She told Ayria that she would think about the request. But she felt that this decision was not hers to make, but also Ian's. She had a feeling Ian knew nothing about the request Ayria asked of her.
Her hand reached for her pocket, retrieving a piece of paper.
I found your mom. Sophie and I are going to rescue her. The note read.
After reading the content of the note for the fifth time already, she dropped it onto the table.
She had found the note after returning from the Draven residence, which was hours ago. It had been left for her by Dart. She wished she had been here when he came over.
Waiting patiently and not knowing if they had succeeded was frustrating. But a question hung in her mind.
Why was Sophie helping in rescuing her mother?
A hard knock sounded at the door that moment.
Camelia immediately rushed to answer it. When she did, Dart stood there, holding Mrs Bishop up, who was wrapped in a blanket and looked barely conscious.
Her eyes widened. "Mom!!" she cried, immediately reaching forward to hold her as she and Dart brought her into the house.
They took Mrs Bishop up to her room and laid her down. Camelia sat beside her bed, holding her palm in hers.
"Where did you find her?" she asked, bracing herself for his answer.
Dart's face turned grim, his lips pressed into a thin line.
"Luna Grace had her chained up in a cave outside the pack and pumped her with some herb that kept her from being able to shift back."
Camelia gasped, her hand shaking, a mixture of disbelief and anger surging through her.
"I'm sorry, Camelia. For everything my family has done to yours," Dart said, looking down in shame.
How could he not feel shame? What Luna kidnaps a member of their own pack? What Alpha openly punishes a member of their pack without just cause?
And the pack in question was equally rotten. It finally dawned on him that he had been idly watching for far too long.
"Thank you for helping her. You don't owe me an apology," Camelia shook her head. "Luna Grace does."
At that moment, she felt it, anger soaring from inside her. Her wolf was also enraged, clawing at her to go wherever Luna Grace was and rip out her throat.
An unmistakable growl escaped her lips, but she pushed it back. Attacking the Luna was suicide, and she was sure her wolf knew this, but it did not care.
"In the note you left, you mentioned Sophie. Did she help you in finding my mom?" she asked.
Dart nodded.
"Yes. I wouldn't have found her if Sophie hadn't helped."
"In that case, I guess I should thank her later," she said, glancing at him briefly before facing her mother again.
Reading the room, Dart decided to give her space to be with her mother.
"I'm taking my leave," he announced. "I can come over tomorrow if you–"
"No," Camelia cut him off. "Tomorrow is a full moon. You should be focused on your shift and the pack. Forget about me, I'll be okay."
Tomorrow, the pack would run together, hunt together. It was his duty as future Alpha to prepare things, to ensure the route they would take was safe.
"You're right," Dart nodded, turning towards the door. "Be safe tomorrow," he said before leaving.
Left alone with her sleeping mother, Camelia climbed onto the bed, snuggling closer to her mother's warmth. Her wolf was calm now, going completely still again.
Despite her wolf fully awakening, her senses were still as weak as that of a human. Maybe after shifting tomorrow, she would finally be able to access her abilities and hopefully find her mate.
She had questions to ask her mother too, but that would also have to wait until tomorrow. Her eyes fluttered softly as sleep took her.
***
The sound of birds chirping outside the window reached Camelia's ears. She turned, brows squeezing as sun rays hit her face.
Her eyes snapped open, but she instantly shut them when the light hit her still-sensitive eyes. She blinked, checking the bed for her mother, but it was empty, just like the room.
She immediately jumped out of bed and left the room, panic rising, thinking everything that happened last night had been a dream.
But when she reached the stairs, her steps slowed, a sweet aroma from the kitchen hitting her nose.
It was not a dream.
She smiled when she reached the bottom of the stairs, catching a glimpse of her mother in the kitchen.
Sensing her, Mrs Bishop raised her head, smiling back. Camelia ran over and hugged her.
"I was so worried about you. I thought I'd never see you again," she said, the corners of her eyes brimming with tears.
"Well, I'm here now, and I'm not going anywhere, okay?" Mrs Bishop said.
She pulled away, taking a quick whiff at the different food laid out on the kitchen counter.
"Eat whatever you want. I made all your favourites, dear," she announced.
She had taken the liberty to prepare different dishes upon finding the freshly stocked groceries in the kitchen.
"Where did you get the money to buy the groceries?" Mrs Bishop asked as they both ate.
"I got a job. The pay was kinda huge," Camelia answered as she bit into bacon.
"Oh really? Where did you take the job?" Mrs Bishop asked, standing up to go check on the boiling kettle. "I'd like to thank the person personally."
Camelia froze, her fingers clenching around her fork. There was no way she would tell her mother where she worked. The woman might faint from the knowledge.
"At the clinic," she replied tightly, hoping her mother would not dwell on the matter.
"Hmm, okay."
Mrs Bishop focused on the tea she was brewing. After finishing, she stared at the cup for a long while, her lips pressed into a thin line.
The next minute, she fixed her face. Spinning around with the cup in her hand, she approached Camelia and dropped the cup beside her plate.
"Here, I made your favourite tea. Drink up," she urged, rubbing Camelia's back caringly.
Seeing the tea, Camelia frowned, a thin line forming between her brows.
"What is this tea made of?" she asked, carefully shrugging her mother's hand from her back.
With the morning excitement taking over, all the questions she had planned to ask her mother had slipped her mind, but now they came rushing back.
That feeling of betrayal she had felt towards her.
"Don't be silly. This is your medication. Remember, you need it if you hope to shift tonight during the full moon," Mrs Bishop said, pushing the cup closer to her.
Camelia stood up from her seat, the chair screeching against the floor.
"Raya told me everything. That tea is poisoning me and my wolf," she pointed towards the cup, hoping to see the shock register on her mother's face.
Mrs Bishop's eyes widened in obvious shock, but very quickly her face twisted, her jaw clenching.
"How dare her," she snapped angrily. "She had no right to tell you any of that. None of it."
Camelia stumbled backward, the realization dawning on her.
"You knew. You knew all along," her voice shook.
"Why did you do it? Why?" she asked, still hoping her mother would deny knowing.
Mrs Bishop stepped forward, reaching to cup her cheek.
"My dear Camelia. Why else would I have done it? Have you forgotten that you're an abomination, a stain?"
Camelia's eyes went wide at those words. She felt her chest squeezing tightly. Those harsh words. How could her mother say them without flinching?
Mrs Bishop continued. "But none of that matters because I love you. So take your tea, and put that cursed wolf inside you to sleep. Do it for mommy, okay?"
Her voice was soft and tender as she spoke. She reached out, picked up the tea, and brought it to Camelia's face.
Camelia swatted the cup away, the contents spilling to the floor as the cup shattered.
Mrs Bishop gasped.
"What have you d–"
Her words caught in her throat when she saw Camelia's eyes glowing, one scarlet red while the other glowed bright blue.
She instinctively stumbled back, trembling like a leaf on a windy day.
'Let's kill her now.'
Camelia's wolf growled from inside, itching to come out and pounce on her mother.
She stepped forward, claws elongating as her mother fearfully backed away, landing on the floor with her behind.
Mrs Bishop raised her hands defensively.
"Stay away. Don't hurt me!!" she screamed, pleading pitifully, tears already falling from her widened eyes.
Camelia froze, seeing her mother look at her like she was some kind of m
onster. Her eyes turned back to their normal blue as she forced her wolf down with great restraint.
Leaving her whimpering mother behind, she walked out of the house.