True Nature Ch. 09

"Emma, we know King Alastor had very little love for anyone," the luna interrupted gently. "Even his second son has the responsibility of healing Shadow Pack, due to his selfish rule. It could be the true that this young rogue knew nothing of our alliance."

"We both heard what he said though, don't you remember?" The queen argued, looking angrily at me.

"I do," she answered, nodding gravely, before she turned to address me. "Did you meet our son and reject him on your last trip back home, before your mother died?" She asked bluntly. "We were told you found out that he-" she looked down, sad and ashamed for a moment. Then she took a quick, calming breath and continued. "That he couldn't control his scent... and that you'd rejected him because of that, causing our alliance to become null and void, opening both our packs up to war. The next thing we know, your mother is dead and our son has disappeared." The luna addressed me softly, never yelling at me once, as her dark green eyes mirrored the same grief I'd seen in Fae's eyes two weeks ago.

I felt horrible, hearing how they had suffered and that they thought I'd been the cause. I also felt incredibly guilty for ever having a bad thought about Fae's disability and I hated myself even more for abandoning him when I could have come to Lotus Pack this entire time for help. Only, I'd never thought to.

"I... I never met anyone that was intended for me... not that I knew of anyways. But," I turned my eyes down in shame, "I think I may have met your son... and he... he begged me to bite him and instead I took him back to his abuser."

"If this proves to be true I will make you suffer for rejecting him!" Queen Emma growled, clearly outraged.

"The orb," the omega interrupted gently as she tugged on her wife's sleeve. "Let him see my memories. Let him confirm they are the same person."

"Fine," the queen finally agreed, beckoning to someone behind her. "Are you sure you want to see this?" She quietly asked her wife as a female beta moved towards the orb, carrying a white candle. "You put these memories to rest along time ago... please... I don't want things to get bad again."

"I need to know if he found our son Emma. You can't protect me from everything."

The queen grunted, sounding distressed and displeased with her luna's assessment, although she made no further protest. "Alaina... light the orb," she ordered instead, her voice slightly raw and unsteady.

The beta touched the flame to one of the blue volts of electricity and the smoke began to dissipate. As it cleared I began to see, what appeared to be a recording of a small, cherub cheeked, green eyed, white haired angel of a pup.

"My memories," the Luna, murmured in anguish. "I can feel them again," she whimpered, as the screen began to change, showing a small toddler taking tentative steps forward as he looked back at a young Queen Emma.

"Come here sweetheart," the young luna cooed to the small child. "Mommy!" He cheered gleefully, as he shakily took a step forward.

"His first steps," the luna whispered, experiencing the moment in real time as it played before her eyes.

The scene changed several times and soon the toddler was a young child, around five years old. "I need you to be very good and do everything Miss Luna says, alright?" The queen spoke gently, a protective arm around the boy's quivering shoulders.

"Momma no! What if she doesn't like that I smell bad?" The boy sniffled, looking up at her with bright tears in his big green eyes.

"Honey we talked about this. You don't smell bad! It's not your fault, you can't control your scent. I promise she won't mind but no one else can know about you right now. They need to think you're perfectly healthy and normal-"

"Momma don't make me go! Please! I don't want to leave you and Mommy! I be good! I promise! Plea-"

"Enough!" Queen Emma snarled, nodding to the beta, who in turn lit a bundle of sage, gently blowing the smoke inside of the orb.

The picture of the memory shuttered and then disappeared in a puff of fuchsia smog.

"Well," the queen demanded, in a shaky voice as she turned towards me. "I... I know he was only a child but... is there a resemblance? Even the slightest?" She asked, trying her best to keep from looking too hopeful.

"He... he looks just like you," I finally said, addressing the luna. "He did then... and... he does now. I... I'm almost certain my mate and your son are the same person."

The luna let out a cry of relief as she sagged to the floor, her queen catching her mid fall, to soften the landing.

"You call him your mate?" The queen asked, looking suspicious as she cradled her luna in her arms.

"Yes," I replied, deciding to be completely honest with them. "I didn't realize it before but I know that now. He's all I want and I only want to make him happy. I... I made a lot of mistakes. I tried to close myself off, I thought I was protecting myself, and everyone around me. But... now I see that I was slowly isolating myself, becoming closed off... like my father... and that's the last person I want to be. I'm finally ready to accept myself, my life, my fate and my mate... I can only hope that he still wants me. But... I need your help! He's currently in the hands of Shadow Pack's third in command, Frank Habberforth and it's not safe there. He... he keeps Fae as his sex slave and loan's him out to people to help pay his gambling debts."

"I'm guessing that's how you met my son?" The queen hissed angrily. "What, you thought you could just use and dispose of an omega simply because no one wants you around? Is this how you operate? Sleeping around with defenseless wolves that are of a lesser status than yourself, taking what you think your owed? You really are the son of a Shadow," she sneered with disgust.

I blushed at the accuracy of her accusation, "I... I didn't intended to sleep with him... not at first. But... I... I won all the games one night and Frank couldn't pay. So... he said I could take the omega for the night to compensate-"

"You did what?" Queen Emma growled as her luna shifted immediately, snarling and charging at me with fury.

I let her come, not wanting to hurt her tiny frame by defending myself. She looked too much like Fae. I dropped to my knees, letting the small wolf attack me.

Her sharp claws dug into my chest, "Please," I groaned in agony. "He... he might be pregnant... w-with my pup.... You can kill me but if you do, he'll need a lot help."

"What?" The queen asked, sounding shocked. "Are you serious?"

I nodded as best I could, trying to block my bloodied chest with the backs of my palms to keep the vicious omega from ripping out my heart.

"Jane, stop! If there's a pup, he'll need the alpha!" The queen suddenly pleaded, only to be ignored. "Omega!! Shift back! Now! He will help us get our baby back, you need to calm down, my love." The queen ordered, glaring at me with hate in her blue eyes all the while, but the angry little omega only continued to attack me, scratching a deep line into the side of my neck as she snarled. "Babe, come on. Please stop! If something has happened... or if our child wills it, then you can attack and kill the rogue. I promise, I won't get in your way a second time but for now you need to stop. What if he really is our child's mate? What if we have a grandchild on the way? Hurting him will hurt them. It will hurt Fae."

Immediately, upon hearing her mate say their pups name, the omega retracted her claws before jumping off from me, moving behind the queen for privacy as she shifted back, growling long and low all the while.

"We will help you in whatever way we can," the queen told me as she hid the, now sobbing, luna from view. "But rest assured, if anything goes wrong or if our pup wants you disposed of, I will let my luna kill you."

"Understood," I answered, barring my neck in submission before I was led out of the room and back down the elevator to be sutured up.

**********

Hours later, I was finally released to go home with a tentative plan in mind to safely extract my little omega... all I had to do now was wait. My head ached as I thought over how much my life had drastically changed in only a few short weeks but at the same time, I finally felt as if my life had purpose.

I carefully made my way around my apartment, tidying up, not only to kill time, but I also desired to make my home appear as comfy and perfect as I possibly could for my new mate. I wanted him to feel welcome, like my home could belong to him too, and I found myself wishing he were here to help me buy what he thought we might need for our home. For my wolf desperately craved Fae's approval.

I slowly took my black boxes out from the closet, along with everything I'd ever tried to keep hidden, and set the items on my kitchen table so that they could be in plain sight. I planned to show Fae that I would no longer keep secrets from him, he would know everything and I resolved to never punish him for touching my things, ever again. Everything I had belonged to him now, as far as I was concerned and the idea of punishing him for my own benefit now sickened me. He'd have to ask for it if he wanted that.

My wolf hummed, feeling very pleased with our efforts as I surveyed my bedroom. I'd taken the time to buy an array of fresh flowers, decorating most of the flat surfaces with vases of different colored roses, to reflect all the things I wanted to say.

First, I had pink roses, as the color was my mate's favorite and they represented sweetness and femininity, which definitely suited him. Next to them was a vase of long stemmed dark pink roses. These were to show my appreciation and gratitude for ever being able to experience life with Fae. I also included a mixtures of red and white roses, to show my love and how I longed for unity... to bite him... to be one with him at last. I even found a shade of green roses that perfectly matched Fae's eye color and I found they brought of beautiful balance to the entire look of the room. Finally, placed a black rose on my bed which had its own little vile of water to protect it from dying of thirst.

Black roses were meant to symbolize major changes and new beginnings and I hoped that this coming change would be for the better. Laying next to the rose, I placed a soft, supple, light pink, leather collar with a silver buckle at the back and a small pink bow at the front. Attached to the bow was a small, silver charm in the shape of a heart with the words "Alpha's" written across it in delicate cursive script. I wasn't sure if Fae would like the collar or not but even if he didn't, the jewelry was merely a symbol of my intentions... although I did hope he'd want to wear it as the pink would look lovely next to my claiming bite.

I then went on to set up as many candles as I could, as well as soft pillows and surfaces all in shades of soft pastel, aiming to make the room look cozy and slightly more feminine. Next, I filled the closet with: five dresses, a few shirts, a warm winter coat with gloves, a scarf, a hat and three pairs of jeans, all of which would fit Fae, including the original pink dress, that I had yet to wash his scent off of. After that, I filled two of my dresser drawers with even more clothes for Fae, but these only consisted of socks, underwear, pajamas, panties, including a few pieces of lingerie, all made of pink lace.

The final touch took me an hour to set up but soon, a grey and cream Cloud Baby premium bassinet stood next to Fae's side of the bed. A human had helped me pick it out, assuring me that the hanging sheep mobile, music and built in wheels made it the best option for a newborn to sleep in. I'd spent a small fortune in the end, nearly half my savings for everything, including several other things for the new pup I might be expecting but I didn't regret any of it. In fact, I felt rather pleased that I could show Fae how much I truly wanted this new life with him.

Once I'd finally managed to make my home look perfect, well, as perfect as I could afford for the little prince, my wolf preened with pride, loving the detailed thought I'd put into everything. I, however, felt anxious that it couldn't possibly be good enough. Nothing I had was good enough for a prince. Honestly, even if he wasn't royalty, Fae still deserved better than anything I could hope to give. Again I felt ashamed that I had no pack to offer protection, nor a luxurious home for my mate to nest in and I wished I could give him so much more.

As darkness began to creep into the sky, I finally dragged myself to a restless sleep on the couch, as I didn't want to disturb my setup on the bed. Besides, the idea of sleeping in it without Fae felt wrong to me. I tossed and turned for a while, my mind alive with thoughts of what would happen tomorrow. If everything went according to plan, I could have Fae back in my home before the end of the day. I took a deep breath, shuddering with anxious longing as I checked for the hundredth time that I could still feel my slight bond to Fae.

If I had to be honest, I was terrified that I'd be too late. I'd taken so long to recover... I'd left Fae to think I'd gone for good... I told him to let go of me! I hated that my weaknesses had done that to him. How could I hope to get him back? So much of my future depended on the next several hours and I allowed myself to worry about the worst of outcomes. Would I be alone at the end of this? Or would I have a mate? What about the pregnancy? Was it still viable? Was I a father? Was I about to get a family? Or would my entire set up make the omega upset with me? So many unanswered questions that I would soon have answers to but... I wasn't sure if I was ready to know them or not. Soon, everything would be entirely different.

And with that thought, I finally fell into a troubled sleep.

**********

I woke too early the next morning, having slept horribly the night before, but none the less I was beyond ready for the day to start. Sophie had come to me, late in the night, to inform me that the Shadow King had been made aware of the situation from both my side and Frank's response to my accusations. A meeting was to be held in the morning at Frank's house for the King and his Luna to determine if Fae was indeed a prisoner and a slave or if he was... Frank's mate instead. My wolf snarled angrily at the thought and for once, I didn't try to quiet him.

I did not trust my brother to make the right call, especially if he had been raised by my father. I couldn't trust at all that he hadn't always known of my omega's condition. Even if I'd never seen him at a game, surely he was simply protecting his ass? However, it didn't really matter what my brother decided. In a matter of hours, I would be leading a small army to Frank's house and if they wanted to challenge us, it would mean war. And then no one, not even the young King or his Luna and their pack, would be safe from my fury.

I got up, ate what I could and then slowly put the finishing touches on my previous efforts of the night before and soon, a path pink of rose petals led the way to my room. As I worked, I continuously checked my bond to Fae, feeling relieved every time that light touch pulsed back at me, for I'd somehow convinced myself that as long as I could feel the bond, my mate was still alive.

I was halfway through an ice cold shower when I felt something within my mind snap, and then everything hurt, as if something inside me had been stabbed. I gasped with pain as I rinsed the soap from my eyes, reaching out with my mind to feel for the bond. Only this time, I could feel nothing.

No! This could not be happening! I was meant to be at Frank's in three hours! It couldn't be over, Fae couldn't be gone! Not when I was so close to saving him! I desperately reached out again, with everything that I had, trying to find the smallest connection I could to Fae and still, there was nothing.

I quickly turned off the water and ran from my bathroom, not even bothering to dress. I reached for my phone, texting Ben.

Me: SOS, leave now with anyone ready

With that, I threw my phone on the couch and ran out my door, slamming it shut behind me as I let myself shift with a ferocious roar. I was done waiting. I was going to get my mate, now!

Even if it was the last thing I ever did.