Chapter 21: Mother Dearest

Kayden's POV:


I was still confused at my mother's behavior and Marcus was worried that she had snapped. I demand both her and our father come with Marcus and me to my office. There is more to this.

"Can either of you tell us what the hell is going on with mom right now?" I am angry, but I ask very calmly...they are my parents after all. 

I could clearly hear both of their heartbeats pick up and while my father looked calm his face was pale. My mother on the other hand was trembling like a leaf and was spouting  gibberish in a language I did not understand.

"WELL?!" I roared at my father not calm at all now. 

"Well son It's just tha--"

"The Goddess is PUNISHING us, and now it looks like she is going to punish you too for my sins!" She cuts my father off. 

"What are you talking about mother? What sins?" Marcus asks now looming above where our mother is sitting. 

"She will never let you have that girl, she has basically BLESSED her "coronation" as leader of The Osupa, she will never allow whom she has Blessed in such a way to be LESS than what she is! That stupid little Priestess will NEVER be a Luna now!" And she goes back to chanting her gibberish.

I can feel the rage raising in me, I slam both my hands to each side of my mother's chair, "That stupid little Priestess IS MY MATE! SO I SUGGEST..." I take a breath remembering this WAS my mother... "That you refer to her with more respect, do you understand me mother?" She looks at me as she has seen me for the first time with eyes full of terror. 

"Son, this is very complicated..." My father starts softly, I am glad that he has not forgotten he is no longer Alpha here.

"YEAH NO SHIT FATHER! She is out of her fucking mind! The Moon Goddess gave me a mate, what's this bullshit that I can't HAVE HER?!" Just to THINK that I could not have Loiza has just made me lose my shit. 

I see my father look at my mother with pitty... "Son, it's true. I don't know if the Goddess will keep you from your mate for she would be hurting Loiza as well, and from what I have seen she treasures the young Priestess. However, a long time ago your mother sinned greatly against the Goddess."

I calm down a bit at what my father said. If the Goddess denies me from Loiza she would cause her pain, too.

"Go on..." I tell him looking at the pitiful state of my mother and go lean on the desk while Marcus sat in a chair across from them. 

"Some time after the war, me and Alpha Marius's father where invited to Karaya island by Gúarionex, we did owe him a Blood Oath after all and breaking it would only enrage the Goddess. The Osupa never disclose the location of their secret Island because they already knew that The Council coveted their technology, just like basically every werewolf pack on the planet. And because of the oath we have taken, the information of the location of Karaya would remain a secret. I had already met your mother not long before that so I naturally brought my beloved mate with me. She was even more welcomed because she was a High Priestess of the Goddess and the Osupa are a very devout people. They treated us as family and members of the pack. It was like a honeymoon!" My father looks lovingly at my mother while she just looks sick. 

"It was a paradise! Not just because of how  beautiful everything is, an endless summer of enjoying the clear beaches, runs in the luscious rainforests in the mountains, exquisite scents everywhere... but the atmosphere, just remembering makes me  joyful. Samuel, Marius's father was even thinking of giving up being Alpha and staying! Yet there was one thing I did not know about my beautiful mate then..." He again looked at my mother and his gazed changed, he shut his eyes hard to try to change his gaze. In the end he stood and went over to the bar and poured three glasses of whisky and one of vodka. 

'Are you feeling as sick as me? I feel that they did something terrible.' I link Marcus and see he is deep in thought with a blank face. 'Do you think it might have to do with what happened yesterday morning at Karaya?' It was already pass midnight and I suddenly realize that it hasn't even been 24 hours since my father called the meeting to assist the Osupa. 'I hope not or else what mother said about me loosing my mate might be spot on!' I feel beads of sweat on my forehead at this. My father hands Marcus and me each a glass of whisky then gets the remaining glasses and goes to my mother and hands her the vodka, she takes it with still trembling hands. I put mine on my desk, I am in no mood for this. 

"Father stop with the bullshit and get to the point! What DID YOU DO?!" My patience has never been tested this much before! If they were anyone other than my own parents I would be having a SERIOUS Interrogation right now. Suddenly I get a link from Avis, can this day get any longer? 'WHAT?' I yell through the link. 

'Alpha sorry for any interruption, but the Osupa General has a request from their Alpha.' And just like that I feel Deacon start purring and I am calmer. I take the whisky and take a sip. 'What is her request?' Damn she's still working... 'She would like to use our dungeon to interrogate someone.' I smile thinking that I would like to do the same thing. 'You will accommodate her every request, got it?' 'Yes Alpha she also sent you a message with her brother...'a message? 'I will go down in a while, I am DEALING with something now.' She sent me a message! 'As you say Alpha.' And I am jealous that Avis is with my mate while I am here with the awful feeling I am going to get bad news. 

"Father? Go on with it!" 

"When I met your mother she was going through a rough patch with her pack and left because The Council was looking for Priestesses to join them to try to rekindle their connection to the Goddess. When your mother swore their Oath, the Goddess took away the gifts she bestowed upon her immediately." Both Marcus and I looked at her. 

"Gifts, Blessings, punishment? What's the damn difference? WHAT DID YOU DO MOTHER?!" I am trying to connect what any of this has ANYTHING to do with my mate!

My mother sips her vodka and I see she is calmer just staring at nothing with dead eyes... "Gifts are the talents you earn learning the Misteries... To be able to connect with the elements, also any special abilities she might want grant to you. With your mate it seems she has gifted her with speed, courage and self control, besides the regular control of the elements. When people refer to her Blessings it means how much she allows you to move forward in life...if she is sure of your loyalty she will bless you more..." Her voice starts breaking and my father sits closer to her taking her in his arms. Marcus and I look at each other still not understanding. 

"What about Punishment? What did father mean yesterday when he said the Goddess has 'punished you enough'?" Marcus asks making quotation marks... he noticed that too.

And at this my mother's tears start falling... "Kayden we can continue this tomorrow, your mother clearly is in n---" I cut my father before he has the chance to even try to get out of this. 

"We will not leave here until you tell us what you did, now cut the crap and get on with it, you will leave nothing out, DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!" I make use of my Alpha voice and my mother dropped her glass and even my father started shaking. 

"A Punishment is when Avalon cuts ALL ties to you! The Mark that is there to help you with even warning you of danger is taken. You are not allowed into Avalon, or to touch or even look upon a Priestess. Even if you are dying they are forbidden to even try to save you. Basically the Goddess won't even look at you!" My mother explains through sobs. Motherfucker what the hell did she do?!

"Is that why you destroyed the altar to the Goddess at the entrance of the woods?" Marcus asks. I look at him shocked.

"What altar?" I ask him. 

He gives a small laugh... "Exactly! I hadn't noticed it either, I thought it was just an old tomb or something, remember how we used to count on it when we played hide and seek when we were kids? Well it turns out that while we had no idea what it was, The Osupa do! Captain Bayoán, YOUR mate's brother, was the one who told me what it was! And I have the feeling that every Osupa KNOWS about it already!" Oh. My. Goddess. No way!

"THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE AN ALTAR?!" I put my head in my hands, did Loiza see it? What will she think of us? Has she indeed chosen to not be my Luna? I go to the bar to get another drink.