BloodMoon: Captivated by the Forbidden Lycan Alpha
Chapter 35: HE IS MY LIFE PARTNER

Chapter 35: HE IS MY LIFE PARTNER

{"I confess that I want him, I thank the maker of the realm that gave him to me. The exultation floods me."}

FREY KAYNE’S POV

Ma rushed out of the house before I even stepped onto the porch. Her finger pointed straight at me, and she cursed under her breath. This time, though, it was not angering; it was worry. I could not muster a response, only a sad, hollow smile. She froze mid-step, her expression softening as she realized something was wrong.

"What happened, Freyr?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper now.

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Words refused to form, and the weight of my emotions swelled in my chest. Shaking my head, I felt the sadness claw its way up my throat, threatening to spill out in sobs. My heart ached as though pierced by a shard of ice.

Ma reached for my arm, her touch firm yet gentle. "Come," she said simply, pulling me inside.

I followed her as she led me to Pa’s library, the faint smell of old books and dried ink wrapping around me like a familiar but heavy cloak. She eased me into the chair by the large windows, where the last of the evening light filtered through in golden streaks.

Without a word, Ma lit an incense candle on the corner table, its soft fragrance curling through the air to mask the metallic tang of my blood. She turned to me, her gaze scanning my face as though searching for answers in my silence.

"Wait here," she said, raising her hand to cut off my attempt to speak. "I’ll get you something to drink."

Before I could protest, she was gone, her footsteps fading down the hallway.

I sank back into the chair, letting my head rest against the cushioned back. The weight of my weariness pressed down on me, heavier than the silence in the room. I closed my eyes, but the image of Tor’s face, the anger in his eyes when he found out I was the spy flashed behind my lids.

The memory hit me like a blow. The disbelief, the betrayal in his voice... it had gutted me. I hated that I had hurt him, hated that I had been caught in this web of lies and danger. And now that we had cleared the air, now that the truth was out, the guilt and remorse were suffocating.

I clenched my fists, feeling the faint sting where my blood had dried on my skin. The tension in my chest rose again, not just from the memory of Tor but from the ever-present threat that loomed over us both. The thought of him his safety, his anger, his trust, filled me with sorrow so sharp that it felt like it could split me in two.

Ma’s voice carried faintly from the kitchen, pulling me from my thoughts. I exhaled shakily and opened my eyes to the dim light of the library, waiting for her to return.

The sharp, metallic scent of freshly warm blood hit my nostrils, pulling me from my thoughts. My head snapped up, and my eyes darted to the doorway, my senses sharpening instinctively. Ma was back.

She appeared moments later, carefully balancing a tray with three cups on it. Her movements were precise, and measured, as though this ritual of care steadied her as much as it did me. She set the tray down on the table between the two chairs and handed me the first glass.

"Drink," she urged softly, her eyes fixed on mine.

I took the glass and brought it to my lips, the familiar warmth of blood coating my tongue. It was fresh, untainted, grounding. I gulped it down in one long drink, my body relaxing slightly as the energy coursed through me.

Ma plucked the empty glass from my hands, placing it back on the tray. Without a word, she picked up the second cup and handed it to me. This time, the scent was different—pungent and sharp, like earth and bitter herbs mingled with the blood.

I hesitated, my nose crinkling involuntarily. "What’s in this?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at her.

She pressed her lips together for a moment before answering. "It’s an herb," she confessed. "It will subdue the scent of the Lycan’s blood in you."

I raised an eyebrow at that but nodded slowly. "Clever," I muttered, bringing the glass to my lips. The taste was as sharp as the scent, strong, earthy, and biting, but I forced it down in a few quick gulps. The warmth spread through me, unfamiliar and strange, but welcomed.

As I set the glass back on the tray, I leaned back in the chair and met Ma’s waiting gaze.

"His name is Tor Gale," I said, my voice quieter than I had intended.

Her expression did not change, but I saw the flicker of concern in her eyes. She said nothing, waiting for me to continue, but the words caught in my throat. The memory of Tor’s face, the anger, the betrayal, the way his name felt tangled in all the emotions I could not yet unpack, lingered in the air like a shadow.

"He found out," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. The weight of the confession settled heavily between us.

Ma’s eyes narrowed slightly as she leaned forward, her hands resting on her knees. "Found out what, Freyr?"

"That I was sent to spy on him." The words tasted bitter on my tongue, and I looked away, unable to meet her gaze. "He was furious... but we talked it out."

She let out a breath, but I was not sure if it was relief or disbelief. I pressed on before she could interrupt.

"He wants me to tell Lord Marcel that we met. He... he wants me to trust in what we feel—the pull, the desire to be together." I paused, rubbing the back of my neck, the tension building again. "Ma, I confessed to him about the mission given to me by Lord Marcel after—" My throat tightened, but I forced the words out. "After he marked me."

Ma gasped sharply, her hand flying to her chest as though the mere idea had struck her. She sank into the chair across from me, her face pale with shock. "He marked you?"

"Yes," I said quietly, staring down at my hands.

Her lips parted as if to say something, but all that came out was a groan of frustration. She pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. "Oh, Freyr... you will be the death of me," she whispered, more to herself than to me. Her reaction should have annoyed me, but it did not. It only deepened my frustration, the same frustration that had been gnawing at me since I left Tor.

"Ma, I’m frustrated," I admitted, my voice trembling slightly. "I want him. I need him. But everything else, the danger, the lies, the endless obstacles, it is too much."

Ma dropped her hand and looked at me with a mixture of sympathy and exasperation. "Freyr, do you even know what you are asking for? You are bound to him now. Marked. That bond is not something you can ignore, not even if you wanted to."

I let my head fall back against the chair, staring at the ceiling. "I know," I said, my voice barely audible. "But that does not make it easier. Every step away from him feels like I am being pulled apart and Kayne my beast is as annoyed and frustrated. Silence settled between us, thick and heavy. For once, Ma did not have a sharp reply or a piece of advice. She simply sat there, staring at me as though trying to decipher the mess I had become.

Ma’s gaze softened as she leaned back in her chair, the lines of frustration easing into something deeper, pain, maybe, or regret.

"Son," she began, her voice quieter than before, "we stayed away from Coven business for a reason. When your Pa died..." She trailed off, her hands fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve as she stared at the floor. I did not interrupt her. Her words felt heavy like they had been locked away for years. "I was too hurt," she finally continued, her voice trembling. "I confess, I wanted revenge. I wanted to kill every single one of them, to make them pay for what they did to him. But I knew it would not bring him back."

Her head tilted slightly, and her lips pressed into a thin line. "Your Pa... he was everything to me. Everything." Her voice cracked, and for a moment, she seemed lost in a memory, her eyes misty. "But he told me... in case anything ever happened to him... to let go. To mourn in peace. To move forward without hate weighing me down."

She lifted her eyes to meet mine, and the raw emotion there hit me like a punch to the chest. "I chose to Honor his last words," she said, her voice steadier now. "Even though it hurt, even though every vein of my being screamed for vengeance, I chose peace. For him. For you."

I swallowed hard, my throat dry, unsure of what to say.

"The choice is yours now, Freyr," she added, leaning forward and placing a hand on mine. "I will protect you, no matter what you decide. Your happiness... that is all that matters to me. If Tor Gale is what you want, then I will stand by you."

Her grip on my hand tightened slightly, her tone dropping to something more serious. "But you need to understand, there will be consequences. Severe ones."

I nodded, already feeling the weight of those consequences. "The Coven rules," I murmured.

Ma nodded. "Yes. And more than that... this is not just about you and Tor. If you choose him, you will be stepping into the middle of a battle, a battle between the Bay Shifter Pack and the Paradise Coven. You will be a target from both sides. And no matter how strong you are, love alone will not shield you from that."

Her words settled like lead in my chest, and I exhaled shakily, my mind racing.

"I know, Ma," I whispered. "I know what it means. But staying away from him feels just as impossible as surviving what comes next."

"Qadira come out and stop eavesdropping "Ma yelled startling me I listened in as Qadria cursed, and her footsteps approached the library.