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I feel a lump form in my throat. “Longer?” I swallow hard. “How much longer?”
“Not long. Maybe an hour or two?” She pinches her lips together. “He’s… he’s just a bit worried, baby.”
“Worried about what?”
“There’s a policeman here…some kind of big shot. He’s sniffing around the place. I guess after all that’s happened out there…” She heaves a sigh. “I can’t help feeling responsible.”
“Responsible?” I shake my head. “How on earth could you be responsible?”
“You know… After we broke out.” Her mouth turns down. “We caused quite a scene. Killing all those men. The police would never have been involved if we hadn’t done that.”
“Are you nuts, Mom?” My eyes are wide. “You’d still be stuck in that hell if you hadn’t escaped. I don’t care how many of those bastards you had to kill to get out of there. It was worth it.”
“But now there’s all this attention on this place. If only—”
“If only nothing, Mom. You did what you had to do. Nobody should have to go through what you went through these past months.”
“You went through it too, baby.” Her smile is gentle.
“Yes. I did. Which is why I know exactly what you had to deal with. I’m glad you did it. And it’s unfortunate that it has stirred things up. But we’ll get through it. I know we will. Our kind are resilient. We survive.”
“You’re right.” She squeezes my hand. “I just hate seeing you in here. I wish it was different, but…” She trails off.
“But what?”
“Jagger’s afraid that you might not be able to control yourself. You know…that you might shift. And if the police see a wolf here…” She licks her lips. “I’m so sorry,” she whispers. “I don’t want you to think that they don’t trust you.”
I shake my head, stepping back but keeping my hands linked with hers. “I understand, Mom. I’m not sure I fully trust myself yet, either.” I glance around the bare cell. “Jagger is just doing what’s best for his pack. I think he’s a good Alpha.”
Pride warms my mother’s gaze. “He is. And we’re fortunate to have found Steel Lakes after…” She doesn’t finish the sentence, the unspoken memory of Wildview’s loss hanging heavy between us.
Clearing my throat, I give her hands another reassuring squeeze. “This is a good place, Mom. I can feel it.” The pain of our village’s destruction still aches, but Steel Lakes promises a new start, a new home. “We’re going to be happy here. And you deserve that.”
“So do you, baby.” Mom’s smile returns, bright as the sun. It warms me from the inside out. “I’m so proud of the woman you’ve become, Cedara. So strong and brave in the face of everything we’ve endured.” Her voice catches slightly, eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “I couldn’t have asked for a better daughter. And if your father were here right now, I know he’d say exactly the same thing.” Her voice catches.
I squeeze her hands tighter, blinking back my own emotion. “You gave me that strength, Mom. I’m who I am because of you.”
She shakes her head, smiling tenderly. “Give yourself more credit, baby. I wish I could have half your courage. And Barrett…he’s a good mate for you, I think. A protector through and through. I haven’t known him long, but I can see how you would have connected so quickly. You’re two of a kind.”
“He’s my mate.” I go warm again thinking about it. “I just knew it…right from the start. Those days when I was out there…I couldn’t have resisted him if I’d tried. Even in my wolf form.”
“Fated.” She says the word in a hushed tone. “It was like that with your dad and me. My soul mate. My true mate. It’s how we are.” A sadness flickers in her deep green eyes. “It’s why I could never find anyone else after him.”
“Oh, Mom…” My heart breaks for her. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Her lips curl up. “He gave me the happiest years of my life. And then, he gave me you. My perfect little miracle. I see his eyes whenever I look at you. He was golden, just like you.”
I fight the lump in my throat, my eyes prickling. “I love you so much, Mom.”
“I love you too, baby. Don’t ever forget it. And I’m so glad you’ve found someone who’ll love you as much as I do. That man is perfect for you.” She reaches up to stroke my hair, and for a moment, I feel like a little girl again. It’s so hard to believe that just hours ago, I’d been so certain that my world was crashing down. Now, it feels like I have my whole life ahead of me, and it’s going to be wonderful.
So wonderful.
I open my mouth to speak when a sudden burst of gunfire rips through the air. My mother and I both jump, our heads whipping towards the sound.
“Oh, dear Lord!” she cries out.
Shouts and pounding footsteps follow, adding to the chaos. I grip the bars tightly, dread coiling in my stomach. What now?
