki, Nicky, I think I should admit something. In fact, your father ... well, we are not realy Mates. And we never were." - The answer to this was silence. She cautiously looked first at Vicky then at Nicky, on their faces there was no surprise nor horror.
"Mom, we've known for a long time," Nicky finally said, deciding not to torture his mother more.
" You knew? But how?"
" I think have many guessed, but we live with you all our lives. Do you really think that we did not notice that there was a fresh scar on your neck every morning, and sometimes it disappears altogether, or how do you act with each other? Mates can be different, but not a single one bonded shifter would cause pain consciously to his Mate." - Vicky answered quietly. She was relatively calm and Lana seemed to notice a flash of pity or regret in her daughter's eyes.
" Mom, I don't know how it happened that you and our father began to pretend to be a Mates, I don't know why it was necessary. But I think it's already enough. Maybe Vicky doesn't remember, but I remember how you once tried to escape from him. I was still small and couldn't stop him from bringing you and us back. But I'm already twenty. I can find a job, we can live without him or anyone."
"My sweet baby, it's not about the money," Lana tried to assure him. "It's just that Ralph will never let us go."
"No, Mom, you don't get it! I already got Daniel's permission to leave the pack. Neither I nor Vicky are coming back, period. We are ready to become loners, if necessary. We are just so tired of living like this. Do you think that you are sacrificing yourself? And what about us? You think it was nice to watch all these years how our father humiliating, beats, mocks you. Even if he never touched us. It's not worth it! If we were your reason to stay with this bastard, then it's no longer necessary. We don't want any more sacrifices from you. It won't make us happy. Even if I have to work on three jobs to feed you and Vicky, I will at least return home not to a battered mother and sister in hysterics."
Each word of his son pierced Lana's heart deeper then Ralph's claws. All these years she didn't even think what kind of pain she caused her children. She always tried to hide from them what was happening, to smile when she wanted to cry. And she tried to convince herself that since Ralph never raised his hand against them, it was not so bad. But she was wrong, and now she felt selfish. She had to fight harder, and not sit and revel in her misfortune. She wasn't able to give them the most important thing, that the mother must give - a happy childhood."
"Mom," Vicky called her, apparently she felt that Lana begin to plunge into the abyss of mental self-flagellation. - "Nick didn't tell that to make you feel bad. It's not your fault that this ... that it all happened. We just want to start over, with you."
Tears poured down like a waterfall. Lana wanted to be strong for her children, but they were much stronger than her. She felt Vicky clinging to her right side, stroking her back and muttering in her ear, that everything will be just fine. Such a gentle and caring girl, her little sunshine Vicky. And then Nicky put them both in a bear hug. So reliable and strong. How she was able to raise such wonderful children.
When the waterfall has dried up a little, they finally separated from each other.
"Ok, let stop this sob-fest," Nicky grumbled in embarrassment and displeasure. "Vic, go make something to eat for mom. "
"Oh, right", - Vicky immediately jumped up from the bed. - "Sophie also said that you should eat and you will immediately feel like new."
When Vicky ran out the door, Nick became serious. He leaned closer, resting his elbows on his knees and gazing intently at his mother's face.
"Have you met Greg?" he asked without any hesitation. Lana jumped from such a question.
"But how?..."
" Mom, although I was only seven, don't forget, shifters mature early. Maybe Vicky does not remember, but I do. Greg spent a lot of time with me that year. Even without mark and Bonding ceremony, anyone can guess that you are Mates. And that time, when we came back, this baster was yelling about you cheating on him and many others not very pretty things. In addition, the bruise on your neck, even though it turned paler, is still there. Even though your other cuts and bruises already long gone ..."
Lana didn't know what to say. There was no denying it.
" I'm so sorry, I do not know how it happened. It's Just the plane had an emergency landing at this airport because of a blizzard. And he was there ... It's just crazy." Lana began to justify herself, but Nick interrupted her.
" No, Mom, madness, it's to be forced to live with an unloved man, when you know that your Mate is out there. Humans can act like this. not the shifters. It's our nature to be with a Mate no matter what. Many are ready to give everything just to find a Mate, and you gave it up just like that. Why? Because of us?
"No, baby, it's not like this," Lana objected immediately. "It's all because of my father. Back then, many years ago, He and Ralph agreed, that if my father gave me to him, Ralph would help him become a member of the Council of Elders. I was thought that we were Mates also because my father said so. I was a fool. So stupid. I did not know at first about their agreement, only when I realized that we are not Mates, I called my father, and he threatened that he would kill me if I try to tell someone the truth. After that, we did not communicate. Then, when I ran away the first time, Ralph himself told me everything. He said that if I try to get away from him, he will tell everyone about their contract with my father. You know that this can't be forgiven so simply, especially to the members of the Council. What will happen to your grandfather, when the truth comes out, does not bother me much, but he's Alpha of his pack. But what will happen to my mom, brother and everyone else? Sorry, I know it sounds selfish. I sacrificed your childhood for the happiness of others. And I have no excuse. I just did not think ... " - Lana hesitated. She did not know how to continue, she did not want to make excuses anymore. Nicky gently took his mother's hand, drawing her attention.
"Mom, don't say that. I'm sorry that I told you all this. We had a good childhood with Vicky. There were friends, birthdays, joy, laughter, fairy tales in the night. There was everything, and it was you who gave it to us. It's just that now we are adults and we want you to be happy too, you know?"
" That's right!" - proclaimed Vicky, from the entrance with a tray full of food. "So where does this Greg live?" - Without a trace of embarrassment, she continued, putting the tray on the bed, as if she asked what juice Lana wants, and it was not such an important question.
"Vicky!"
"What? You keep hiding everything from me. I knew that you specifically asked me to leave, so I eavesdropped near the door. I was so quiet as a ninja."
Nicky rolled his eyes, and Lana laughed shaking her head.
" So will you tell me about him or not? I want to know about my stepfather in advance. Is he handsome?
"He's a human, sunshine! And he will not become your stepfather! Lana interrupted her with a serious face."
" But why?"
"Vicki, sweety, please understand, we are not only from completely different worlds. But I already tried it once with him and brought him a lot of pain. Maybe you do not remember, but that time Greg was seriously injured, because of me. I do not want to be the cause of his pain anymore. I know that he is my Mate and that's exectly why I should stay away from him.
Vicky shook her head, but could not find an argument against it. Nicky pated Lana on the shoulder and stood up, finishing the conversation.
"Mom, please, eat something and then go to bed. Even though you are a shifter, but you are not fully recovered yet. We'll talk later. We'll go clean up in the kitchen. I'll come back for the tray.
Vicki again tried to say something, but his brother's stern look forced her to shut her lips. They both kissed Lana and left her alone with food and her thoughts.