Chapter 69
“I knew your mother…”
“What?”
Lori asked as she stood up slowly.
“That’s a lie.”
She retorted and Astra nodded.
“It’s been years but I still remember…”
“What do you remember?”
Lori asked and Astra shrugged.
“A pregnant nephilim on the run. She was in some sort of trouble with the father of her baby… she was avoiding everybody, even our kind.”
“Why? What did she do?!”
Lori asked as she gripped the edge of her seat. Astra gave her a pointed look.
“Calm down. That sofa is new.”
She murmured and Lori relaxed.
Astra walked back to the window to check on their spy, he was no longer in the location he was before but Astra could bet that he was still around.
“She didn’t tell me much. But she did tell me her name and you look a awful lot like her.”
“Her name was lone.”
Astra answered and Lori furrowed her eyebrows.
‘lone?‘
It was the first time she was learning about her mother… anything about her. Lori didn’t realize how curious she had been about her until Astra had
mentioned her.
lone.
What a strange name… Lori wondered what she looked like. What she was like and why she chose to leave her.
“And you’re sure… that she’s my mother?!”
She asked and Astra nodded.
‘I can. It’s just strange… that after all these years you also turn up.”
“Why was my mother running?”
Lori persisted and Astra shrugged.
“I don’t know. I’m not sure about what exactly happened and I wouldn’t lie to you about it. But we have more pressing matters than that.”
“You have exposed yourself Lori.”
“What?”
Lori fired back and Astra nodded, her expression serious.
Our kind has stayed hidden in the shadows for years. Centuries even! Do you think we did that by choice?!”
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Lori shook her head.
She whispered.
“Exactly! We did it because we were being hunted. Hunted for our blood, turned into blood bags for other supernaturals…”
You really think Sabine will keep your secret?”
Tm not expecting her to
Lori added.
Then what are you doing with her? That woman is not to be trusted. Not after all you’ve told me…”
Lori shook her head.
What do you want me to do?! She has my son!”
Astra groaned.
This is bigger than I thought…
“What do you mean?”
Lori asked and Astra ignored her.
Years and years of hiding and staying undercover all for it to be undone by some nephilim all because of a man.
It was sickening! If she helped Lori… it would implicate her. Greatly.
Her and every other nephilim. It would topple their delicate balance and Astra wasn’t quite ready for that to happen.
“You! Your relationship with that alpha! Your issue with Sabine! Everything you have told me!”
Lori went deathly silent.
Wasn’t this woman meant to help her?
“What do you mean?! Are you helping me or not?”
She stood up as she confronted the woman. Astra looked away, her eyes still on the window, wondering where the spy was now and where he was poke
nosing.
“I’m afraid I can’t help you. It was a mistake for you to come here. It was a mistake for Sabine to send you here.”
“I cannot help you without putting my life and other nephilim lives at risk.”
“What… what are you saying?!”
Lori asked as her voice broke.
She needed help. She needed her help to control the monster that was in her…
Why? Why was she rejecting her?!
Her own kind! Her own people. Weren’t they supposed to help her?!
Astra slowly raised her eyes to meet Lori’s, they were filled with pity. Pity and despair.
I’m terribly sorry Lori. For everything you’ve been through… for everything that has been done to you…”
No one deserves to go through all that… but I cannot help you… you must understand.”
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She reached out to touch Lori’s hand and Lori slapped her hand away so hard that she felt the sting in her palm.
Astra didn’t even flinch.
Lori looked around the tiny apartment again, blinking back tears. She was stupid. Stupid and she had wasted time coming here. Thinking that someone would help her.
Foolish of her.
“This was a complete waste of time.”
She spat out as she stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door while she left.
Outside, fuming with anger, Lori caught a strange whiff, Astra was right about her being followed. How had she not noticed it?
The stranger followed her still, keeping a very respectable distance but somehow he was hot on her heels.
Lori tricked him, walking past busy streets till they got to the dark lonely streets, with fewer people and stray cats rummaging around the bin, finally she made a final turn to a dark alley and walked to the end of it.
Then she waited.
Minutes later… the figure emerged. Later than she expected. He had probably contemplated whether or not he should follow her into the dark alley.
Her vision was better in the night, almost as if she could see colors and shadows no matter how thick the blanket of darkness colored it. It was as if her eyes were lamps and they illuminated her way.
It was fascinating and scary and the same time. Somehow she had managed to discover at least four of her abilities. Super fast healing, super strength, a strong sense of smell and now this night vision. She suspected there was more but they had not come up yet.. maybe later.
“Why are you following me?”
She asked and the man shrugged. His face was hidden from her but she could smell that he was a werewolf.
“Orders.”
He simply said and Lori scoffed.
“Sabine gave you those orders?*
‘Yes.‘
He replied and Lori nodded.
“That wasn’t part of our agreement.”
“Can you tell her that?”
She asked and the man shook his head.
“I’m afraid not. She’s making sure you keep to your side of the agreement.”
“That’s not necessary.”
“Don’t care. Orders are orders. She’s my alpha.”
The man added and Lori nodded.
“Very well then. I suppose I’d have to send you back to her. With your tail between your legs.”
The man chuckled.
“Id like to see you try lady.”
Lori raised an eyebrow.
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“Want to take me up on that offer?”
The man shook his head.
“Hey I’m only doing my job! If you do your part we won’t have any problems.”
He raised his hands in surrender.
“We are having problems! This wasn’t part of the stupid fucking agreement!”
Ooh well it’s part of it now so stop bitching about it!”
Bitching?!
Oh this guy had some nerve.
Lori walked towards him, with each step she took the man didn’t falter. She was inches away from him and he was at least a foot taller than herz He stood his ground and Lori fought herself internally about what she was about to do.
No. She didn’t need another body added to her count of bodies. But she didn’t want him following her either.
Or reporting any of her movement to Sabine.
“I am trying to save you.”
She pleaded. The man’s face was stoic, unchanging.
“I don’t need saving lady.”
The man said and Lori sighed.
She shrugged off her coat.
“Smell me.”
She demanded and he gave her a strange look.
She turned her bare neck towards him, her eyes dark and narrowed.
“I’m sure if you concentrate hard enough you can still smell the blood of the werewolves I killed a while ago.”
I think they were about thirty but I’m not sure of the actual number… wouldn’t want to add you to that list too.”
The man looked skeptical. Then he took a whiff, just like she said and his eyes widened.
He started coughing.
‘You!!!
He seethed and Lori shrugged, a small smile on her face, she cautiously took a step back.
“You!! Wolf killer! Wolf killer!”
He screamed at her while pointing a finger at her and Lori shrugged.
“Yes…”
She trailed off as she remembered the flashbacks. She was sick to her stomach. Whenever she remembered those bodies… the fur, the horror, the blood on her hands…
Gods she was never going to get away with it.
With the guilt and the nightmare that would eat at her.
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‘You!!!”
He screamed again and lunged for her.
Lori wasn’t expecting the attack and they both fell and rolled on the dirty floor.
The man’s hands were on her neck, squeezing hard, his face contorted into one of pure rage.
He was squeezing and Lori was wondering why she wasn’t fighting him back. Why she was letting him… letting this werewolf try to kill her.
Do I? Do I deserve it?
Do 1 deserve this?
She asked herself as she looked at the man’s face, his face was slowly morphing to that of a wolf, his fangs growing, the fur growing on his face, his eyes becoming a bright golden yellow and his claws dug into her neck, so hard that she could smell the blood that bloomed from the cuts.
Oh he was enraged.
No.
She told herself as she ignored the stupid questions in her mind.
For Gabriel, she would fight him.
With her two hands she tried prying off the werewolf’s hands from her neck, weakening his grip with each pull.
Finally she was able to throw him off her, he bounced back quickly and got on all fours, ready to prance.
Lori was sick of him. She was sick and tired of everything.
She didn’t want to kill him. She would give him one last chance.
She glared at him, her eyes boring into that unnatural green eyes of his and yelled at him.
“Stop! I told you to stop dammit!”
‘I don’t want to kill you!!!”
She shrieked as she collapsed on her knees.
Gods.
She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t handle one more death on her hands.
The werewolf halted, his features slowly turning back to normal, his eyes returning to green, his fangs disappearing and his claws going back to regular nails.
“Get out! Get out of here!!”
She shouted as she pointed to the way out.
Shockingly, the man responded and Lori didn’t realize till she turned around after a moment and didn’t find him anymore.
What happened?!
He was ready to kill her. He had been ready to… what stopped?
She wondered as she stood up from the dirty alley.
Still no sign of Lori.
Gabriel said and Kate sighed. She had been sitting with him for a while and he had not said a word, until she asked him about Lori. Apparently things were
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much worse… there was no sign of Lori and Alpha Sabine was involved.
It was all so tragic.
“I’m so sorry…”
She said and Gabriel nodded.
“Thank you..”
“You said you didn’t feel anything through the mating bond… does that mean that she is dead?!”
Kate asked and Gabriel froze.
He dreaded that question, hated the sound of it. The words ‘Lori‘ and ‘dead‘ in the same sentence didn’t sound right. but that was exactly how it felt. He couldn’t feel her, he couldn’t even feel the bond, whenever he reached out in his mind it was like she never existed.
It was baffling… strange.
“I don’t know. She can’t be dead.. she can’t..”
Kate nodded.
She reached out to hold Gabriel’s hand from across the table.
“I know. I know you don’t want to believe it… I don’t want to believe it either…”
“Kate, she’s not dead!”
He snapped at her and Kate flinched.
Withdrawing her hand from his.
Gabriel sighed.
“I’m sorry. I’m frustrated.”
He apologized and Kate nodded.
She could see that he was. He had not shaved in days, he had eye bags beneath his eyes and he looked jittery and nervous.
He just lost it mate. And although she had secretly wished for it to happen, for something to happen between Lori and Gabriel… something told her that Gabriel might not recover from the pain or hurt.
It wasn’t unusual, losing a mate was like losing a body part, many would unfortunately not recover.
She hoped Gabriel’s story would be different. For her sake.
Chapter Comments
Richard Cummins
Kate is on it, I wonder about Grandpa?????
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