BELLA

"Bella." A soft whisper called my name.

I turned my head to see who it was only to find the woman who pretended to be dead for so many years walking beside me. I glimpsed to my left, expecting Xanthos to be at my side. However, he wasn't there.

I halted walking and glanced around me; searching for him. But all I could see was the clan that Xanthos' saved walking and talking with each other wither with happy smiles or with a determined look.

"Bella, please don't ignore me."

I began stepping forward and searched for my dumb of a mate who left me when he was needed the most for me. I continued ignoring her as I didn't have the courage to know why she left me alone with those monsters.

I did remember mouthing to her that she needed to explain me but now I felt questioning myself if I would be able to sustain the reason she would throw on me.

'Xanthos? Where are you?' I tried connecting to him through my mind.

I instantly got his reply in my head. 'With Alpha Loisel. Do you want your hot mate for something?'

I rolled my eyes but I knew what he asked was what I wanted right now.

'My mom--'

'And here I thought you wanted me there to make love. I know you want me there because of your mom. You both need to talk alone, You don't want to make me a third wheeler now, right sweet cake?'

I sighed and ignored his first sentence about making love. 'Ok, Xan. I would try talking to her by myself.'

'Good, mate.'

The forest was less dense causing beams of sunlight to fall on the path we were walking. Light waft of wind blew causing my hair to ruffle along with it.

I turned my head to the right to stare at my mom who was staring at me with sadness.

"I'm not ignoring you! I'm just trying to adjust myself in this situation which I'm sure you were aware of." I realized that I sounded rude. So, I cleared my throat and muttered, "sorry for sounding rude. I didn't mean too."

She slightly smiled and shook her head. "Still the same as you were small." She continued, "Bella, I know I should have been there with you and shouldn't have pretended as though I was dying. But-But the way Nathan treated me that time made me feel selfish to escape away from his clutches."

I deeply breathed in as I heard what she confessed. She was selfish for herself and didn't try to tell me she was putting on an act to escape.

"You could have taken me along with you..." I trailed off my sentence as tears threatened to brim out of my eyes.

"I-I thought of that. After I requested or more like umm, s-seduced one of the doctors to tell my family that I died because of a heart attack, he agreed and did what I instructed him. That night, I planned to take you away from the so-called home you were living in. But, when I reached there Angelo was standing in the foyer talking with Nathan. I used my werewolf hearing to listen to there conversation--"

"Firstly you-you seduced the doctor?" I asked her with shock.

She slowly nodded her head and stared at me with guilt. "I did..." I opened my mouth to ask her how could she do that but she interrupted me. "It was needed at that time! That act was needed for me to escape. That doctor was the one who fell for it and agreed to me!"

I flinched at her tone and shook my head in disbelief and asked, "secondly, you're a werewolf?"

She nodded her head and coughed out the answer, "yes. Nathan is a werewolf too." 

"Which means I'm a werewolf too...?"

She looked at me for a few seconds before shaking her head. "No, you're not. Though you were born in my stomach, you're not. You were supposed to be a werewolf but I guess the Moon Goddess planned for something else. She gave me the responsibility of growing a significant human of the supernatural world. The one who would change everything. But I guess, I have failed to do that."

"Continue where you left," I muttered bitterly. Her reasons weren't doing anything good for me to change my opinion on her.

"Angelo said to Nathan that their son's birthday was that day and that his gene carries sorcery and nota werewolf. I was shocked he was the father of a son who was not mine. I didn't want a daughter having his disgusting blood running anymore and decided to come here, to Inferis."

Tears ran down my cheeks as it finally dawned why she let me suffer there. My lips trembled and my chest heaved in pain.

I did expect a horrible reason then why was I getting sad on this matter?

I stopped walking and turned to glare at her with pain and dislike. I made sure I didn't create any scene and whispered as calmly as I could.

"You're even more terrible then them. You just left me because I was a child of your disgusting husband? You just left me there to suffer for nine continuous years. I'm sure you have come back here, to me for something. Isn't it? You require something from me, right? What's that, mom?" I sneezed and harshly wiped my tears.

She shook her head. "There's nothing that I need except for you, princess. You're everything. What I did in my past was idiocy. I was just twenty-five years old when I left and went far away from you. I now understood my foolishness." She tried hugging me but I stepped away from her.

"Don't you think I'm some naive child anymore! I'm not the same Bella who would just fall In people's words. I'm sure you don't want me but you want something from me. What do you want?!" I yelled angrily.

Thescrunchingg of the leaves and the murmuring of the people stopped around me. The only sounds heard were of the wind and the chitter-chatter of the birds.

She glanced around herself, feeling uncomfortable of the silence and the attention but I didn't care about that matter. The only matter I cared of was her wants.

"Listen, Bella, don't create a scene here. We can talk about it when we are alone."

"How could you be calm when your daughter is going through a storm of emotions? If you really ever loved me no scratch that at least liked me then you would have asked me to calm down and would have tried to comfort me rather than getting all worried about the attention around you!"

A warm arm snaked around my waist causing sparks to erupt through my body. I leaned to the warmth and allowed my nerves to calm down. Xanthos' breath tickled my ear as he whispered, "did I make a mistake of leaving my beautiful mate alone?" I shook my head and turned my head to the left to get a glance of him. "Breath in and try telling me what happened."

His voice was like a spell making me do all the things he uttered. I nodded and explained to him what all she spoke to me. I heard gasps coming from the crowd formed as they were too listening to what I was saying yet I didn't stop as I wanted to take everything out of my chest. When I completed narrating what all she confessed, I saw Xanthos lazily smirk causing me to stare at him in confusion. 

"So, you asked her what she wanted from you and she said she wanted you?" I nodded my head at his question only for his smirk to grow. I stepped away from his hold and looked at him; more confused.

"Xanthos, at least you get me, right?" My 'mom' whispered.

Xanthos laughed humorously and walked to stand in front of her. "Oh, I get you very well, cagna-- hmm, it would be disrespectful to call you that since you're my mate's blood-related 'mom'." She stood staring at Xanthos with tears in her eyes.

"No one understands why I did what I did." She sobbed making me almost take a step forward.

"Why do you need her now though? She has her disgusting father's blood still running." Xanthos raised his voice. "Don't tell me just because you understood your foul action you're here!"

'My queen, your mom is one of her king's warrior, Draco's warrior'. I heard a voice in my head which wasn't of Xanthos but of a woman.

"I'm serious!" My mother spoke against Xanthos.

"I know you want her just to get her power!" Xanthos shouted angrily.

'What he said isn't wrong too. Kill her. She's just going to be another obstacle of your life.'

'Who are you? Why should I listen to you?' I asked the woman's voice.

'Speculate what I mumble
As it would be your redeeming abrasion.
Don't dismiss my say
As it would monopolize to your demise's portico.'

What? I thought baffled.

"No! I want her just for her!" My mother yelled back.

"Just for her implies just for power," Xanthos answered with a smirk. 

'I may be invisible yet I'm visible,
I would be by your side
Always and forever.'

'I cannot trust you just like that and get her killed!'

'O my child, this is your tough time,
Listen to my choice and you would succeed.'

I gulped as I felt something divine wash over me. The woman's voice was so melodious and encouraging which caused me to think over what she said.

My mother is a loyal warrior of Draco. She too yearned for power. But I remember her telling 'love must reign' before she died. That was an act to prove to my father that she wasn't like him.

"Mom, you remember what you spoke before dying? 'Love must reign it still echo in my mind as though it's some chant that you made me learn. You knew Nathan would be listening to your words with his heightened hearing and you really put an act. You wanted power since the beginning I was born. I'm done with you. You'll be an obstacle in my life." I wiped my tears and stared at Xanthos as I muttered the next words. 

"Urgh! Enough, bitch! I can't put this act of 'good woman' anymore!" She clutched her head and pulled the strands of her hair. "The hell is my problem? My problem is just you! I don't know why was I given a responsibility like you. You're a mutt. A human. No creature can like you more than a slave! But I tried, I did. All was in vain. You're weak. You don't fit to be a Queen."

Xanthos held her by her neck and hauled her above the ground. "You sound totally like a crazy woman. No one dares to disgrace my mate. And if they do," he paused. "They die." He said through his clenched teeth.

Before I could tell him as to what to do, I saw her eyes bulging out of her face and her hands roaming in the air with her legs tangling and trying to kick away from his hold. I looked around and saw people's eyes widened.

She choked for air before her eyes slowly closed and her figure falling limp to the ground.

I gulped loudly in shock.

I just saw my mother die in front of my eyes. But she was a betrayer, an emotional betrayer.

I gazed at Xanthos through my blurry vision and muttered, "thank you."

Black dots danced in my vision before darkness engulfed me.

My own mate killed my own mother.