Chapter 126: Chapter 126

It's not particularly windy, I realised leaving the packhouse behind and slipped in the dense forest. Something was buzzing and whirring in my ears, a ball of lump in my throat. My hand wrapped around my belly on instinct, a thick shawl draped over me.

The encounter with Jade and the way Aiden reacted still burned in my memory, an persistent ache in my chest. He did not even think twice before asking the witch to get rid of our pup, something that made me feel unsettled. In this short period of time, I managed to form an attachment with the foetus, and the thought of someone killing it off made me sick.

Despite all the chaos in our cabin, there was only one person I could think of to pull me out of that. My mother. She was also a healer and would know how to tackle this problem.

A few steps in, I clenched my teeth against the accompanying pain that suddenly shot up behind my eyes, making them water. It's just a walk; I tried to tell myself, pushing on and taking one step after the next, moving forward despite my legs shaking and knees feeling wobbly. The throbbing between my temples slowly but steadily moved down my throat, making it hard to breathe, and when I stood next to the familiar cave, my condition worsened.

My vision went blurry, tears forming behind my lids and making it impossible for me to navigate my way further. I lifted my hand and waved, spotting a blip of a figure coming out of the cave.

Suddenly, I couldn't breathe, doubling over with my hands on my knees and feeling like I was this close to throwing up all over the rocky path. I took a rattling breath, blinking in quick succession to regain normal vision, blindly reaching out for the trees to hold on.

"Rose!" My mother's honeyed tone washed over me, crouching down and putting a solid hand onto my back. "My dear, what's going on?"

I opened my mouth to reply, to assure her that I was fine, but the words stuck in my throat. My brain scrambled to catch up with the rest of my body, reminding me how to breathe. For the first few seconds, I went lax in her hold, gulping in so much air that I nearly choked on it, tightening my hand on the belly. What if my body was having a violent reaction to the pup?

My mother instantly released some energy, chanting something under her breath while rubbing her hand up and down my back.

"Try breathing now."

I meekly nodded my head, letting her take me to the cave, steps slow and measured. Once inside, she made me sit on the thick animal skin rug, tightening the shawl over my body. "Thank you. How did you do that?"

Her lips twitched for a second, "Years of practice, I guess. Forget about that. What happened to you?"

"Just – walked too fast, I think," I lied, looking at the patterns on the animal rug. Fingers still digging into my thighs and trying to calm my pounding heart.

"Rose. You are better than that. What's going on?"

At her words, the dam broke inside me, and I let out a dry sob, burying my face in my hands. My shoulders started shaking; my eyes clenched shut while my mother tried to console me by whispering sweet nothings in my ears. Minutes later, I sat up and rubbed at the wet cheeks, sniffling.

"Sorry for freaking out on you," I let out a sharp exhale, ignoring the spots that were dancing in front of my eyes. "I don't know why I did that."

She sat down in front of me with a huff, crossing her legs together and sitting in an Indian position. "I can tell that something is bothering you. Is that why you came to see me at this time?"

Nodding, I told her everything that went down with the witch and Aiden's reaction to Jade's suggestion. My mother was quiet during the whole ordeal, only humming in between with a pensive stare.

"Your mate is right to be concerned..."

"Mom!" I cut her off, my eyes widening and my arm coming to wrap around the middle. "What are you saying?"

"Hear me out first." My mother said with a frown on her face, placing a warm hand on my thigh. "Healers are not supposed to mix with other kinds for this particular reason. People think that our kind is pretentious for not wanting to taint the pureblood, but this is the true reason, Rose.” Her voice wavered, looking down for a second too long, shoulders slumping. “When I gave birth to you, I was scared because you were an omega, the most fragile of our kind. For a long time, I believed that I would lose you before you turn five years old."

A gasp escaped my lips, the hair on the back of my neck standing in trepidation, my stomach sinking at those words. I folded my lips, letting her continue.

"It's a miracle you are here. Your are a hybrid healer, and there are some things you cannot do. I am afraid complications will only worsen for you. I am so sorry for not telling you sooner, my child."

“M-Mom." I choked on my tears, letting them run down my cheek, shaking my head. "What do I do now? I do not want to let go of my pup. Please.”

She went on her knees, wiping my tears. “I-I will find a way for you.”

Blinking through the tears, I looked at her, my eyes widening. “There is a way?”

“Not that I know of, but I will try to find it for you, my dear.” Her eyes shifted to the pudge of my belly, face softening. “And my future grandchild. You have to be strong for both of you and try to convince your mate about the same.”

At that, my body slumped further on the floor, a sigh escaping my parted lips. The thought of digging the painful topic with my mate again made my skin crawl.

“I’ll try, mom.”

“Good. Now let’s find you something to eat.”

***

When my mother asked me to have a meal with her, I expected her to make something. The realisation hit me seconds later when she slowly shifted into her wolf form, asking me to follow her. It’s been a while since I hunted anyway, so I followed her, my limbs aching under the shift.

The breeze smelled of rust combined with a different foul odour, one that made my nose scrunch, making me gag. I thought that my hormones must be extra sensitive to my surroundings. Then again, the smell from being outside the territory's borders always had a particular kick on it. When war lurked around, I could not forget that smell—the one belonging to a fresh decaying corpse.

My mother used her mind linked to convince me that it must be a small animal, mongoose or a rabbit being killed nearby.

A few minutes of us walking the path of the scent seemed like hours as we neared closer to the thorny area, my paws almost crunching them underneath. The smell was strong indeed, causing both of us to tilt our head to the side in an attempt to block out the foul odour.

The sun had breached the horizon, but the fog was so thick we could only see a few yards ahead, pillows of moss-covered in frost and a few puddles of mud here and there in between. The farther we walked, the harder I found it to breathe, and I briefly wondered what might happen if I were to break down, unable to get my lungs to work again. Watching my mother next to me gave me all the assurance I needed.

“Mom, do you smell it too?”

“The blood?”

“Mhm, it’s getting stronger.”

I whined and took a step further, only to step into something dark and wet, my entire body freezing on the spot. The bushy tail went numb as well as I drew my paws back and turned them up to my face, realising my skin had taken on a deep, burgundy colour.

“Moons!”

Pulling back, I quickly shifted into my human form, unable to bear the stench any longer. Wolves have a sensitive nose and pick up on smells much quicker than humans. My mother stilled next to me; her brows pushed together.

I wiped the blood on the sides, taking a step back and pressing a hand over my nose and mouth to suppress a gag that was pushing bile up my throat.

“It’s human blood.”

My pulse galloped away, vision blurring for a few seconds before I nudged at my mother. She stood on her feet, shifting in an instant while dragging along to the blood flow. Upon standing in between two trees, a loud gasp escaped my throat at sight.

A woman was thrown on the rock, lifeless; it was an omega, I realised while squinting harder. At a second glance that almost made me throw up again, I noticed that she was from my pack, her throat ripped and insides falling on the rock.

A shiver ran through me, and I had to cough, squeezing my eyes shut in the process, but when I opened them again, I was staring into the dead woman, wide and full of horror. Recoiling, I stumbled back, falling over a mound and almost hitting the ground hard.

“Rose!” My mother rushed to my side, assisting me in standing on my feet. “Are you okay?”

“N-No…I know her, mom. She is from my pack.” I croaked, unable to look in her direction anymore, arms prickled with goosebumps.

“That’s awful.” My mother grimaced. “You need to inform your Pack Alpha right away and have someone look into it.” From the corner of my eyes, I saw her walk closer to the body, squinting at the body on the rock. “This looks brutal and done with intent, Rose. Be careful.”

***

After an hour or so, I returned to the packhouse, still horrified at sight. My mother refused to come along and instead guard the body in case nearby animals decide to feed on it. Entering our cabin, I found it empty, a frown settling on my features. Where could he be?

In search of Aiden, I rushed to the council meeting room only to see Liam standing outside as if guarding the door. Colour drained his face; mouth pulled together in a line as I approached the door.

“Rose.” He breathed a little too loud. “W-What are you doing here?”

“I came to see my husband.”

“Right.” The beta nervously chuckled, tugging on the roots of his hair, looking over his shoulder. “Aiden…he is in a meeting right now. Why don’t you go back, and I will send him as soon as he is done with his work?”

“Sorry, this is important, Liam.” I pushed past him, turning the knob of the door and stepping in. The wind nipped at my skin. My feet froze at sight in front of me, brows furrowed in confusion as Aiden’s back was turned to me while an omega sneered in my direction.

“Who allowed you in?!”

***