Part C: Chapter 61

*I was in a field, not sure where exactly but everything looked much more different than what I was used to or what I knew. Something about this place seemed off but somewhere deep down it was as if I had been here so many times.*

*I turned around at the sound of a woman’s voice and I froze when I noticed the hair colour. It couldn't be here. It wasn’t possible.*

*“Is that anyway to treat your mother?” she asked as she finally came into focus. Her chestnut hair was left hanging around her face framing her face. Her lips were a light pink and she looked just the same, nothing had changed except for the fact that I couldn’t bring myself to move as she approached me and stopped just a few inches away from me. That familiar smile plastered on her face.*

*I slapped myself to try and wake up but she was still there, standing in front of me as she shook her head at me. “You can’t be real,” I muttered as I stepped away from her. “This isn’t real, I must be dreaming.”*

*The woman pretending to be my mother sighed as she smoothed down the white satin dress she was wearing and then she spun around. “I’m real Aidan '' she said. “Only for a little while anyway.”*

*“What do you mean? What do you want from me?” I asked as I continued to shake my head. I had to wake up from this horrible nightmare. “Who are you and why are you here?”*

*The woman took another step towards me then took a hold of my hands in hers which felt very real. “Honey, it’s me,” she said softly. “I’m here because I need to pass a message to you.”*

*“Mum?” The words slipped from my mouth and when she smiled, I pulled her tight in for a hug and almost cried. Everyday I missed her and whenever Gerald said something disrespectful about her, all I wanted to do was watch his life force disappear in front of me. “It’s really you.”*

*“Yes, honey,” she replied, hugging me tighter.*

*If this was a dream, then I wished it never ended. I wanted to spend so much time with her and tell her all about Jemila and everything that had happened and ask for her advice. “I missed you so much Mum,” I said as I pulled away from her and held her hands in mine. I brushed some hair behind her ear so I could truly see her face.
Mum smiled once more then hit me on the shoulder lightly. “We don’t have much time together,” she said and then looked over her shoulder. “I have to tell you something urgent.”*

*My eyebrows knitted together in confusion. The first time I see her in over fifteen years and she has something urgent to tell me. What was really happening.*

*“What is it? Can’t it wait? I have so much I want to talk to you about,” I said as I looked in the direction she kept looking in but couldn’t see anything. “And I’m sure whatever it is, it can wait.”*

*Mum’s eyes hardened then she grabbed my hand and led me to a large willow tree where she sat down on the grass and pulled me with her. “Shh, they are listening,” she whispered, looking in the distance that we had come from.*

*“Who? What are you talking about? What’s going on?” I was starting to get agitated with the whole situation. All I wanted was to spend some time with her but now I had to worry about people I didn’t even know about. “Talk to me Mum.”*

*Mum sighed as she gently caressed my cheek. “You’ve grown so much since I last saw you,” she said softly. “I wish I could have been there to see you grow.” There was sadness in her voice and it broke my heart. “How is Carter doing?”*

*“Carter is still the same annoying person he was and Shel is turning more and more into Gerald’s little puppet that at this point, i doubt she can think for herself,” I said through clenched teeth as I remembered what she had done and what Gerald had said. “Can I ask you a question?”*

*“Sure.”*

*“Did you really love him or was he just using you?” I asked and immediately regretted asking at the look that fell across her face. “Sorry, it’s just that he said something that really pissed me off and I almost killed him.”*

*Mum sighed and then looked back behind me. “I did, and he also did love me until he didn’t,” she answered. “But that shouldn’t make you hate him. He did what he had to do and I forgive him for it.”*

*I felt blood rush through my head. It couldn’t be what I was thinking it was. “Please tell me it’s not true?”*

*But instead of answering me, she looked down at her lap and rage built through me. That arsehole was going to pay for it.*

*“I brought you here so I could tell you about something,” she said, changing the topic but I wanted to know everything he had done to her. “It’s about Jemila.”*

*My thought process automatically shut down at the mention of her name. “W-what about her?” my voice cracked. “How do you know her?’*

*Mum just smiled. “She is in serious trouble and if you don’t find her soon, I’m afraid that all hope for lycans shall be lost with her.”*

*This was what Carla had said but nothing was making sense. What did Jemila have to do with some prophecy that no one even believed was true?*

*“She is in danger but I can’t tell you where she is,” Mum continued, grabbing onto my hand. “I know how special she is to you but she is more special than that. She was chosen as a baby by the Goddess to be the saviour that our kind needs but that means you have to sacrifice something really dear to you.”*

*All I could hear was a loud ringing in my ears as I tried to process what she was saying. I had to sacrifice something, what did that even mean? My head was spinning with so many questions and from the look on Mum’s face, I knew she was not going to answer any of them to my dislike.*

*“I know you have so many questions, but my time is almost up,” she said, her face falling. “I’m sure you also realised that she was special and your wolf wanted to claim her immediately without your or her permission and that’s because she is destined to change all of lycanthrope for good. Her mission is far beyond what I can explain to you. But I can tell you this, the ones who have betrayed you are those closest to you.” She stood up, still holding onto my hand. “You will find her where you least expect. The one with the answers lurks in the shadows and wants nothing more than both of your destruction because you are both special children to her.”*

*She was starting to fade away and I got up immediately. I had so many questions and things I needed to tell her. She can’t leave. “No, please don’t go,” I said, feeling a single tear roll down my cheek. “Please!”*

*But Mum smiled as she wiped the tear away and held my cheek. “Don’t cry honey, we will meet again,” her voice was fading just like her body. “Find her and only trust those your heart tells you to.” And then she was gone, leaving the lingering feel of her touch on my cheek.*