The Broken Wolf
Chapter 63

After my talk with my mom, I just needed a few moments to myself. That’s how I replace myself sitting on my bed, instead of meeting with Peter and Seth like I was supposed to.

I’m sorry. I just needed a few minutes to calm down.

It’s fine love. Are you alright?

Yeah. I’m alright.

Did you get the answers that you needed?

I think so. I’ll be up in a little bit. I love you.

I love you.

I stand and make my way to the bathroom, looking at myself in the mirror. Thankfully, I hadn’t put on any makeup today, but my face is very red and there are dried tears on my cheeks. I turn on the water, wait for it to warm, and wash my face. I step out to the kitchen and get some water and drink it. Feeling better, I look down at my clothes, unhappy with what I’m wearing for my first meeting after officially becoming a Princess.

All of my dresses were made to fit me perfectly and now, they just don’t fit. I put on some jeans and a tshirt this morning, but I walk into my closet now to see if I can replace a top that’s a little bit nicer. After searching, I replace a once oversized off the shoulder top that is now less oversized, but still fits well enough and put it on. I decide to put on a little make up quickly and run my fingers through my hair. I don’t look amazing, but it will have to do.

I begin to make my way upstairs to the Alpha office where I know they’ve all been working. I reach the top of the stairs but before I make my way to the end of the hall, I can hear them speaking.

“I don’t know if she’ll be upset that I told you all that,” I hear from my mate.

“She won’t be, son,” I hear Peter reassure him. “She told me when we talked a few days ago that it may be a possibility.”

“Perhaps being weakened for so long caused him to actually change,” my dad says.

I can hear Seth sigh deeply, concern evident in his voice. “Why would he have his men pacing the territory line then? It doesn’t make sense. I think Molly may be right, that there’s more going on there than we realized. I saw him mind link wolves multiple times myself, I just didn’t think anything about it at the time. He had to have realized he was doing it in front of me.”

“There’s no way to know right now unless we use Molly, and that’s not going to happen. I’ll keep men at the border watching for any signs,” Robbie says to them. Always my protective brother.

If I’m understanding this correctly, they’re concerned that Benjamin has regained his strength. They surely have more information than I do now. I don’t really understand why it matters if he does. Unless he’s forming a pack there and plans to attack. How many rogues are out there, anyway?

“How am I going to explain that she can’t go see them before we leave if she asks?” I hear Seth ask, though it doesn’t seem directed to anyone, and more to himself. “They seemed so genuine when we met them. It would hurt her so much if we replace that they used her just to help him regain his strength.”

“I don’t want to tell her she can’t go see them if she asks,” I hear Robbie say. “Maybe we could offer to have everyone meet in the cave. If she asks.”

“How much do you want to tell her, Seth?” I hear my dad ask, clearly concerned.

I take this as my queue and walk down the hall, opening the door to the office, not bothering to knock. “You can go ahead and just tell me everything.”

Seth looks up at me, his face looks so tired. “How much did you hear?”

“Enough,” I tell him plainly. “Enough to know that you need me to talk to Benjamin. So just tell me what’s going on”.

My dad and brother look at each other, clearly worried but neither offer any information. Peter, however, looks at me with a look like he’s proud of me and stands, walking around the table and pulls a chair out for me at the table in front of his seat.

“Take a seat, Princess,” he tells me with a smile. “I’ll fill you in. You’re tougher than everyone else gives you credit for.”

“Thank you,” I say, unsure if it’s for pulling out my chair, being willing to tell me what’s going on, or for his odd compliment.

He walks back around the table and sits down next to Seth. “Two days ago rogue wolves started appearing at the property line. They’ve remained there, though they’ve switched regularly with other wolves, as if taking shifts.”

“They’re organized,” I say, and he nods to me. I notice that Seth continues to look at me, concern evident on his face, but he hasn’t said anything yet.

“Seth told us it was a possibility that Benjamin could regain his strength once you were marked, and you told me the same,” he continues and I nod my head.

“I have a memory,” I begin to tell them, “Of Lily and Benjamin fighting when I was little. It was about sending me away, but she mentioned that I was ‘making his plans difficult’”.

“Do you remember anything else about these plans? Or if they mentioned ANY plans?” Peter asks me.

I think back to what I can. “I don’t think so. I remember him having multiple books and papers out at a time, but nothing specific.” Peter nods to me. “The memories now are kind of weird… hard to navigate. I’ll try to think back and see if I can replace anything else.”

“We need to know what’s going on, but obviously none of us want to put you in danger,” Peter says and I nod. He doesn’t continue though.

“He’s the one who told me that Seth could heal my hand,” I say quietly. “I think he knows our bond isn’t exactly typical.”

Robbie looks at me quickly, confused. “Would someone like to fill me in?”

Dad speaks up before I have a chance to. “They have a bond stronger than most mated wolves. They’re able to feel each others pain, and emotions,” he says, looking to me and I nod in confirmation. “It’s safe to say they have a bond so strong that if one of them dies, the other will as well.”

“s**t,” says Robbie, looking at me with sympathy. “So I need to protect Seth to the same level that I would Molly?” he asks and Dad nods in the affirmative.

“I don’t think Benjamin would hurt you,” Peter tells me.

I snort in laughter. “He forced my mother to erase my memories and throw me across the pack line, making me someone else’s problem because I was a danger to his plans. I think he’d do anything.” Seth looks down at the table, but I am just barely able to see his smile.

“Does anyone know about mom?” I ask my dad and he shakes his head. “I think it’s important. Just be nice to her, she was doing her best,” I say to my brother.

“When they had Lily come before to check me for signs of magic, mom realized that she was my biological mother,” I start to tell them. Robbie looks furious and goes to say something, but I hold up my hand to him. “Lily told her if she arranged a magical adoption, they would never come back for me, that I’d just be theirs. I think she knew it would weaken him, and that was her plan.”

“So you think Lily could be used against him?” Peter asks to clarify.

I look at him and shake my head sadly. “No. Not at all. She wanted to weaken him. She could have taken me and run, he wouldn’t have looked for me. She decided to stay with him though, and get rid of me.”

Seth reaches across the table and takes my hand in his. “It would be hard to leave your mate.”

“It should be harder to leave your own child,” I say to him quietly and he squeezes my hand.

Peter looks at me with a kind smile. “It’s all worked out for the best, though, in the end.”

“It has,” I say with a smile. “I definitely got a good deal here.”

“I’m guessing since your bond with Benjamin has been severed twice now,” Peter says, bringing us back to the main concern. “You haven’t felt anything from him.

“No, I haven’t,” I say with a shake of my head.

“There’s no way she would,” dad says and holds out his hand to show everyone. “Our scars from the adoption are nearly gone already. There’s no way there’s any bond left with him.”

“I don’t want this to come across badly, especially given the past, but we need to know,” Peter says and Seth looks at him cautiously. “What of the magic? Your biological mother was a witch. Do you have magical abilities? Especially any that could help here?”