Chapter 150: Chapter 150

/Aiden's POV/

Everything hurts. That's the first thought that dawned on me as I slowly drifted into consciousness. My hands twitched helplessly, and even though I could flutter my eyelids, they felt too heavy to open my eyes.

My chest felt strange, uncomfortable sensations filling it up and throbbing in my ears, alongside horrid sounds that made it impossible to concentrate.

I tried to open my eyes, just a little, and it's bright, blindingly so. It had been peaceful and dark seconds away, then an intense pressure in my chest made me hit the ground.

I realised I was on a bed, covered by a thick duvet, sunlight spilling through the open windows at the opposite side of the room, so bright that it seemed like every single ray amplified a hundredfold. It hurt my eyes, so I narrowed them before letting my gaze wander.

Rose was sitting on a chair beside the bed.

Relief flooded through me, momentarily calming my body. My mate appeared worse for wear – her face pale and bruised, a bruise poking out of the ill-fitting hoodie she wore. Another one of mine.

Her head tipped forward a bit with chin resting on her chest; mouth parted. She probably fell asleep while watching over.

As if the omega could sense my eyes on her, she blearily blinked, opening them. They appeared glassy and red but also open and unapologetically worried. Rose hastily stood up and rushed by my side.

"How are you?!"

"W-What?" I cleared my throat, wincing at the dryness in my mouth. She bought me a glass of water from the nightstand, making me drink as I slowly sat up. "What happened to me?"

"Reece poisoned his claws with a herb. He clawed at your chest, and you fell unconscious."

I winced, pinning the reason behind the sting in my chest.

"O-Oh." Guilt swarmed in my belly as I took in her appearance, watching the tear streaks on her pale cheeks. "I can't imagine what all that was like for you. How hard it must have been for you to go through all of that, baby." I paused, taking another deep breath, almost choking. Reaching out with a pale, trembling hand, I wrapped my fingers around her bony wrist. The contact was electric and zinged up my arm and into my chest with full force.

"Shush, don't apologise." Rose leaned forward, pressing our foreheads together, my eyes fluttering shut. "None of it was your fault. We are all okay and standing here. That's all matters to me."

"Mhm, but how did I wake up so quick? Who healed me?"

"It's a long story." She wetly giggled, the sound causing goosebumps to prickle along my arm, relief sinking in my bones.

***

Liam came to see me a few days later. He was ashamed, feeling guilty for letting me down. It was not his fault anyway. Reece planned everything way before, and we had no control of the situation. Besides, my mate told me that he tried his best, throwing himself in front to save her from harm's way. How could I stay mad at him?

We talked it out, mostly I cleared his silly thoughts and thanked him sincerely. He fulfilled his duties as second in command and made me feel proud.

A week later, things started to look up when I heard that my mother was slowly responding to the treatment. Thanks to Rose mother. As much as she wanted to help, some things were beyond the healer's realm. They are only allowed to heal physical scars, not emotional ones. Getting back from the pit and responding to the treatment was up to the injured person. As she suggested, I sat with my mother, visited her often, gave her updates about the pack.

When she fully recovered and could sit independently, I decided to see her with my mate. It's the moment we have been waiting for.

"I am sorry, mom...." Taking her hand in mine, tears filled my eyes as I thought back to the way I treated her. She must have been so excited and eager to meet her only son while I did not even listen to her. A lump formed in my throat, my head tilted, and my vision going blurry.

She made a soft sound in the back of her throat, tilting my head so that I could meet her eyes, a fondness in them. "Silly Alpha. My silly boy. I am not mad at you. You had no one by your side all these years, and that might have clouded your judgment. There's nothing to forgive."

Those words only twisted the dagger in my chest, a lone tear sliding down my cheeks. I felt Rose's hand resting on my shoulder, patting me as she came to stand by my side. Looking up, I saw her flash me a tender smile, eyes softening.

"Thank you." I faintly whispered.

My mother shook her head. "I love you; I hope you know that."

"I do." I immediately responded. There was no hesitation about that anymore, knowing she did everything in her power to protect me. "And I love you."

"Your dad came to see me a while ago." She suddenly started, sitting up straighter, hands folded in her lap.

"Oh? What did he say?"

"He apologised for all the years I lost and for trusting the wrong person. Alexander told me that he searched for me but then gave up, and his failure made him hate me more. It was a whole thing, but we cleared the air."

"So that means you can stay here with us, right?" Rose asked, her eyes glimmering.

"She doesn't need my father's permission for that." I scoffed, rolling my eyes. There was an evident strain with how I viewed my father after learning the past. He had so many chances to come clean yet kept me in the dark and let me hate my mother.

"Aiden...don't be that way. Your father did what he thought was right that time. I am tired of being mad at him, and you should forgive him too."

I grunted in response.

For a while, we talked, mostly my mother sharing stories letting my mate about my pup years. My hand entwined with Rose, watching as her expression shifted to that of awe and genuine smile.

"Ann, I have been meaning to ask you this...about Reece." Rose cleared her throat; a hesitant look etched across. "How did you come to know about his truth?"

"Right." My mother made a face. "Reece..." She corrected herself with a shake of her head, "Ronald, he befriended me with a typical sad story, and like a fool, I believed him. We were both victims, so we had the same goals, trained together and climbed up ranks. After the elders made me Luna, I chose him as my second command. It was much later that I regained my memory and told him all about it. He was enraged on my behalf and motivated me to challenge my old pack." A breath whooshed out of her, rubbing her face as she leaned down.

"One day, he forgot to take those wretched herbs, I guess because I smelled his omega scent. Reece came clean after all these years and apologised for hiding his true status, saying he was afraid that I would not consider him for a beta position. I let that slide, but it also created a doubt in my mind."

"When we came here, I noticed how he was getting impatient, giving out orders without my permission and funding private guards. As soon as I heard that your father fell ill, I confronted him when he confessed everything. Reece told me that he gave the mark to remind you of the bad things he is capable of and that he will come back for you."

"Fortunately, he forgot all those," Rose said with a relieved breath, her grip tightening around mine.

"Reece had the abilities to use herbs in his way. He could do anything as he learned on his own for years, experimented with them. The reason he did not kill me all these years was for his sick benefit. He wanted me to destroy my own family, get his revenge and then kill me. After I heard all those things, I attacked him and ran away to see Rose." Her body sprawled, a sigh escaping past her lips, head bent down.

"He won't get to you anymore, mom."

She softly hummed. "I know"

***