In a very literal sense, Selena's head was spinning. It felt like someone had taken a hammer to her head. She tried to ease the discomfort by massaging her temples while seated and supporting her weight on her arms. She was travelling in a car that was moving. Oh my God, how much time had she been missing?
"What a waste of time. Where is that stupid building?" Michelle muttered.
"Turn to the right," Selena said casually.
Because she was so taken aback, Michelle came dangerously close to hitting a pole with the car. "You are awake? If I catch you acting cleverly, I will put an end to your life."
Selena heaved a sigh, straightened her posture, and rubbed the top of her head. "Yeah, I get it. Don't worry about me; I have no intention of running away. I was going to go see my father."
"What? "" You are aware of where we are going, right?"
"I just assumed that you were going to take me to my father's office because I figured he must have hired you. However, if there is someplace else that you need to take me, I have no objections to that."
Michelle could not believe that she had such good luck. It turns out that none of that planning and effort was necessary because Selena was going to leave on her own.
"You...you know everything?" Michelle muttered.
"No, but I had assumed as much. My father contacted me to meet him, and when I refused, he sent one of his pawns to kidnap me. He didn't have enough faith in me."
Michelle appeared confused and wondered what the crazed man and his daughter had in store for them. She couldn't believe that someone would make such significant efforts just to have their child meet them. She found it hard to believe.
"There was no reason to kidnap me. You could have easily invited me along if you had just asked." That Selena's head continued to hurt was a minor price to pay for the information about her mother.
"Here we are," Michelle said while parking the car.
After getting out of the car, Selena made her way over to the structure. She was ready to take on any challenges that may have been in store for her. The idea of going into her father's club by herself caused her to feel anxious and frightened, and she could feel the wolf that lived deep within her stirring. He could put an end to her life in an instant, and there was a possibility that he would. The only thing she could still care about was her hope of seeing her mother. At the very least, that was how she interpreted the situation. Her hands moved along the sides of her jeans in a motion like this. In response to Hawk's request that she come meet her, she dashed across the street, making a lot of noise with her heels as they stomped against the pavement, and entered the establishment that was known as The Curse.
She understood his intentions. It was a regular hangout spot for her father. This was the primary location of his office. Her pack didn't own many businesses in town because of their mining, but her father owned this club. And for some reason, he gravitated towards this establishment. She recalled that occasionally, her mother would bring her here and leave her with the strippers and dancers while she went to work. The memory brought a smile to her face as she reflected on those times. Every single one of them was a kind-hearted woman. Selena used to be completely blown away by their seductive outfits and breathtaking makeup. A young woman named Berry was the one who instructed Selena on how to apply lipstick when she was ten years old.
"I am here to see dad." She said to the startled guard at the door. He had probably gotten the instructions to let them in, except Michelle. "You will stay here." He told her.
Selena's sharp eyes quickly took in the large, open room and the dark, secluded areas that would afford humans little or no view but were easy to penetrate for a werewolf. There was a medium-sized dance floor with a few swaying bodies on it, but mostly the room was full of private leather-clad booths. A quick scent told her there were maybe a handful of humans present in the room, but the rest were werewolves, who were suddenly turning to look at her as she strode quickly across the room towards the bar against the right wall.
The man who was leading her, jerked to the door to his left, marked private. "You're to go down."
Selena breathed a sigh of relief as she moved over to the door. She stepped down along the flight of stairs that led to her dad's office.
Conard Hawk leant back in his chair and listened to the sound of light footsteps on the stairs. He tapped a long finger against his lips as he smiled slightly. She was either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. He couldn't figure out which one at the moment.
The office door opened, and she stepped through, stopping in the doorway.
"Hi dad," she said, his eyes widening even as one of his eyebrows quirked up at her greeting.
"Hey Selena," he answered, finding her irreverence strangely refreshing. "You look good. "
"I am here, as you said. Now, where is my mother?"
Conard Hawk threw his head back and laughed loudly at her sass. Yes, she really was quite refreshing, as long as she didn't let it go to her head too much. Selena watched him with bated breath.
"You come directly to the point. Just like your mother, Selena."
"Please, dad, I have little time. Once Cayden finds out that I am missing, he will kill me. Where is mom?"
His laughter trailed off as he picked up his glass of wine and tipped it in her direction.
"Cayden won't kill you; he's quite taken with you."
He smiled softly. He took a healthy slug of his drink, enjoying the deep, full-bodied wine as it slid down his throat.
"Dad, please." Selena pleaded again.
"Alright, I will take you to her. Stop nagging." he finally said, meeting her gaze head on. "Come with me."
****************
When Selena first arrived at the hospital, she was anxious. She had so many scenarios running through her head. There were countless pictures in her head of what her mother would look like, and most of them were awful, but none of them came close to what she actually discovered when she entered that room. Selena had pictured her mother sitting in bed, likely in pain but conscious. She would look up when Selena entered the room, tears in her eyes but a smile on her face. They would cry against each other in an embrace.
Her hoped-for reunion soon broke into pieces, falling to the ground in a heap of crushed dreams. Selena looked at the body through the glass as it lay in bed, eyes closed and unresponsive.
"Is she.... she is alive?" Selena stammered, looking at her frail mother.
She didn't look like her mom either. More like a failed attempt at creating a mask, but far from the genuine article. Many tubes were protruding from her body, one coming from her mouth, another in her arm, while a double prong nasal cannula was inserted into her nose. The chirping of a heart monitor and the grinding buzz of an IV machine partially drowned out the constant hum of the oxygen machine in the room.
"She has been in a coma for the last 10 years," Hawk said.
Selena closed her eyes briefly and then opened them again. She was still there, in the cold, crisp hospital room. The clean, sterile smell of the hospital assaulted her senses. The nightmare was real, and this was really happening.
"How could you do that? How could anyone be this evil?" She burst into tears. " Why didn't you tell me?"
"It was for your own good. Sierra would have killed her if she had found out that Jennifer was still alive. She was executed but was still breathing when the boys went to cremate her. They informed me and I arranged the best medical care for her. But she never woke up."
"So you kept her like this all these years?" Selena hissed under her breath. "
"She is my mate. I can never kill her," Hawk replied. "Plus, I knew she would be of some use in the future." He had a smug smile.
"Give her to me. I will take care of her. I will find a cure for her." Selena pleaded. Selena's eyes were filled with tears as she begged for her to be given to her.
"Ah, not so soon. Everything has a cost, Selena."
"What do you want?" Selena asked impatiently.
"Be my snitch. Give me all the information you have about Cayden, what he has in mind, etc. You can be with your mom after I have eliminated all of my enemies." He had a satisfied smile on his face as Selena stared at him in disbelief.