The Guardian Wolf And Her Alpha Mate
The Blessed Ones – A Blessing Or A Curse? Chapter 29

Axton POV:

"Hello mother" I say, my voice soft as I take in her lifeless eyes. "How are you feeling today? "Tired" she whispers, her eyes gaze through the screen but they are unfocused and lifeless.

When she doesn't go to say anything more, I tighten my hand in a fist as I make sure to keep my face relaxed, not letting her see the hurt coursing though me at the lack of interest in my life. "What have you been up to? Aunt Viv said you've been helping her with the veg garden?"

"Yes, I have" she replies quietly. "It's nice to get some fresh air" she admits as my aunt comes into focus on the screen.

Her eyes showing her care for me as she takes in my tight features carefully, understanding clear in his eyes.

"Your mother has been helping me plant the bulbs for next springs crop" she explains cheerfully, "it's been nice to have another set of hands helping and some extra company. But anyway, how are you, my dear boy? Any news on Mila?"

At the mention of my mate, my mother's eyes squeeze shut as if she's trying to keep some difficult memories at bay.

"Not yet," I tell them quietly. "But we are getting closer, I can feel it" I say trying to reassure not just them, but also myself. The knowledge of Mila being apart from me is eating me alive, but I'll be damned if let it consume me. I have to stay strong, to find my mate and keep this pack together so that once she's returned we can build it back up... together.

"I know you'll get her son," Viv says kindly, "I'm thinking of you all."

"Thanks Aunt Viv" I say with a small smile, my eyes once again fluttering to my mother who is looking down at her lap. "So I ah, I actually called to ask you something mother."

Hearing that, she looks up at my briefly in confusion, a look passing across her face so quick I dont have time to register what it meant. "Yes?" She asks quietly.

"I recently visited another pack, and the Beta had something..interesting to tell me" I start explaining slowly.

"Are you familiar with the Deep Forest Pack much?"

When I mention the packs name, my mothers eyes widen briefly before she freezes making my aunt Viv look at her in concern. "Fiona?" She whispers nudging for my mother to speak. Shaking her head, my mother replies in a shaky voice.

"W...w...why do you ask?"

"That's not an answer" I point out.

Taking a deep breath, her eyes jump about showing her uncomfortableness. "I know the pack yes, I saw them many times at Alpha meetings and events throughout the years with your father."

"Alright," I reply slowly before taking a deep breath. "The Beta informed me of something, I wanted to know if it was true and if it is then why I wasn't aware of it. Alpha Bruno, the man who has taken my mate and previously hurt her, is apparently related to me. Now would you know if that was true?"

Seeing my mothers face drain of colour, my heart sinks as coldnes spreads though my body. Feeling Lucas hand clasp my shoulder in support, I realise he's made the same realisation I have before my mother can even form her words. "How did you know?" She whispers, her voice clearly breaking even through the link.

"Like I said, the Beta decided it was a good time to inform me" I reply rather shortly. "So its true?"

Licking her lips, she looks to my aunt Viv for support who despite looking at my mother in complete shock, nods her head for her to answer me.

"Yes...its true" my mother breathes as a loud growl escapes me. Flinching, her eyes fill with tears as she watches me through the screen. Her eyes looking at me for the longest she has managed in recent years. "I'm sorry Axton." "Why didn't you tell me earlier?" I ask her, my face hard as I attempt to bury the hurt I'm feeling.

"It was your father's request. It was requested of both parties to keep it quiet, signed agreements were even in place which is why I asked how you knew" she admits.

"So how am I related to him?" I ask with dread. "I've never had any family link or bond or anything felt with him."

"He's your half brother" she whispers.

"WHAT?" I growl as I surge up from my chair to move closer to the screen. Hearing the sob escape my mother, I see the tears rolling down her face as she finally admits something she has kept secret for a long time. "Your son..?" I ask in horror. "No" my aunt Viv replies quickly, my glare shifting to her as it turns accusing.

"You knew?" I growl.

"That you had a half brother? No!" She exclaims vehemently. "But before your mother moved here with me, I saw her every month. I believe the longest we went without seeing one another was three months, there is no way I wouldn't have known if your mother bore any more pups."

"So dad.." I gasp.

"Your dad had an affair" my mother sobs. "Just one night, he gave in to a she wolfs heat when he was visiting another pack. I wasn't with him but I felt it, I felt every pain of that tortuous night."

"And you stayed with him?' I ask in shock. Thinking back at seeing my parents together as I grew up, I can only think of the love that shone so brightly between my parents noone ever doubted they had any trouble in their mateship. "He was trapped into it" she whispers as she continues to cry. "Helen, Bruno's mother, found her fated mate but he was only a warrior. She didn't want him and her father the Alpha didn't approve of the mating at all. So he arranged for your father to visit at short notice once Helen began showing symptoms of heat, under the pretence of something urgent needing to be dealt with regarding a treaty between the two packs. Only once your father got to his room that night, Helen went there and in her full heat your father succumbed to it as he was still unmated. At that point we hadn't yet marked one another you see, we had been getting to know one another and your father was being a perfect gentlemen in courting me. Because of what happened, he tore up the peace treaty between the two packs and refused to work with them any further. He was heartbroken he'd betrayed me, and I nearly left him, but I couldn't ignore how we both felt towards one another. One month later we found out we were pregnant with you, but only a week after that Helen dropped the news she was also expecting. Your father and his wolf refused to accept her child as their own, so he paid a lump sum to support Helen under the agreement noone was to ever know or he would tell everyone exactly what Helen and her father attempted to do."

Gaping at my mother in shock, as it was the most I had heard her speak in years, I try to wrap my head around what she had told me. "Why didn't father just tell everyone himself?" | ask in confusion.

"He knew the fact that him and his wolf refusing to acknowledge Bruno as their own would hurt him in the years to come and I suppose it was his way of softening the blow if Bruno ever did find out who his father was" my mother whispers. "He was never supposed to know" I repeat.

"Noone was, either Helen or her father must have told Bruno. I know for a fact it was a secret your father took to his death" mother sobs as she rests a hand over her heart." I know it troubled him at times that he refused to acknowledge him, but in his heart he thought what he did was right. The anger he felt to Helen and her father was too much much."

"You forgave him?' I check.

"I did. Although I struggled at times, I knew he loved me.

Everybody could tell that, he was terrified to lose me and then the joy he felt when he learnt I was pregnant was overwhelming. He showed me how much I meant to him every single day we were together, and I never doubted him.

Althought it still pains me to remember what happened, it was the past and we never let it effect our future" my mother tells me. Her eyes bloodshot from her tears as she looks at me clearly through the screen.

"How long has this been weighing you down?" I ask her quietly as she flinches from my question.

"Without your father and without the mate bond to help keep me strong, it has slowly been wearing me down. It's hard when I see your eyes. they're just like your father's. I miss him" she admits.

"I wish you'd told me, I would have understood" I mumble as I collapse back in my chair, staring at the ceiling.

"I'm sorry son" she whispers as I look at her carefully.

"I know" I reply simply. "Aunt Viv, could you run mother a bath, help her relax and make sure she has something to eat and plenty of rest?"

"Of course Axton" Viv replies holding my mothers shoulders in comfort.

"Thank you for telling me now" I say quietly to my mother as she offers me a teary smile.

"I hope you find Mila" she whispers.

"Me too" I sigh. "And mother...it was nice to hear your voice again. I've missed you."

"And I miss you" she sobs before our video link closes.

Continuing to stare at the blank wall in front of me, I growl as I realise just how closely related to that fucker I am.

"Half-brother. f**k my life" | growl before I throw an empty vase across the room, where it collides with the wall and shatters into hundreds of pieces.

"Alpha.." Luca says with panic in his voice. Spinning to look at him, I see his hand shaking as he runs it through his hair.

"Yes.?" I ask, "what's wrong?"

"You and Mila aren't marked, and you met almost 3 weeks ago now..." He tells me slowly as I look at him in confusion.

"That gives her, a week at best..."

"What are you on about Luca?" I ask impatiently.

"You have roughly a month after meeting if you're not marked before the female experiences her first heat" Luca snaps as I feel all the colour drain from my face. With my heart pounding loudly in my ears I barely hear what Luca next says. "Mila will be going in to heat soon"