Dimitri's POV

“Have you thought about taking a chosen mate, Dimitri?” my mother asked, making me roll my eyes. “You are 22 years old. It’s time for you to choose a strong she-wolf to become your Luna.”

I continued cutting my meat without even looking up at my mother.

Skol growled. He hated the thought of having a chosen mate. We would wait for our fated mate.

“Leave him alone, Janet,” Mike, my mother’s new mate, said. “He already told you that he wants to wait for his fated mate.”

I glanced up at Mike and gave him a small nod.

I didn’t really like him. I had nothing against the guy, but something about him never sat right with me.

My mother married him two years ago. He wasn’t a Lycan like my mother and me. I never understood why my mother wanted to marry him, but that definitely wasn’t my business, so I never got involved. I tolerated Mike because I had to.

Some of our pack members frowned at the fact that Mike was just a werewolf and not a Lycan like my mother and me. Technically, that was true. What my pack members didn’t know was that Mike really had Lycan genes, but his Lycan never woke up.

It didn’t matter to me anyway. He wouldn’t be able to become the Alpha of my pack even if he were a Lycan.

Something was wrong with Mike today. He seemed absent and a little worried.

“Mike, honey, stop worrying,” my mother mumbled as she took his hand in hers. “Everything is going to be okay.”

Mike looked up at her and frowned.

“How can you say that?” he said with a hint of anger in his voice.

What the fuck happened?

“What the hell is going on?” I asked before my mother could say anything else.

My mother and Mike glanced at each other. Mike sighed, ran his fingers through his hair, and looked down at his plate.

My mother looked at me, and I raised an eyebrow at her.

“Mike’s fated mate is dying,” my mother said, making my eyes widen.

I looked at Mike. I was so fucking confused.

“I thought that you didn’t find your fated mate,” I said, holding back a growl.

I fucking hated wolves who betrayed their fated mates. A mate was a gift from the Goddess. A mate was supposed to be loved and cherished. What the fuck was he doing here with my mother if his fated mate was out there somewhere?!

Mike looked up at me and took a deep breath.

“I did find her,” Mike mumbled. “I just never marked her.”

My confusion turned into a surprise.

How the fuck did he manage to hold back from marking his mate? I was so fucking sure that I would sink my canines into her neck as soon as I met her.

“I was young and stupid,” Mike sighed, looking back down at the table. “I thought that my Lycan would surface. I waited for it to happen. I was the only one with Lycan genes in my pack, and I thought that once I got my Lycan, I would be able to do so much more than just be a Beta of my pack.”

Mike stopped talking and sighed.

“I met my mate,” Mike continued. “I promised her that I would mark her as soon as my Lycan appeared. Except it never happened. I got more and more frustrated. I got so fucking angry. I spent my days drunk on whiskey mixed with wolfsbane. I was constantly pissed off. She kept asking me to mark her, but I never did.”

Mike stopped talking and looked at my mother.

“So you don’t have a mate bond with her?” I asked.

“No,” Mike said as he looked at me. “I wouldn't be able to mark your mother if I did.”

Chosen mates and second mates could also mark each other. The mark wasn’t as powerful as it was when it was given by a fated mate, but it still had power.

“But you are bound to her, aren’t you, Mike?” my mother said with a hint of resentment in her voice.

I furrowed my eyebrows. What the hell was she talking about? How could he be bound to a woman he never marked?

“I am,” Mike mumbled.

“How?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.

“I have a child with her,” Mike said, looking at me.

My eyes widened.

He had a child?

“I got her pregnant when I still thought that I would mark her,” Mike said.

“I left her when my child was 2 years old.”

My eyes widened even more. The little respect I had for Mike plummeted to the ground.

“I feel so fucking guilty,” Mike said as he ran his fingers through his hair. “I haven’t seen my daughter in 15 years, and now…” He stopped talking and took a deep breath.

“You have a daughter?” I asked, trying to mask my growing rage.

“Yes,” Mike nodded. “She is 17 years old. Her name is Madeline.”

“And her mother is dying?” I asked, clenching my fists.

“Yes,” Mike said. “She has cancer. She called me a few days ago, begging me to take Madeline in when she dies.”

“You are going to do it,” I said.

It wasn’t a question. It was a fucking order. He would do it. He wouldn't just let a 17-year-old girl alone. He had done enough damage already.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Dimitri,” my mother said, making me growl.

“Why the fuck not?” I asked, glaring at my mother.

“Mike and I aren’t that young anymore,” my mother sighed. “I’m not sure that we could handle a 17-year-old girl.”

I growled and looked at Mike.

“You are not leaving your child alone again,” I said. “What pack is she in?”

“My old pack, Red Moon,” Mike said.

I knew about that pack. I visited it five years ago with my father. It was just a few months before he died, and that trip was one of my favorite memories with him.

“Don’t make the same mistake again, Mike,” I said as I stood up. “You already left your child once. Don’t do it again.”

I walked away from the table.

I needed to get away from them.

I was so fucking pissed off at Mike.

How could he do that to his fated mate and his child?!

I would love my fated mate more than anything else in the world. She would be so fucking loved and protected.

I would never do what Mike did.

Never.

Madeline’s POV

“Mom, please, you have to take the pills,” I sighed, trying to get her to open her mouth.

We’ve been at this for almost an hour now. I was trying to convince her that she needed her pills, and she was pushing them away and screaming at me that she didn’t want them.

She slapped my hand away, and a handful of pills scattered all over the floor.

I sighed and got down on my knees to pick them up.

“Don’t bother, Madeline,” my mom said. “I’m not taking them.”

I looked up at her. I wanted to scream. She didn’t have to be in pain!

She was lying in her bed, clutching her stomach, and sobbing quietly.

She was covered in sweat. Her white nightgown was wet, and it was sticking to her body. She was pale and so fucking thin. I could barely get her to eat anything.

She lost all of her hair months ago. It was really hard for me to see her without her hair, her eyebrows, and her eyelashes. It was the first time I realized that my mom was really sick.

I knew that she had cancer. I knew that she was really sick. But it wasn’t until she lost all of her hair that I actually realized that my mom was sick. Her cancer was invisible to me before. It was invisible to the naked eye. Her bald head wasn’t.

When our pack doctor told us that she had cancer, I couldn’t believe it.

She was a wolf! She was stronger than a mere human. She couldn’t have gotten cancer. As it turned out, I was wrong. It was rare for a werewolf to get cancer, but my mom somehow got it. It progressed fast, and it was killing her. It’s been only six months since she found out her diagnosis, and she was already lying in bed, waiting for death.

I knew that my mom was going to die. But, just as I didn't realize she was sick until she lost all of her hair, I wouldn't realize she was gone until I woke up one day in an empty house.

I picked up every pill on the floor. I didn’t want her to slip on one of them in case she managed to stand up somehow.

I stood back up and threw the pills in the trash can next to my mom’s bed.

“Mom, please,” I said as I sat down on the bed next to her. “I have to go to work. I won’t be able to focus if I know that you are in pain.”

My mom looked up at me.

Due to the constant vomiting, the veins in her eyes ruptured. I couldn’t even see the whites of her eyes anymore. Everything was red.

“Don’t worry about me, Madeline,” my mom said, taking my hand in hers. “Go to work.”

She tried to squeeze my hand, but it was useless. She didn’t have the strength to do it.

“Of course I’m going to worry, mom,” I sighed as I reached into the bowl on her nightstand.

I picked up the towel, squeezed out the excess water, and gently wiped her forehead with it.

“I love you so much, Maddie,” my mom said as tears fell down the side of her face. “I’m sorry for screaming at you.”

I stopped wiping her forehead and looked into her bloody eyes. I had to gulp down the lump in my throat. I always tried so hard not to cry in front of my mom. I needed to be strong for her. I couldn’t let her see my pain. It would be harder for her to go peacefully.

“It’s okay, mom,” I said softly. “I understand. You don’t have to apologize.”

My mom sobbed.

“Yes, I do,” she said as she tried to lift her head. “You don’t deserve it.”

She was too weak to lift her hand on her own, so I took it and placed it against my face. She rubbed my cheek with her thumb.

“I love you, Maddie,” she said quietly.

I placed my hand over hers and gave her a small smile. It was hard for me to speak. The lump in my throat was huge.

“I love you too, mom,” I managed to say.

She gave me a small smile and removed her hand from my cheek.

Holding her hand up was tiring for her.

“Will you please take your pills now, mom?” I asked, taking the pill bottle from her nightstand.

She frowned at me. “I don’t want them!”

I took a deep breath and placed the bottle on my lap.

“Why, mom?” I asked. “You won’t be in so much pain.”

She turned her head away and sobbed. My heart broke for her. I placed my hand on her head and caressed it gently.

“They numb me, Maddie,” she mumbled. “I can’t feel anything. I don’t know where I am. I can’t feel my wolf. I don’t know where you are. I don’t want them, Maddie.”

A tear fell on my cheek, and I wiped it away quickly.

“Okay, mom,” I said as I bent down and kissed her temple. “You don’t have to take them.”

I didn’t want her to be in pain. I really didn’t. But I wasn’t going to force her to take something that would make her feel so helpless.

My mom looked back at me and gave me a small smile.

“Thank you, my Flower,” she said, making my heart clench.

She hadn’t called me Flower in months.

I smiled and caressed her cheek.

“I have to go now, mom,” I said. “I will see you later, okay?”

“Okay, Maddie,” she said, turning to her side.

“Call me if you need anything,” I said as I covered her up.

I wished that we could mind-link. It would be so much easier for her to reach me. But I still didn’t have my wolf, so we had to rely on phones.

She gave me a small nod.

I stood up, walked toward the door, and opened it. I glanced at her one more time before I closed her bedroom door behind me and quietly walked away.

I walked to the kitchen, hoping to find something to eat before my shift at the diner.

Ever since my mom got sick, I have had to work multiple jobs just so we could afford to pay for her medicine. Our pack doctor helped us as much as he could, but the treatment was expensive and he couldn’t do much.

Nevertheless, I was thankful for any help we could get.

I opened the fridge and sighed. The only food I had left I had to save for my mother. She definitely needed it more than I did. I grabbed a bottle of water, closed the fridge, and walked to our living room.

I glanced toward my mom’s bedroom one more time. I wanted to go check on her just one more time before I left, but I didn’t have time.

I sighed, put my jacket on, and left the house.

Madeline’s POV

"Fuck,” I mumbled as I bent down to pick up a broken piece of plate from the floor.

That was the second thing I broke today. Mrs. Rose will kill me.

“What’s wrong with you, Mads?” my best friend Alison asked me.

“You are so clumsy today.”

I ignored her question and walked to the storage closet to grab a broom and a dustpan.

“Madeline?” Alison called my name.

I glanced up at her as I started sweeping.

“My mom isn’t feeling well today,” I mumbled as I looked back at the mess I had made.

“She is still refusing to take her pills?” Alison asked worriedly.

I nodded, crouching down and swiping the broken pieces into a dustpan.

“Did she tell you why?” Alison asked.

I stood back up and walked to the trash can. I emptied the dustpan and looked at Alison.

“She said that the pills made her numb,” I said.

I picked the broom back up and put it back into the storage closet along with the dustpan.

“Isn’t being numb better than being in pain?” I heard Alison ask as I walked back.

“Apparently not,” I sighed, leaning on the counter. “She said that she doesn’t know where she is after she takes the pills. She said that she couldn’t feel her wolf.”

Alison bit her lower lip and furrowed her eyebrows. She looked me up and down and took a deep breath.

“You need a night out,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

I shook my head immediately.

“That’s the last thing I need, Ali,” I said. “I can’t leave my mom. It’s bad enough that I have to leave her to go to work. I can’t leave her to go to a party.”

I worked at the diner and the library. I took as many shifts as I could. I needed money. We were in debt, and I had to find a way to pay it or we would lose our house.

“It’s not a party, Mads,” Alison said. “It’s just you and me hanging out.

You need to relax a little.”

I sighed and picked up a dishtowel. I started wiping the glasses.

“Besides, we need to hang out as much as we can before we turn 18,” Alison added. “I’m sure that I won’t get to see you after you find your mate.”

I snorted and looked up at her.

“I don’t have time for a mate,” I said.

Alison gasped dramatically. “You don’t want a mate?!”

I looked up at her and frowned. Could she have been louder? Luckily, we were alone in the diner. It was almost closing time.

“Be quiet,” I whispered. “I want a mate, but I’m not sure that I want to find him right after I turn 18. I have to take care of my mom. I have bills to pay. What if my mate didn’t understand that?”

“A mate loves you unconditionally, Mads,” Alison said softly. “He would understand.”

My father didn’t love my mom unconditionally. He left her. He left me.

“I can’t be sure of that, Ali,” I mumbled as I started wiping the counters. “It’s better if I don’t find him immediately.”

I kept my eyes down, but I could feel Alison’s burning gaze on me.

“Have you ever even liked someone?” she asked me. “I’ve known you my entire life, and I’ve never seen you interested in a boy.”

I felt heat rush to my cheeks.

The only boy I’ve ever liked was my savior.

Being a fatherless pup wasn’t a good thing. I was bullied at school a lot. Kids would laugh at me, call me a bastard, pull my hair, and sometimes even punch me.

One day, I was leaving school when one of my classmates tripped me.

He pulled my hair and started to call me names. The other kids were laughing and pointing at me. I was embarrassed because I started crying.

I’ve always tried so hard not to cry. I didn’t want to give them the pleasure of seeing me cry. But something about that day was just so overwhelming that I couldn’t control my tears. Alison was nowhere in sight, but someone else came to save me.

He pushed the bullies away, kneeled next to me, and wiped my cheeks.

He told me that I was safe and that they wouldn’t hurt me anymore.

He said some other things as well, but I didn’t hear him. I couldn’t look away from his beautiful blue eyes. I got lost in them. He had slightly curly black hair, and he was so tall.

He left after he saved me, and I never saw him again. I didn’t even know his name.

But every time someone mentioned having a crush, he came to mind.

“Maybe when I was a kid,” I shrugged.

“Who?” Alison gasped.

I stopped wiping the counters and looked up at her.

“I don’t remember,” I said. “He was just a boy.”

Well, that wasn’t really the truth. He wasn’t just a boy. He was my savior.

“I can’t believe that you never told me about him,” Alison said.

“It wasn’t that serious, Ali,” I sighed, putting the dishtowel down. “I was 12.”

“I don’t care,” Alison said. “I’m your best friend. I should have known about it.”

I wanted to repeat that it was just a silly crush on a boy, but my phone started ringing. I pulled it out of my pocket and looked at the caller ID. It was my mom.

“Is everything okay, mom?” I asked her as soon as I answered the call.

“Flower?” she called me by my nickname.

Her voice was quiet and raspy. She sounded like she was out of breath.

Did she try to get up on her own again?

“Yes, mom?” I said as I gripped the edge of the counter.

“I love you, my baby,” she said quietly. “Always remember that.”

My heart stopped beating. Why was she telling me that?

“I love you too, mom,” I said, looking at Alison. “What’s wrong, mom?”

“I’m leaving, Flower,” my mom said quietly. “I love you.”

I froze. I was completely frozen. I couldn’t move. I wanted to run home, but I couldn’t move. I didn’t feel my legs. I didn’t feel my body.

No.

Please, Goddess, no.

Don’t take my mom away from me! Not yet!