86. Your mother.

Eros carried the little girl to the hospital. She fell asleep in his arms, making the cold man smile. For some reason, Ares decided to show up, rather weak, but he tried to scratch on the walls Eros built between them. Eros decided that he would talk to his beast later- he didn't want to scare the sleeping miracle. As they got closer to the hospital- he suddenly thought about past events. Everything that happened after Eros killed Xavier went like a blur. One thing, in particular, did cross his mind a couple of times a day. It happened soon after Balthazar left the pack territory. In two or three days, Eros received a call from Mary- announcing that both Royals would visit him for a meeting. He tried to find out the reason for them to demand a meeting, but none agreed to say anything until they met. Those two days passed rather quickly; Luna acted suspiciously friendly whenever they came in any contact. For the first time, in his lifetime- the woman behaved like a mother, showing worry, and trying to take care of Eros. She cooked him breakfast a couple of times, but Eros kept refusing her attempts. He wasn't as stupid and naive as she thought. Such a drastic change in her meant only one thing- trouble.
When Balthazar and Mary arrived- they demanded to have a private meeting with Eros. One of their demands was to get former Luna away from the packhouse. She had to stay under guard.
Eros, of course, agreed, since her recent behaviour raised suspicion in him. The trio went to the pack library and locked themselves in. Everyone knew that nobody would bother them since wolves preferred training over books.

"So? What's about this mysterious meeting? Have you found Eve?" Eros plopped down on the leather seat; his body more rooted in the backrest.

Both Royals watched him wide-eyed. The unusually cold attitude surprised them, not to mention the calm mood and monotone voice.

"No, son, this isn't a meeting to talk about your mate. We're still on the lookout, though. Mary did some digging while I had to keep you company here- that's why we came." Balthazar sat on a chair in front of Eros, pulling Mary onto his lap.

"Well, then I have no idea why this meeting had to happen in secret and why my mother had to leave her home. I thought this might be about Eve since we all know how every encounter between her and my crazy ass mother ends. Knowing that you haven't given up does brighten my day. I hope every Alpha has received the news about her and the search parties we send to different packs," Eros tilted his head, eyeing the lucky couple in front of him. He had the same love, the same closeness, and intimate moments with Eve. And he will have even more as soon as he finds her.

"Yes, everyone has checked in, some Alphas are sending out their seekers. Unfortunately, none had been able to update any success so far, but we believe that it wouldn't go on like that for long. We will find her, wait and see," Mary's voice was hopeful, that couldn't be said about her facial expression. She looked upset, sad, and something in her snapped- making the woman feel like she regretted something.

"If that's clear, let's get straight to business- the reason why you're here and what you did find. I know that the kingdom needs you both; I know how many responsibilities both of you have there. You wouldn't come here if your discovery weren't big." Eros leaned closer to the couple, showing off how interested he was in the news. Nothing spoke louder than the body language, and Eros knew that he had to use it more. Mary and Balthazar exchanged looks. They seemed rather tense, suspiciously secretive. The Alpha's eyes followed their movements, whatever the couple did, Eros wouldn't miss it.

"How many memories do you have from your childhood?" Mary suddenly questioned Eros. She kept biting her lower lip, showing off how uncomfortable she felt. For a while, Eros sat there frozen, thinking about the memories he had. There wasn't much, most he could remember were moments around Zander and some things they used to do together.

"There aren't many, that's for sure. I didn't quite enjoy most of my childhood years, so I'm sure that my subconscious hid most of the memories away," Eros stood up and walked around the chair to lean against it. For some reason, he couldn't sit still anymore. He knew that Mary would give him more answers than he wanted.

"Think, try to think back to days when you were around two years old. Are there any memories from back then? Most of the shifters can remember things which happened to them in extremely early childhood times,” Mary tried to encourage Eros, jumping off Balthazar's lap. The Lord sat silent- he gave Mary the chance to speak without getting in between the conversation.


Eros tried again, but the more he pushed himself to think- the more his head hurt. It felt as if the blocked memories had been hidden for a reason, and someone helped to protect them. Otherwise, there shouldn't be any problem with such simple things. It took Eros more than fifteen minutes to drop on his knees, panting for breath. The man held the sides of his head in a firm grip. Mary tried to approach him, worried about his well-being, but Balthazar didn't allow her to go near Eros. She sobbed in her mate's neck, whispering how sorry she was for pushing the King-to-be. The woman had a lot of outcomes in her mind, but none stood near the one she had to observe now. Until now, she didn't dare to assume that there could be something blocking the male's memories. Or someone. Whoever did that, needed to make sure that Eros would never remember his past. And according to Mary's discovery- a lot of people and beasts would do anything for that.

"I, I can't remember, the more I try, the more it hurts," Eros growled out.

"This pain isn't like any other I have felt so far, it's worse than anything- taking over my body and mind. I know it sounds weird, but that's how it feels. It's like I'm banging myself against bulletproof glass, and after that layer, I get through the next," he added. Both Mary and Balthazar watched Eros. They could sense the pain he felt. The older woman gasped, covering her mouth with palms.

"So, it's true," Balthazar whispered.

"What is true?" Eros instantly questioned the Lord's words. Whatever they found out, it didn't seem to be a good thing. Eros had to gather all of his strength and will power to get back into the chair. His body felt as if it was drained of energy.

"Your past, it isn't what you have known so far. It's good that you managed to sit down, because after hearing what Mary has to say, you won't be quite yourself anymore," the Lord explained. Both elder Royals acted weirdly- the way they exchanged looks, and how often, made Eros feel uneasy.

"Okay, hit me with it then. It's not like I could lose anything at this point. Just look at me; a man without hope taking over the Alpha position. I lost my father, my mother hated me since the day I was born, and now I’ve lost my mate and unborn child. I mean, how ridiculously unlucky can a person be?" Eros covered his eyes with a palm, letting out a frustrated breath. These days he was used to feeling like giving up on everything, and most importantly- on himself. The man couldn't see any happiness in his future.

"That's where you're wrong, son. I'll go and make some tea for both of you. In the meantime, listen to what Mary has to say. I'm sure you'll be amazed because I sure am." Balthazar nodded at Eros and left the library.

The silence in the room was rather deadly, making both Eros and Mary feel uncomfortable in each other's company.

"Alright, please explain. Usually, I get what people are trying to tell me, but this situation is confusing me.”

"I will, but promise that you won't do anything you could regret later, okay? Just sit back and listen," Mary's voice was mixed with desperation. The woman feared whatever consequences were coming after Eros found out the truth. As if he didn't have enough on his plate already. Especially with so many secrets unfolding in front of him.

"Can't promise anything, Mary. Just tell me, I'm sure whatever it is- I'll need some time to process the information before making rushed decisions."

"Just let me speak and don't interrupt me; that's all I'm asking for," Mary seemed hopeful, taking in how calm Eros was. She saw him nodding his head and let out a deep breath.
"Since the first time when we visited your pack, I noticed how tense the relationship is you have with Luna. For me, it seemed more like a hate-hate thing than a mother's and son's friendship. Not once did she act like a mother- more like an enemy. Since most shifter women become overprotective over cubs, it was a strange thing to watch. Just to add- any other shifter women become obsessed with cubs which even aren’t theirs, meaning that we have a strong motherly instinct in us. Luna seemed to have none, so I decided to do some digging. As soon as I returned to the kingdom, I went to look for the old files. We keep copies of birth certificates and documentation about she-wolves who had given birth for the past couple of hundred years. The first thing which caught my attention was the fact that I couldn't find your birth certificate. That was the first red flag, but there were many more to come. I couldn't find any information about Luna- only as much as Balthazar found out. You haven't been born if we look at the situation paper wise.”

“Following the pattern, I tried to find any clue to when Luna gave birth, and guess what I found? Exactly. Nothing. She has no children. Never gave birth, never had any interest in having cubs. One of the most shocking things was that Alpha Xavier claimed his mate at the age of sixteen, and there hasn't been anyone else in his life- the same goes for Luna. So, the man, who supposedly was your father, never existed. It's all a lie." Mary teared up, barely forming a decent sentence. Eros sat silent; he didn't give out any emotions.
"Breath, keep on going as soon as you're ready, I'll wait," Eros encouraged Mary. On the outside, he seemed to be calm, but deep down, his blood boiled.

"I can do it, don't worry. As I said- all of that was a lie, a fabricated life to hide something. At first, I thought that one of your parents committed a crime, but instead of stopping, I kept on digging.
Outlaws killed your birth parents during a successful kidnapping attempt. They took you from your family while you were around two weeks old. Your biological mother chose your name if you're curious about that. It turns out that your father was nothing close to a human; he was a wolf/ vampire hybrid. Your mother- she was a Queen; her parents were the first Alpha mates in history. You're coming from a powerful family, love."
Eros could still remember that night- how he killed Luna in front of the pack. Before he slit her throat, the woman admitted her crimes, putting extra hatred into her words when she spoke about Eros. She hated the Queen; she hated the fact that they had power, and she didn't. And even more, she hated the hybrid freak of a King, and their child- Eros. Luna yelled that she should have killed the bastard when she had a chance. How he had wandered around the woods, looking to find answers for questions he didn't know.
Eros was utterly lost in the memories when a firm hand landed on his shoulder, bringing the man back to reality.

"Whose kid is that?" Zander asked, looking at the sleeping child in his friend's arms.

"The lost girl border patrol found. Here, hold her and make sure she rests. I'll go check on Eve and then I'll take the little bug to the packhouse. She's staying with us for a while, at least until we find her mother," Eros smiled, carefully handing the sleeping child to his best friend.
Zander gladly held the girl and raised an eyebrow, noticing the similarities with a certain someone he knew.

"Dude, doesn't she look familiar?" he asked before Eros had turned his back.

"Can we do this later, I have a mate to check on and ass full of damn responsibilities," Eros shook his head and turned towards the room where Eve supposedly rested.