Mae POV
Kieran quickly puts his clothes back on and drags me toward the dungeon entrance. I drag my feet, not wanting to go back down there.
Kieran presses the code into the keypad, and the heavy door swings open. The smell that wafts out of the dungeons is stronger than the last time I was here. I wrinkle my nose at the foul smell. It is a mixture of urine, blood, and rotting flesh.
"Now that you have a wolf, your senses will be heightened," Kieran tells me when he sees the disgusted look on my face.
"What exactly am I smelling?" I ask.
"That is the smell of rogues," Kieran replies.
"Ew," I grumble.
Kieran scratches the back of his neck. "It is pretty gross."
He doesn't wait for me to respond. Instead, he pulls me down the stairs into the dungeon. I try to breathe in and out of my mouth to avoid the smell, but it is overwhelming.
Kieran leads me straight to my mother's cell. It is dark, but my eyes don't have any problem adjusting to the lack of light. I look into my mother's cell, and tears drip from my eyes. The last time I saw her, I couldn't see her properly. The condition she is in is terrifying.
Her blonde hair is matted and dirty, and her eyes are dull and gray. Sores cover her skin, and her clothes are nothing but rags. The smell coming from her cell is revolting. She is huddled in the shadows of the corner.
Her nose lifts into the air when I approach her cell, and her eyes dart in my direction. She quickly scrambles to her feet and approaches the cell bars. She doesn't even hiss as she wraps her hands around the bars of silver, even though I can smell it burning her flesh.
"The mark," she whispers as she looks between Kieran and me. "It will set you free."
I tilt my head to the side and show her the mark on my neck. My mother reaches through the bars, and Kieran growls at her, but I don't back away. She runs her raw fingers over the mark on my neck.
"Awake," my mother laughs as she pulls her hand back into the cell. "Awake."
"Mom," I say as I approach the bars. "What can you tell me about my mark?"
I reach out to wrap my hands around the cell's bars, but the heat of the silver warns me not to touch it. I quickly put my hands behind me and take a step back. My mother doesn't seem to mind the burning of the silver against her skin. She keeps her hands wrapped around the bars.
She is humming a tune under her breath, and she doesn't take her eyes off my mark. My mother gestures for me to come closer. I step as close to the bars as I feel comfortable. "Awake," my mother whispers.
I look at Kieran and sigh. "I think this is a dead end."
"No dead ends," my mother laughs. "Only new paths."
"Can you open her cell?" I ask Kieran.
"I don't think that is the best idea," Kieran grumbles. "She was a part of the attack on the pack."
"Never to hurt," my mother whispers. "Only to find."
"I don't think she will harm me," I tell Kieran. "She is my mother."
Kieran begrudgingly unlocks her cell. My mother doesn't try to escape from her cell. Instead, she backs herself into the corner. She attempts to run her fingers through her hair, but they only get stuck in the knots.
I glance over my shoulder at Kieran before I step inside her cell. Bending down beside her, I try to get her attention. "Mom," I whisper gently. "It's me, Mae."
I reach out and touch her hand, and for an instant, her eyes look clear. "Mae," she gasps. "Oh, my Goddess."
She lunges herself at me and wraps her arms around me. Tears drip down her cheeks onto my shirt. Kieran looks like he wants to interfere, but I shake my head in his direction.
"Mom," I whimper. "What happened to you?"
"Nothing, my Love," she cries. "I have been looking for you."
I can't help but feel a little frustrated. "You've always known where to find me."
"Have I?" My mother sniffs back tears.
"Yes, Mom," I sigh. "I was right where you left me."
"No," my mother says harshly. "I didn't leave. I was sent away."
"Mom, you left me," I try to remind her.
She pulls away from me and wipes her tears from her eyes. "Of course, you would believe that."
"Then what really happened?" I demand to know.
"That is a story for another time," my mother replies shortly.
Kieran growls behind me, and I can feel his frustration through the bond. He doesn't think this conversation is going anywhere, and I can't say that I disagree.
"Why are you in North Pack territory?" Kieran demands to know of her.
My mother looks at Kieran, and a dazed look crosses over her eyes. She is gone. She cocks her head and looks at me with a confused look in her eyes.
I grab her by the hand. "Mom," I beg.
"Only under the light of the full moon can the transformation be complete," my mother says absentmindedly.
"Are you saying that I can shift under the full moon?" I ask her.
"Full moon, full moon," my mother chants.
I rise to my feet and walk out of the cell. My shoulders are sagging, and I feel defeated. Kieran takes me into his arms and hugs me gently.
"Recusants threaten the Queen," my mother calls out from behind us.
"Tell me something I don't know," Kieran snarls at her before he leads me out of the dungeons.
Once the dungeon door closes behind us, I take a breath of fresh air. The sun is starting to rise over the horizon. As I look at the rising sun I try to find the bright side of things but I can't help but be disappointed.
"At least one good thing came from our visit," Kieran says, trying to cheer me up.
"What is that?" I groan.
"You will be able to shift on the next full moon."