ROTTEN LOVE - Chapter 21: Chapter 21

Nothing that Jerry says makes sense. My mother does not have a pack.
"My mother is not a werewolf," I dispute.
The mother in my dreams would not hide that big of a secret from me. The one who saved me using her life and magic would not deceive her flesh. I trust her.
My parents were the leaders of the Thorn witch coven. They were witches, I remind myself.
He walks to Maddox and Marisa. I tail him. The wind mimics my heart, going faster by the minute. The skies are getting upset.
Jerry looks at Maddox, "Was it you who killed my brother?"
Maddox raises his eyebrow. His hands behind his back, the image of an aristocratic man. Jerry's accusations do not phase him.
He knows there is no truth to them.
"Mr. Thorn was an honorable man. I would have not disgraced him with such betrayal," Maddox says with a matter-of-fact tone.
Placing my hand on Jerry's shoulder, I move him so that he backs away from Maddox.
"Jerry, answer me. How can you say my mother's pack has my brother when she is no werewolf," I probe.
Jerry looks me over. His green eyes cloud with contemplation. He is backing down. I won't let him.
"Uncle, please," I say the foreign words.
Besides Jason, I don't have more direct family. Calling this man uncle when he has not earned it, feels unnatural.
But, it works. His eyes are clear with a decision.
"Your mother was no werewolf but she was part of a pack," he stops himself.
I sit at the table next to Marisa. She leans in closer. Maddox takes his seat too.
We all wait for the story only he knows. I give him an encouraging nod.
He huffs, "The blood moon pack may reside on the other side of here at the pine forest but they own all of this. The town is run by them whether the humans know it or not. They also own there."
He points to the woods beyond his house, the mahogany forest. I'm trying to grasp the extent of Zain's control.
We left his territory to town. Only to find out that the town is part of it. That means he knows where we are staying.
Jerry continues, "I met your mother when my brother brought her here frantic. She was running and dragged my brother into her mess. I had warned my brother when I first caught wind that she was part of the pack to stay away from her. He did not listen."
I redirect his rant, "What was she running from?"
"Your mother was born into the pack. Her parents served the blood moon pack. Like her, they were meddling fools and got themselves killed. She was orphaned at a young age. The pack raised her. She did not grow as a witch. Without her parents to guide her, she simply was a human in a pack of wolves..."
Before her death, my mother was known as a strong witch. She had lots of knowledge. I wonder how she got to her level without a guide.
"...Your mother was very cared for by the pack. Let me be clear, she was one of them. I would see them when they would travel into town. She was no prisoner."
She must have met my father this way.
He nods his head, "Yes, this is how she met your father. They would see each other here and there. I saw how she had him head over heels. We knew about the pack. My family made a deal with them decades ago to harvest the wood from the forest. Your father and I were raised with the knowledge of them. I warned him not to meet with one of their members."
He clearly did not listen.
"They would see each other in secret. Each time I would try to locate him, I could expect to find him with her. She was playing a dangerous game," he gets interrupted by Marisa.
"She was a human. A witch with no knowledge so no power. Who cared if she were to end up with a human," Marisa defends my parents.
I silently thank her. It should not have been that big of a deal. They were in love. That's not a crime.
"Except she was not raised by any family. The alpha family took her in," he retorts.
Zain's family took her in. The coffee wants to come back up. A horrible thought comes to mind.
Maddox and Marisa straighten with intrigue. My shoulders feel heavier, deflated with the lack of knowledge of my mother. I never knew who she was.
"The alpha's son, Nathaniel, was smitten with her. Obsessed was a better word. They were not related and he had no intention of accepting her as a relative. He would make that very clear. Your father got into several confrontations with that man," Jerry fists his hands.
Jerry hates Nathaniel. My eyes widen in horror. The alpha's son would be Zain's father. Zain's father is Nathaniel.
"Your mom had love for that man. Not the one he wanted. It enranged him. But, they lived like that. We all did. I think everyone knew that the problem would resolve itself. Werewolves are mated with werewolves. That man would find his soon," he sighs.
Jerry probably blames himself for not warning my father more. He did not like my mom but he had hoped that he was being paranoid. He was counting on it.
"Nathaniel found his mate. He became infatuated with her, but could not let go of your mother one hundred percent. He should have only been thinking of his mate but that was not the case. He sought help from an outside witch, a fortune teller. Your mother wanted to alleviate Nathaniel's heart. The witch read their palms. She prophesized that your mother would give birth to ciphers. Ciphers who will be mated to the alpha family," he retells.
My connection with Zain is not made. It's true. It was prophesied. Maddie and Jason are mates too. We should have been with them from the beginning.
How could my mother run? She cared for Zain's father. By the sound of it, she cared for all of them.
I decided to inform Jerry, "We are their mates."
His eyebrows raise in surprise, "It was all for nothing. You still came here. Your parents died for nothing."
"Why do you say that," I ask.
"The witch told them that their fates were connected; Nathaniel feels drawn to your mother for what she was going to bring into the world; mates for his children. Werewolves are possessive. For him, your mother was his. Her womb was his responsibility to keep safe. His previous obsession with her made it worse. She began to be on lockdown. He looked for an outside witch to train your mother so that she may train her children. As for your father, Nathaniel allowed for them to meet but she needed to report back every day. Your father was a sperm donor. She never told him anything," Jerry spits on the ground.
Maddox has his arms crossed, sarcastically says, "What did you expect her to say? I love you but any children we bare will be enslaved with a mate bond. They will have no say, so we will have no say. We must do what my family wants because we must protect our unborn children. That would have prevented things."
"It would have given him a choice," Jerry proceeds, "Cheryl, your mother, should have given him a choice. Given him all the details, then he could have decided to proceed with their relationship."
"As you said, my father was in love. He would have stayed with her. He would have accepted that horrible lifestyle for her," I defend my mother.
I do not remember much of them but their gazes towards each other are something I recall. He wouldn't have cared.
"Nathaniel was ruthless. With the knowledge of having strong weapons in the future, he made power moves. He felt unstoppable. The more knowledge your mother gained, the more he used her. She started to see the danger for her future children. She knew how the mate bond worked. The man she was raised with and considered family is the same man who wants to use her children. The knowledge that her children would accept that because of a bond scared her. She started pulling away and he noticed, became more controlling. She found out she was pregnant not long after. She decided to run and came to find your father. She confessed everything to us. She wanted our help. The witch that trained her, Amara, told her of a potential sanctuary, Vales."
My mother needed a faraway place. She wanted us to make our own choices. She was hiding me from Zain and Jason from Maddie.
She feared we would be weapons. Or worse, be in the crossfire and die. She served the Malfattos not out of blind loyalty to the vampires but to us.
Well, I am sure that's how it started. With time, she started to see Vales as home. The Malfattos were her new saviors and family.
Their political views were also to her liking. The Malfattos were passivists. Not like her werewolf pack. She ran and hid for us. She even died for us and we wasted it.
We came back here. It was for a treaty, to make their dreams come true. But it was all a trap. Zain must have known who me and Jason were from the beginning.
He accepted Maddox's proposal to bring us here. We fell for it.
Jerry brought the attention back, "I was against the idea of her running. I knew they would find her. My brother and his children were not going to be safe. If she stayed, then at least the werewolves would protect them. They might not live an ideal life but it would have kept them alive."
"A life of servitude is not ideal. Cheryl did what she had to do," Maddox gets up.
"Is that not what my niece and nephew are doing now," Jerry fired back.
I flinch. Yes, we are. Whether we are used to it now is a different story but we were tied to the Malfattos by my mother. She was trying to be so cautious with us that she forgot her main purpose.
She enslaved us but with a different species.
Maddox argues, "I do not have them in chains. They may leave whenever they please."
"Because having your life tied to another's is not a reason to stay at their side. They should want to protect you. They need to protect themselves," Jerry looks at me and I lift an eyebrow.
No protest from me. It's true but I still love my home and this given family.
"Your father and I were in contact after they left. We were for a while. I kept insisting for him to leave your mother and bring y'all to me. We could all run away. Live off the grid. Your mother was calling too much attention with the vamps. She once was neutral, out of the fight, but became more involved. I warned him that those bloodsuckers were more dangerous. At least, the pack grew up with Cheryl. Eventually, he got tired of my nagging and the conversations ended... if I had known of their deaths... they should have told you everything. Now, your brother is gone," Jerry laments.
I feel stupid. A fire inside me kindles. My brother is not gone. He is captive. He can be rescued.
Zain has Jason but to what ends? He can have two ciphers. If he had put up with Maddox and Marisa, then he could have had me. I would have listened to the bond and complied, especially if he was playing nice with Marisa and Maddox.
He kicked me out though. It does not matter that they have Jason. Jason would not do anything against Maddox.
I look at Maddox then Marisa. The realization hit me. Our bonds are out of control. Who's to say that they have not found a way to release them all together?
So that's the plan. Separate the crew. Alter our bonds. Break them. Once we are free, the Malfattos are fair game.
Their mates would be safe and compliant. I fist my hands. Zain is not a passivist. More like a narcissist. He cares about his pack and himself only. He wants to end the vamps.
Jason would resist Zain but if Maddie, his mate, asks, can he? I almost didn't.
I look at Maddox and Marisa, "I will go back."