Chapter 40

                                    

                                          
I sat alone in the dark lost in thought. It had been a couple of hours after Grandpa Fernos and Cromwell left, and I was still confused and felt alone. I had a feeling that whatever my grandfather wanted to tell me was important, but I had a feeling that he was scared to tell me.

                          
He didn't want me to think of him differently, whatever the reason was. He didn't want me to be mad at him or scared, which was crazy because I knew that whatever he had to tell me, whatever he had to hide was to protect me and not only me but the people that I swore to protect.
                          
Absentmindedly, I braided my hair and thought about that as well as what had happened the past couple of hours before I sat in the dark when everyone else was asleep, sleeping off the time change that we had been through.
                          
Multiple spells had been placed in the food we had been given, and when my grandmother found them, she had almost gone there herself. It turned out one of them was very deadly to my wolf if I hadn't taken the stuff my grandmother had given me.
                          
When she found out about that, she was very mad, and she almost went there herself but was stopped because Orion and I had subdued her. However, that still didn't mean she wasn't pissed, and I knew if she got a chance, she would kill them herself.
                          
After that, we had decided against trying to see what Emmanuel and Uncle Maverick had given us, and we just relaxed and caught up until we all got tired and broke up to get ready for bed.
                          
Grandma Tabitha and Orion decided to stay with us, and they went to their respective rooms, Orion telling me that he would tell me what had happened tomorrow. And me, well, I decided to sit on the steps and think, not in the mood to sleep.
                          
"You know," the familiar voice of my mother said from behind me. She smiled when I turned around quickly and studied me with gray eyes that looked like my own. "You could have told us that you were coming here, so we could see you."
                          
My bottom lip quivered, and a wave of emotion and exhaustion washed over me when I saw her standing there. "Mom," I said, my voice shaking. I stood up quickly and ran towards her, giving her a hug.
                          
Mom chuckled and wrapped her arms around me, her arms making me feel like I was at home. Her scent filled my nose and soothed me, and it reminded me how homesick I was without them. "I am here," she soothed and placed a kiss on the top of my head. "I'm here."
                          
I didn't reply while I sobbed, happy that she was here, even though I didn't tell her I would be here. "How did you find out?" I asked after I stopped crying. I kept my arms around her, needing her comfort that she brought.
                          
"Your grandmother called me," she replied. She placed another kiss on the top of my head and pulled away. Gently, she lifted my face until I was looking at her and wiped the tears from underneath my eyes. Her gray eyes were filled with tears, and I frowned because I hated seeing my mother cry.
                          
Mom chuckled when she caught my look. "Don't give me that look," she said while she wiped more tears from underneath my eyes. "You know that I hate seeing you cry."
                          
"You hate anyone of us crying, Mom," I pointed out, and she nodded in agreement. "What did she have to say?" I asked, changing the subject back to my grandmother. I bit back a frown and wondered if she told her that someone tried to kill me.
                          
Mom set her jaw and sighed. She pulled away from me and took my hand before she led me back to where I had been sitting. "Your grandmother told me that they were trying to kill your wolf," she replied, sitting down, and I sat down beside her. Her voice shook, and I could tell that she was angry.
                          
I nodded my head and stayed silent. I didn't know if my mother thought I should stay or not, but I needed to stay. I needed to free these people from the tyrant that had taken over. I needed to help until they were free, and I had no idea when that would be.
                          
"Are you wondering if I am going to let you stay or not?" Mom asked after she had studied me for some time. She blinked and cocked her head. "Did you not know how to ask it?"
                          
I hesitated but nodded my head. "I am wondering if you are going to let me stay or take me away," I said. "Or at least both Tasha and me because I know that you wouldn't allow her to stay without me."
                          
Mom nodded her head in agreement. "I want to take you away," she said. "I want to take you both away from the pack, but I can't because it will not be fair to them." She smiled when she caught my relieved look and patted my hand. "You bring them hope, Ky," she said, softly. "I can't take away their hope."
                          
I hesitated but nodded my head. "Do you know?" I asked, studying her. "Or did you know?"
                          
Mom sighed and nodded her head. "Yes," she said. "I knew that you were the Siran." She looked away out into the night and was silent for a while. "Yes," she mused. "I had known that you were the Siran about a month after you were born."
                          
"Have there been any before me?" I asked, cocking my head. "Like there had been Red Wolves before you?"
                          
"I don't know," Mom said after a moment's pause. "I think your grandfather knows. However, I hadn't seen him in a while."
                          
"He had been in England as well," I replied. "He had been here, but..." I shrugged my shoulders and grimaced. "He got mad and left before Grandma Tabitha told him the results."
                          
Mom nodded her head. "I am glad he did." She smiled when she caught my confused look. "He would have taken you away from the pack and send you home." She leaned back. "I think there would have been a big argument between the two of you before he finally lets you go back."
                          
I chuckled and nodded my head. "Yes, and the uncles would be scrambling for some popcorn and gobble it up while watching us argue."
                          
Mom chuckled before she grew serious. "Whatever you find or don't find, remember trust your instincts and your heart. There could be a way to save them that might not be known at first, so keep searching for it."
                          
I nodded. "Do you know..?"
                          
Mom shook her head, and I let my voice trail off. "I do not know what the information given to you by your uncle is," she said. "I don't know if he knows what is wrong, but he does hope that you all will find something that will explain whatever had happened and how it happens."
                          
"Do you want to..?"
                          
Mom shook her head. "The Prophet had advised me to let you do most of the work and have most of the knowledge." She cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. "She said that this was your job, and if I know what you are going to face, then she said I would more than likely stop you."
                          
"But you won't. Will you?"
                          
Mom shook her head and squeezed my hand. "You are the Siran for a reason, Ky," she said, standing. "My duty is to be on the sidelines and help you face this battle. I can not take over." She smiled when she caught my grimace and understood the weight that fell on my shoulders. "But, as the Red Wolf, I am able to help with what you need and make... certain arrangements."
                          
I furrowed my brows. "Like..?" I asked, and Mom shook her head. I frowned, and she chuckled and pushed a strand of hair behind my ear.
                          
"I won't be able to say," she said. "But, I will do what I can. For now, I think you should get some sleep. You will need all your energy for whatever you have to face tomorrow." She smiled and placed a kiss on my forehead. "Just know that your dad and I are proud of you."
                          
I nodded and wiped my eyes. "Do you think you can come again tomorrow?" I asked, hoping that she will.
                          
Mom smiled sadly and nodded. "I'll try," she replied. "As I said before, I'll be helping you from the sidelines. I will see what I can do to come."
                          
Again, I nodded. "Goodnight, Mom," I said while she backed away.
                          
"Goodnight."
                          
"I love you."
                          
She smiled. "I love you too." And with that, she turned around and left, shifting into her wolf form, and I stayed in my spot and watched her until I couldn't see her any longer.
                          
"Goddess," I whispered, moving a hand across my face. "Please let me find something tomorrow, at least something that can help Adam and Cornelius. If I can get them away from their control, then I know I can do something to help the rest of the pack."