"So, who are you?" I asked. I had been speaking to this woman but I didn't know who she was. All I know is I've been on my own, long enough. Marquis dropped me off here after I passed out. When I woke up I was escorted from a lavish apartment sized bedroom to a formal parlor room. Decorated with antique Victorian style furnature and nick-nacks. The painting and marked plaque explaining it was Lamia and Eder hung over a fireplace. I didn't understand why that was here of all places. Did something happen when I was asleep? Did they kill Marquis and bring me here? This lady wasn't Lamia.
She was quite the opposite. Short and plump with curves. She was motherly age and in appearance. I didn't recognize her at all. I knew though she was a werewolf. Her sweet scent of sunflowers and ferns flowed naturally in the room. By the smell of earl gray, she drunk it often in this very room. She had the scent of wolf but not from the pack. Since I couldn't remember all the scents of the bordering packs.. It was safe to say I was in one of them. I had to be. I just had a feeling. Her expression showed care. Something I found favorable amongst mother wolves. They saw everyone as someone to take care of.
"You're in Blacktail Growler's territory."
I choked on the very air I breathed in.
"Why am I here?" I asked in amazement. I didn't think I would be here of all places. "And, who are you?" I pressed.
"Marquis knocked on our pack doors and asked for us to take you in. He said you were being targeted by Lamia and this was the safest place for you. He's right."
"Again, who are you?" I mumbled. "Why is the painting of Lamia and Dragavei on your wall? How do you connect to them?"
"You don't remember me do you?" She asked softly.
"What is there to remember? I never met you before."
"Malakai, I named you," she told me softly.
We sat at a round glass table. With a tea set between us. White victorian chairs decorated on two sides of the table but we both faced the fireplace. It was lit with red flames. The rest of the room was heavily decorated with bookcases and thousands of journals. We were on a ground floor. The windows were floor to ceiling and able to fold open. There was a soft cold wind blowing into the room and outside I could see a vast forest. It was only a few feet outside of the window. Unlike our pack house, there was fields before forest. This was more remotely located. I could hear the forest calling to my wolf. I wanted to run as this woman told me, she was the one who named me.
"Who... are you?" I stuttered out. How important is she if she was the one who named me? If she was my mother's best friend? My father's lover?
"I'm your mother, Sophie Sutton... But everyone here knows me as Jenna Blacktail." I know the Blacktail name means she must be married to the alpha of this pack. I looked her in the eyes in disbelief.
"My mother died," I told her quickly. "Father told me himself. My mother was his soul mate. His precious and favorite mate. That's why he loved me so much all my life. If you're her then I want to go home. Because if you're still alive and making him believe you're dead then you're nothing but their equal," I said as I looked at Lamia's stature.
"I know, I have a lot of explaining to do," she told me and reached across the table to take my hand. "But what I'm telling you IS true. I am Sophie."
"Do you have any proof?" I asked her as I looked at her hand in shock. There's no way she could be my mother. Everyone knows she died and the only one to tame my father's wolf again was my step mom. E-even if SHE is my mom.... could I give her any affection?
"Would you listen to someone you know?" She asked curiously.
"Is there someone here?" I muttered curiously.
"Yes, Alpha Fang is here trying to convince my husband to join a war against Lamia."
"Fang is here?" I asked in excitement. "He would work," I blurted out. I need to send a message through him to Brendon. If I can let Brendon know I'm alive... and where I am...
"Sure," she said in surprise.
'She just told you your soulmate was crushing on your ancestor, Fang. You know what this means? You might be seen as nothing when Fang and Eder meet again. You might be rejected,' Moro warned me. 'Do you really want to face Fang right now after knowing the backstory?'
'No matter what, Fang gave me this life to live. I owe him everything. If he decides to live out his life fighting Lamia or even running away with Eder... No, Fang would never run away. I believe he gave me this life to live as my own. And, to have a chance at love. We have to kill Lamia. For Eder's sake and for all three packs.'
I stood up and looked my- mother? In the eyes. I could see she was looking at me with wonder. Probably amazed at the young man I've become. After all, dad gives me that same look. I was born through pure love.
"Why did you leave?" I asked softly. If she really is my birth mother. I need to know her answer.
"I was scared and young when I met your father."
"Do you still love him?"
"My wolf howls everytime she hear's his name."
"He runs the boreders every day," I mumbled. "Do you think he's looking for you?"
"Your father told you I died but the truth is I ran away and told him not to come after me. I told him I didn't know if I wanted him. I always wanted more and I think it's the eager I feel to lead. Fang cursed us when he gave up our pack's territory. He made us all power hungry. I'm surprised with your father being first born, he's not half mad by now."
"An alpha without a pack is nothing," I heard a voice echo from the windows as three men stood in our view. One of them being Fang. Mother must have asked them to come telepathically. So this is her husband, the alpha and I bet the youngster is their son? I froze up in slight fear. I didn't expect it as I saw my half brother shoot daggers into my head, with his eyes. If looks could kill, I would be burning alive.
From pack studies I remembered something about this pack's alpha name being Kodiak and Aaragorn was his first born.
My attention wasn't on Fang or Aaragorn. I was stuck by Alpha Kodiak. Surprise trembled through my body. Because he was more wolf then human. He was of Japanese decent. His pale skin, slanted eyes, and dark colored hair and eyes were like night. He was in a kimono and that's when I remembered reading about him. He was from overseas. His mother came here and mated with the alpha of this pack. Leaving him a child before she died in childbirth. Kodiak was more wolf, because his mother was an actual wolf- decent. His father breed her- some creepy fetish. Kodiak had the nose, ears, and tail of a wolf. Longer fingers that stretched into nails. He was toned and in shape. He looked like a real beast. His son didn't get the same genetics. It must have been a disappointment to him. I couldn't keep my eyes off his snout. How his skin blended into fur with perfection. He was a whole new... level.
My half brother, Aaragorn was a mean looking punk. Several years younger then me, he looked fresh out of high school. He looked like an all star American kid with bleach blonde hair and star blue eyes. Must have came from mother. He reminded me of Nena's cute blonde hair. She was naturally so light colored. But this punk, was fake. He growled in disgust towards me. Obviously, not liking me from the start. He looked nothing like Kodiak. He barely looked mixed. Maybe he was adopted after all.
"Who is this?" Alpha Kodiak asked as he put a hand on his son's shoulder. I could hear Aaragorn suppressing his growls.
"This is Malakai," my mom warned. In some tone I knew she had discussed me before with her new lover.
"It's good to see you, kid," Fang said as he walked over to me and pulled my head into his chest. "I was wondering if they brought you here," he whispered to me. "So you've met knights of Eder?" He asked curiously. "He's kept them hidden from everyone all these years. But, he must really care for you if he asked them to take care of you."
"I think we're soul mates," I whispered to him as I looked up into his eyes.
"That explains a lot of things," he chuckled out.
"You two were friends," I whispered.
"He really liked me back then," he told me. I felt jealous as he admitted it. "But I think it's because he knew too much," he muttered under his breath. What does he mean by that? "I mean it's because my decedents are going to truly free him," he told me and looked pleased. "I need to take you somewhere." He looked at Kodiak. "Will you send a message to Brendon and let him know you accept?"
"I will," Kodiak said and bowed his head respectfully. "Take your time on the other side," he said. Other side?
"We're going to go see Eder, safely. It's how we used to meet before Lamia found out how we got around her." I tilted my head, not following. "He knows when we are around him in spirit form. We will go to him."