Twiceloved

chapter 21

POV Kiara

The moment Jacqueline appears, Aleron immediately crosses to the vampires' side. He folds his arms across his chest but maintains distance from the group, as if he's observing rather than rejoining his clan.

The gesture stings more than I expected. Seeing him choose their side so quickly reminds me that despite our bond, his loyalties have always been divided.

I force myself to focus on the woman standing before me. The woman I believed was dead for years.

My mother, Jacqueline Moreau.

Studying her face, I note the familiar features that mark us clearly as mother and daughter. We have the same nose, the same jaw line, the same dark hair. But her expression is cold and sly.

She looks at me like I'm an interesting specimen rather than her child. The scent of fresh blood clings to her, so strong it makes my senses recoil.

"Jacqueline," I say formally, unable to bring myself to call this dangerous stranger 'mother.'

She examines me thoroughly from head to toe, taking in every detail. Her gaze lingers on my defensive posture, on the werewolves positioned protectively behind me, on the way I hold myself with Alpha authority.

"I can't believe I see my daughter so grown up," she says, her voice carrying centuries of command. "An Alpha of such a powerful pack." She nods toward my warriors. "And a hybrid."

Her predatory smile widens with those last words, like she's pleased with how I've turned out.

"This is part of your plan, isn't it?" I demand, cutting straight to the point.

Jacqueline laughs, but there's no warmth in the sound. It's cold and calculating.

"Don't be offended, daughter. I simply wanted to unlock your potential. You're destined for great things."

"What kind of great things?" I press.

When I ask for details, she deflects smoothly. "There's so much to tell you, but we don't have much time tonight."

The burning question I've carried my entire life finally erupts. "WHY did you leave me?"

Her response is ice-cold and matter-of-fact. "So that what must happen will happen."

The cryptic answer provides no comfort, only more pain. After all these years, that's all she has to say about abandoning me?

"I want to talk to you properly, as mother to daughter," she continues, glancing meaningfully at the werewolves growling behind me. "I will not ask to come to your territory, so I invite you to dinner instead."

Immediately, competing voices fill my mind through both of my supernatural bonds.

"No! It's a trap!" Thomen's voice explodes through our werewolf mate connection, filled with protective fury.

At the same time, Aleron's calm presence touches my consciousness through our vampire bond. He doesn't speak, just gives a barely perceptible nod of agreement with Jacqueline's suggestion.

I ignore both of them. This is my choice to make.

"Okay," I decided.

Jacqueline's satisfied chuckle shows she expected this answer all along. "Then Aleron will escort you to ensure your safe passage."

Before I can respond, she and her vampires simply vanish into the darkness between the trees. One moment they're there, the next they're gone like smoke dissipating in the wind.

The silence that follows feels heavy with unspoken tension.

One of my best fighters steps forward, the question I've been dreading clear in his eyes.

"Is it true, Alpha? Are you a hybrid?"

There's no point in lying anymore. Too many people know the truth now.

"Yes, I was born this way," I confirm, meeting his gaze steadily. "I promise to explain everything once I finally stop this bloodshed."

My warriors nod with understanding and loyalty. They've followed me through almost five years of war. They're not going to abandon me now because of what I am.

They begin departing to carry out the patrol orders I gave earlier, leaving me alone with my two mates.

I can hear their mental argument escalating through my enhanced senses.

"She has made her decision," Aleron states coldly through whatever connection he and Thomen share.

"Don't take your eyes off her for a second, or I'll bite your head off," Thomen growls back threateningly.

Despite everything, I find myself noting, "At least you stopped fighting and started talking to each other."

The tension between them remains thick enough to cut with a knife.

Thomen's voice breaks with remembered pain. "I've already lost my brothers because of him. But I can't lose you too."

Aleron's response carries unexpected sincerity. "You won't lose her. I promise you that."

For the first time, Thomen nods in grudging acceptance of their shared need to protect me.

"Follow the pack back to the main settlement," I instruct Thomen. "Make sure everyone knows to be ready for anything."

He approaches me for what might be our goodbye. Our kiss is filled with unspoken fears and desperate love. His lips taste like home and safety and everything I might be leaving behind.

"Come back to me," he whispers against my mouth.

"Always," I promise, hoping it's true.

As he disappears into the forest with our warriors, I turn to face Aleron. My vampire soulmate. My enemy. My guide into a world I'm only beginning to understand.

"Ready?" he asks simply.

"No. But let's go anyway."

We head deeper into vampire territory, toward whatever truth my mother wants to share. The night air feels thick with approaching change, and I know that nothing will ever be the same after tonight.

My childhood fantasies of reuniting with my loving mother are already crumbling. Jacqueline Moreau is nothing like the woman I imagined all these years.

She's something far more dangerous.

And I'm walking straight into her web.