Chapter 2
The urgency in their voices was palpable as they turned to me, "Maryam, when’s the ambulance arriving?"
I shook my head. We were too far from the pack’s central territory, and it would take time for the pack healers to reach us. Desperate tears rolled down my mother-in-law Hattie’s face, her complexion growing more ashen by the minute. The faint scent of wolfsbane lingered in the air, a deadly poison for werewolves.
"Maryam, I’ve wronged you, always blaming you for not keeping an Alpha," she murmured weakly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Now it seems my own son doesn’t care for me either. Just let me die. Once I’m gone, you won’t have to look after Alpha Noel anymore. Think of my life as an apology to you..."
My eyes filled with tears, and I knelt before her, my hands trembling as I held hers. Her once strong and commanding aura, befitting a former Luna, was now faint and flickering like a dying ember.
"Luna Hattie, I’ve never blamed you," I said, my voice breaking. "You can’t die. Please, hold on a little longer; the healers will be here soon."
Though Hattie often complained about me, in her own way, she had been good to me, standing up for me whenever Celine Ortiz, that rogue werewolf, tried to give me a hard time. The roots of our troubles, though, lay in Hattie’s traditional beliefs. She wouldn’t let Celine, a rogue, marry into the pack, despite her being Alpha Noel’s first love. Celine then left the pack, marrying someone else, leaving Noel in perpetual sadness.
Hattie kept setting up mate pairings for Noel, and by some cruel twist of fate, he ended up with me. I had my issues with Hattie for not being honest, but I was equally angry with Noel. Even after knowing the truth, he pretended to love me until Celine returned. For her, Noel demanded I reject our mate bond, swearing he’d be true to her alone. Hattie refused, and I wasn’t ready to just let go—justice needed to be served.
Noel held a grudge against us, cutting off all financial support from the pack’s treasury and spending lavishly on Celine, indulging in his own life while neglecting his duties as Alpha.
"Maryam, you’re the person I’ve wronged the most. Once I’m gone, you’ll be free..." Hattie’s face grew paler, and I knew time was running out. If we didn’t get help soon, she would die here.
Desperately, I helped her to the roadside and knelt in the emergency lane, pleading with the passing cars to stop. Onlookers who saw me began to wave their arms, urging vehicles to pull over. The pack’s hierarchy meant nothing to them in this moment; all they saw was a dying woman and someone begging for help.
Soon, my forehead was bruised and bleeding. Despite the pain and dizziness, I stayed focused, bowing over and over, my wolf whimpering in the back of my mind, urging me to keep going.
"Maryam, stop... not for me..." Hattie’s voice was faint, barely audible, but I didn’t stop. I kept bowing, hoping for a miracle.
Finally, a car pulled over. We hurriedly got Hattie inside. I talked to her continuously, fearing she might suddenly become unresponsive. She sensed hope and tried her best to maintain a conversation with me.
But when Noel’s name came up, tears filled her eyes. "How did I raise such a worthless Alpha?"
I fought back my own tears. Our lives were so unfortunate, weighed down by Noel. Yet, thankfully, the pack healers met us along the way. The emergency crew managed to stabilize Hattie’s condition somewhat during the ride.
She gripped my hand tightly, her grip weak but desperate. "Call him. I don’t have much time. I need to speak to him..."
"Luna Hattie..." I hesitated. Noel might not even answer my call, and if he saw it was from my number...
But her condition was critical. I followed her wish and dialed Noel’s number.
As expected, he hung up. I held back my tears and called again, repeatedly. Each time, he cut the call off. On the last attempt, he turned his phone off.
Right now, he was probably caught up in a blissful moment with Celine, not interested in answering my call.
Realizing the futility of it, Hattie closed her eyes in resignation, tears slipping from their corners. "I shouldn’t have hoped he’d pick up. But he’s my son... I’m dying, and I can’t even say my last words to him..."
Her words broke me. The bond between a mother and her son, even one as neglectful as Noel, was something I couldn’t fully understand. But I knew one thing: Hattie deserved better. And so did I.
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