Kieran POV
The sun has fully risen. Mae and Raven still haven't come out of the dungeons. I can't imagine what she and Tish could still be talking about down there. I have worn the grass down in front of the dungeon door as I wait for them to emerge.
My father rounds the corner of the pack house, and I can see the skepticism in his eyes. "Are they still down there?"
I nod, but I don't answer him.
"Do you think we should go down there?" Father asks.
I know Mae wanted to go down without me, and I want to honor her wishes, but I am starting to get nervous.
Not waiting for me to answer, Father presses the code on the keypad, and the door swings open. Loud voices are echoing from the dungeon. My father and I share a concerned look before rushing into the dungeons.
Father and I follow the sound of the voices until we round the corner and see a woman reaching through the bars of her cell, holding onto Mae.
Rushing toward the cell, I let out a growl that reverberates off the dungeon walls. I grab Mae around the waist and attempt to pull her away from the rogue.
"Put me down!" Mae screams.
Putting Mae back on her feet, I look at Raven and Father. Raven is whispering something to Father that I cannot hear. The woman in the cell is ranting loudly.
Mae has her hand resting on the woman's hand that is wrapped around her arm. She is desperately trying to calm the rogue in the cell.
"A bite will set you free," the rogue woman rants. "A bite will set you free."
"I don't understand," Mae says sweetly to the woman.
Turning to Raven, I hiss in her direction. "Will you explain what is happening?"
"I think that rogue is Mae's mother," Raven says quietly.
I look between the rogue woman and Mae. There are definite similarities between the two of them. They both have bright blonde hair and blue eyes. The rogue woman's face is scarred, but if I look beyond the scars, I can see how they may have looked alike at one point.
"Into the light of the full moon," the rogue changes her rant. "You must. Into the light of the full moon."
"Mom," Mae pleads with the woman. "I don't understand. What are you doing here?"
"To save the future," Mae's mother whispers. "To save the future."
Tears are rolling down Mae's cheeks, and I can see the distress on her face. I know the last person she expected to see down here was her mother.
Mae looks back at me, and I know she doesn't know what to do. I look at her injured arm, and the bandage is starting to ooze again.
"Mae," I whisper to her gently. "You need your rest."
"I can't leave her down here," Mae says through her tears.
"You don't have a choice," Father chimes in. "She was part of the rogue attack on our pack. She is a danger to us all."
"Not a danger," Mae's mother says. "To save the future."
"Can you please release Mae," Raven asks Mae's mother.
"Luna Queen," Mae's mother says as she bares her neck to Raven.
Mae's mother lets go of Mae's arm and steps back from the bars. Her skin is raw from being pressed against the bars. She rocks back and forth on her feet, mumbling about the moonlight.
Mae cradles her arm to her side and stands in front of her mother's cell.
I try to guide Mae out of the dungeon, but her feet are planted firmly on the ground.
"You can come back to see her tomorrow," I whisper in her ear.
Mae nods and finally lets me lead her out of the dungeons. Father and Raven follow closely behind us.
Mae's mother is yelling behind us incoherently. Mae keeps trying to wipe the tears from her eyes before we notice that she is crying. None of us mention her tears as we make our way back to the front of the pack house.
As we enter the pack house, Mae begins to climb the stairs to my bedroom. I try to follow her up the stairs, but my father pulls me back. "We have to talk."
I let out a frustrated sigh, but I don't argue. I should have known better than to think that this conversation could wait.
Raven is sitting in the living room between her mates. Leo is trying to comfort her by rubbing her back. Her head is lying on Oliver's shoulder, and she is soaking his shirt with her tears.
"Did you dive into her mind?" I ask Raven.
"No," Raven shakes her head. "Not since the first time."
"Did you know her mother was a rogue?" I ask Raven.
"No," Raven whispers.
"Did Mae know?" My father jumps in.
"No," Mae's voice comes from the doorway. "I didn't."
We all turn to look in Mae's direction. It is easy to see that she has been crying. She makes her way over to me and wraps her good arm around my waist. She buries her head into my chest.
"Mae," my mother asks her gently. "What do you know about your mother?"
"Not much," Mae's voice is muffled while she talks into my chest.
"Can you tell us what you do know?" Dad asks gently.
Mae pulls her head away from my chest and turns around. "My father always said that she wasn't mentally stable enough to be a mother. She disappeared when I was young and would reappear every couple of years. Each time she would show up, her psychosis would continue to get worse."
"Without a pack and their mate, a werewolf can quickly lose their mind," Papa fills in the blanks. "It was probably not your mother's fault that she started losing her mind."
I can see the pity on everyone's face as they look at Mae.
"I don't understand," Mae whispers. "Why aren't I a werewolf if my mother is?"
"Werewolf genetics can be tricky," Papa tries to explain. "Just because you were born to a werewolf doesn't mean that you will be one."
"I think you should go to bed," Raven tells Mae. "Kieran. Take her upstairs."
I don't argue. I scoop Mae into my arms and carry her from the living room. I can hear my family continuing the conversation without us, but I don't care. My mate needs her rest and we have to decide if I will mark her or not.