Chapter 42: Hi, Mom

CONNOR

When I was just ten, my mom left our pack. It was all because of my dad, who loved her as fiercely as he despised her.

She was a queen who wanted nothing to do with the life of our pack or my father’s rule. She yearned to be a regular lycan, to explore the world, to travel.

It was an odd desire for someone who was raised among royalty, whose parents were once the king and queen of our pack.

But over time, I began to understand why she chose to leave.

“We’re here.”

I glanced up at the towering ten-story building in the heart of Manhattan, swarming with people in suits and dresses. A handful of security guards patrolled the area, looking sharp in their uniforms.

“She’s here?” I asked, scanning the building for any prying eyes.

I noticed a few security cameras at the corners, the entrance, and inside the building.

The glass walls gave a glimpse of the building’s impressive interior.

“Yes, and we should go in. We can’t afford to be late,” Victoria said, smiling.

Our driver opened the door, and we stepped out into the blistering New York sun.

I grimaced, feeling suffocated by the heat.

Being accustomed to our cooler climate and occasional sunshine made it difficult for us to bear the scorching heat.

I loosened my shirt collar, aware of the stares from passersby, particularly the women who seemed to be drooling over our group.

“This isn’t what I expected.” Jyn frowned.

“What were you expecting?” I asked, stepping into the building where a few guards nodded in our direction.

“I thought maybe a mansion, ~not~ a building. I figured she’d invite us to her home,” Jyn said.

I laughed.

My mom would ~never~ invite us to her home, not when she had severed ties with the pack, with us, with ~me~.

I was still surprised she even agreed to meet. I wondered what her reason could be.

After a few minutes, Victoria exchanged words with some security men, and we were led to a private elevator that would take us to her office.

To be honest, I was nervous. It had been so long since I’d seen my mom that I didn’t know what to expect.

Would she be happy to see us? Would she be as nervous as I was? Or would she look down on us as if we were worthless?

I shook off these unsettling thoughts.

Taking a deep breath, we followed the security men to a set of glass doors. An assistant greeted us warmly and informed us that my mom would join us shortly.

We waited, the tension palpable as Regulus surveyed the room and Jyn stood by my side.

“What’s your mom like?” he asked, prompting me to look at him.

I sighed, leaning my head against the wall.

“She’s strict, but kind. She has a soothing voice that makes you trust her instantly. She’s very confident and one of the most knowledgeable people I’ve ever known.”

Jyn chuckled beside me when we heard a voice from behind the doors, and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end.

We all sensed the arrival of the person we’d been waiting for. Her lycan was on the surface, making the air around us feel heavy.

Regulus and Jyn submitted immediately, while Victoria stood with her arms crossed, smirking.

As the doors opened, honey-golden eyes landed on me, and I involuntarily took a step back.

Khan growled in my mind as I pushed forward and kept my breathing steady.

The doors closed quietly. The sound of heels echoed as she approached our group.

“Greetings, Mrs. Reed.” Victoria flashed a dazzling smile at my mom.

I expected her to respond, but she ignored Victoria and focused on us.

Jyn and Regulus bowed their heads in respect, avoiding her gaze. Even though Jyn was curious, he kept his eyes averted.

“This is an unexpected visit,” my mom murmured, lifting my chin.

I winced as her long black nails forced me to meet her gaze.

“You’ve grown, Connor,” she said, studying my face. “You really have grown.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. It had been so long since I’d last seen her that I was overwhelmed by her presence.

She was the woman who gave birth to me, who used to sing me to sleep, who made me laugh, who trained me and loved me until the day she left to pursue a dream that didn’t include me.

I closed my eyes as her hand moved from my jaw to my cheek. Her touch was gentle, filled with nostalgia.

“My son, you have no idea how much I’ve missed you,” she whispered, and I opened my eyes.

With a weak smile, I replied, “Hi, Mom.”

***

We all sat in silence, which was already uncomfortable.

Jyn and Regulus were on either side of me, while Victoria stood near the window, watching the people rushing between crowds and cars below.

“What brings the alphas of the pack to my building?” my mom asked, looking at us. “Has your father summoned me to return to the pack, or has he ~finally~ died?”

I clenched my jaw at her words.

“Father is perfectly alive,” I said through gritted teeth.

“Then why the urgent visit?” she asked, waving a hand. “Lady Victoria told me you wanted to speak with me.

“If it’s anything related to the pack, I’m not interested. Especially not when it involves royal affairs, which I have—”

“My queen has been kidnapped,” I interrupted, too irritated to listen to another word.

My mom’s eyes narrowed, and her lips pursed.

“Queen, you say?” She frowned.

There was a pause, a brief silence before she stood.

“You’re king?” she asked, sounding incredulous. “And you have a queen?”

“My mate,” I growled.

She scoffed, turning to look out the window at the towering buildings. Her hands were clenched at her sides, and her shoulders shook.

“You’re the pack’s king now?” she echoed. “King of the wolves?”

“And the lycans,” Jyn chimed in.

A growl from her silenced him as she spun to face us, her eyes as dark as the night sky.

“How could you?” she spat. “~How~ ~could~ ~you~?”

“I claimed what was rightfully mine,” I replied evenly. “But not anymore.”

Confusion flickered across my mother’s face.

With a weary sigh, I pushed myself up from my chair.

“I’ve chosen my mate over the throne,” I told her, closing the distance between us. “Over a crown that means nothing to me without my mate at my side.”

Her eyebrows knitted together.

“And what did your father have to say about all this?” she inquired.

“My father has been banished from the castle, but not now that I’ve returned in search of my mate.”

“Just like that?” she asked, clearly taken aback.

I straightened my shoulders, grinning at her. Jyn and Regulus both rose and moved closer until they stood beside me.

“I know you want nothing to do with the pack or any royal affairs. But I’m not here to ask you to get involved in that.

“I’m here as your son, who just needs help from his mother, who ~abandoned~ him long ago,” I said.

She flinched and looked away.

“The hunters have taken my mate,” I said, and she turned back to me, her eyes wide as she listened.

“They violated the treaty and laid hands on what’s mine, mother. And as the council’s leader, I’m asking you to ~please~ help us—help ~me~—get my mate back.”

Several minutes of silence passed before she finally relaxed and sighed. She brought a hand up to her face, rubbing her temples.

“Could all of you leave us, please?” she requested, and Jyn and the others nodded in agreement.

I braced myself for a fight, but something told me that what she was about to say would be more than just words.

I kept my gaze on Jyn as he exited the room.

~“Give it time, Connor,”~ Jyn communicated through our mind-link.

In silence, I nodded and turned back to face her once the doors had closed. She looked at me as if seeing me for the first time.

“You really remind me of myself when I was younger,” she said, returning to the chair she had occupied earlier. “Full of confidence, ambition, desire, dreams.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, intrigued.

“When I was your age, I wanted to be strong, to be invincible, to earn the respect of other pack members and alphas.

“I wanted to prove to everyone what I was capable of, but I didn’t want the one thing you fought so hard to obtain.”

“The throne,” I finished for her.

She smiled and nodded.

“Yes, I wanted more, to explore the world and share my knowledge, my combat skills, my wisdom with those in need in the human world, or other packs,” she said, her smile broadening.

“That’s why I left: because your father didn’t want me to do that. He wanted me to just sit by his side, to be his obedient doll, who he could manipulate however he pleased.

“And I wasn’t born for that, but you…you were born to be king, my son.”

“I’m no king. Not without the most important part of me,” I growled. “If you think that my strength, my lycan, is all I need to be king, then you’re mistaken!”

I was seething, but she merely glanced at me.

“A king is nothing without his queen by his side. And without Elaine, I'm nothing,” I sighed.

“Elaine?” she echoed, prompting me to open my eyes.

“Yes?” I frowned in response.

“Elaine Woods? The daughter of the infamous Alpha Atlas?” she frowned, then scoffed. “That bastard…”

“Mom?” I frowned, noticing the sudden scowl on her face.

“I can’t believe you’re her mate,” she said, shaking her head. “Elena would be thrilled to know her daughter is queen, though.”

“You knew Elaine’s mother?” I asked, surprised by this sudden shift in conversation.

“Yes, Elena Woods, daughter of King Efrain, descendant of the most powerful lycan lineage to ever exist.

“I can’t believe this,” she chuckled. “She would be overjoyed if she knew her daughter had become queen.”

“No, she wouldn’t,” I said, baring my teeth. “Did you know Alpha Atlas killed her?”

Her eyebrows furrowed.

“Watch your words, Connor,” she cautioned.

“You could ask her two sons, who are with me, then.” I gestured at the door. “Jyn and Regulus can tell you what’s true and what’s not.”

My mother’s wide eyes moved toward the closed door.

“Those are her sons? I didn’t recognize them,” she murmured.

“They are, and that’s why we’re here, Mother. If you want to know more about the truth behind Elaine’s mother, then you should ask them. It’s ~not~ my place to tell you.

“But we need your help. I need to find Elaine.”

“You said the hunters have her?” my mother asked, rising from her chair.

I followed suit.

“Yes.”

“Where are they?” she asked, pulling a phone from a drawer.

“Here in New York, about an hour from the city,” I said, and she stopped in her tracks. She looked over her shoulder, frowning.

“Here?” she asked. Her voice was barely above a whisper. “Impossible.”

“Why?” I asked, puzzled.

Sighing, she dialed a number and two burly men dressed in black entered the room, followed by my group.

“Gather the team, and let’s meet in the penthouse,” she ordered. Her men hurried out of the room.

“What’s going on?” Jyn asked, confusion etched on his face.

“Mother?” I called. She paused halfway through the door.

“She shouldn’t be here. No hunters should be in this city,” she said, her voice a low growl.

“Why?” Victoria chimed in. “Hunters are everywhere.”

“Not everywhere,” she hissed back. “New York isn’t their territory. The treaty forbids them from stepping foot here unless we invite them.”

Victoria’s hand flew to her lips. “Now that you mention it…”

“But why bring her here?” Regulus asked, his voice filled with confusion.

My mother’s frown deepened, her gaze dropping as if she was lost in thought.

“How did you know she was here?” she asked again.

“We managed to get in touch with her, so we tracked her number,” I replied.

“And what did she say? Did she mention anything?” she asked, her eyes searching mine.

All eyes in the room turned to me, and I felt a growl building in my throat.

“Yes,” I muttered, looking away.

“Connor,” my mother’s voice was sharp. “Tell me, do we have a name?”

I clenched my fists, raising my head to meet her gaze. Khan was on the surface, his anger palpable, ready to force my mother to help us.

“Elaine said something,” I managed to choke out. “She said not to trust Sorin.”

At the mention of my brother’s name, my mother’s eyes turned a deep, pitch black.

“Do you understand what you’re saying?” she snarled. “Do you have any idea what you’re implying?”

“I do,” I shot back. “And I trust Elaine. Something isn’t right here, mother!”

“Connor!” she yelled. I shook my head.

“No, Sorin might be your favorite son, but I believe in my mate,” I growled back. “Because since then, we haven’t been able to get in touch with Sorin.”

“Get in touch with him?” she asked, her brow furrowing.

“Yes,” Jyn interjected. “Alpha Sorin came with us to New York. But since last night, we haven’t been able to reach him.”

My mother’s teeth were bared, her body half-shifted as she moved toward Jyn. I stepped between them, blocking her path.

~“Move!”~ her lycan ordered.

“I won’t!” I defied her. “Not when your son’s phone is pinging from the same location as my mate!”

With that, my mother’s lycan retracted.

“What did you just say?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

I watched as her body swayed to the side. Victoria reached out, steadying her.

I pulled a small tracker from my pocket, tossing it onto the nearby table. Two dots blinked from the same location.

“Before we split up, we gave everyone a phone, each with a tracker,” I explained, sighing. “After we tracked Elaine’s phone, we tried to get everyone to return, but Sorin didn’t answer.”

“So we tracked his phone, and this is what we found,” Regulus said, picking up the tracker and pushing it into my mother’s hand. “Sorin is with Elaine. He might be a traitor.”

“There must be some mistake. Maybe the hunters got him?” she suggested, handing the tracker back to Jyn.

“No, because Elaine loved Sorin. She defended him in the pack, even fought me for him. If she’s saying not to trust him, she must be telling the truth,” Jyn added.

My mother remained silent, taking it all in.

“Trust us,” I pleaded.

“But if she’s a queen, a lycan like her mother, why hasn’t she escaped the hunters? How could they kidnap her?”

Everyone, including Victoria, shook their heads, avoiding my mother’s gaze.

“Elaine’s lycan was taken away,” I whispered. “She’s become human.”