Kieran POV
I tuck Mae into my bed and kiss her on the forehead. She snuggles down into the sheets, and her eyes begin to flutter shut. Stepping away from the bed, I begin to get ready for the day. I need to have a meeting with my parents and my sister.
"Aren't you coming to bed?" Mae yawns.
"Not right now," I whisper. "I have a meeting."
Mae swings her feet over the side of the bed, but she sways back and forth. "I should come with you."
"No," I say sternly. "You need your sleep."
Grabbing Mae by the ankles, I spin her back into the bed and cover her up. This time, when her eyes flutter shut, they don't reopen. I sit with her for just a moment to make sure she is asleep before I leave.
I take the stairs two at a time, and when I reach the bottom, everyone is waiting for me. Raven walks up to me and tilts my head to the side. She gasps loudly when she sees the mark on my neck.
My mother is the next one to inspect my new mating mark. "How is this possible?"
"We need to talk," I respond seriously.
Glancing back up the stairs, I make sure Mae isn't following us before I lead everyone into the living room.
Everyone takes a seat and waits for me to explain. Standing in the center of the room, I explain the night's events. Leaving out the spicier details, of course. I then explain about Mae's mother in the dungeons. How she seemed lucid at times, but mostly not.
Raven sighs deeply. "I saw the day that her mother left her family in Mae's memories. It was not pleasant."
I knew Raven had seen something, but she hadn't said what until now. "What do you mean?"
"Her mother tried to take her with her," Raven begins. "It caused a huge fight between her father and her mother. He refused to let Mae go with her."
"I don't think Mae remembers it that way," I tell my sister. "Mae remembers being abandoned."
"That doesn't surprise me," Raven sighs. "The memory was distorted. It took some time for me to understand what I was seeing."
"Why would that happen?" My mother asks curiously.
"Sometimes the truth is too hard for someone to bear," Raven tries to explain. "So, they change it. They make it something that is more appealing. But that doesn't mean that the original memory disappears. It remains hidden in the recesses of their mind."
"Do you think you could read her mother's mind?" My father asks Raven.
Raven sighs heavily. "You know I don't like to meddle in someone's mind without their permission."
"So, we ask for her permission," Dad chimes in.
Raven gives me a pleading look. We have always been able to read each other without having to speak. She doesn't want to do this, and I certainly won't be the one that makes her.
"I don't think it is that simple," I tell my fathers. "Mae's mother isn't exactly stable. She mumbles incoherently. I have only seen her lucid once. I don't think she can give that type of permission."
"Did you get any idea that Mae's father knew what her mother was?" My mother quickly changes the subject.
"I do not recall seeing a mark on his neck," Raven whispers.
"Maybe you should look again," my father urges Raven.
She no longer looks like the regal Queen of werewolves. Raven's head is hung low, and she looks ashamed. When she is around our family, I think she forgets her status. Leo and Oliver cling to her sides and try to comfort her.
"I think we are forgetting that Raven is the Queen," I jump in to save her. "What she decides is best for us all."
My mother claps her hands together, trying to defuse the situation. "We have more pressing matters at hand. We have to worry about the recusants."
I shuffle awkwardly where I stand, remembering the last thing that Mae's mother said to me. My father cocks his head to the side and is watching me carefully.
"What do you know?" He grunts at me.
"Nothing," I swallow.
Raven is watching me uncomfortably. She knows that I am hiding something.
"Kieran," she begs in a whisper.
"Mae's mother," I clear my throat. "She said the recusants are coming for the Queen."
Raven shifts uncomfortably in her seat. It is no secret that the recusants will continue to come for her, but I can sense her nerves whenever it is brought up.
"That is no secret," Raven whispers, but the room is quiet.
"Have we considered that Mae's mother might be more than she seems?" My mother whispers.
"What do you mean?" Father asks.
"Perhaps she is an oracle?" My mother continues.
"A witch," I shout out. "She is not a witch."
"I never said she is a witch," my mother replies calmly. "I simply stated that maybe she is an oracle."
"But," I begin. "How can one be an oracle without being a witch?"
"Perhaps she is blessed by the Moon Goddess," my mother continues.
Leo shifts awkwardly in his seat. "I have seen the woman. She is most certainly not blessed by the Moon Goddess."
"You should never judge a book by its cover," Raven chastises her mate. "Who are we to judge the Moon Goddess?"
"Maybe we should remove her from the dungeons," my mother suggests.
"Have you lost your mind," Papa finally breaks his silence. "She was part of the attack."
"Was she, though?" I ask calmly. "Or was she merely a rogue in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"What does that even mean?" Dad groans as he runs his fingers through his hair.
"Maybe she was just looking for Mae," I try to defend her. "She stated several times that she was only looking for Mae."
"I think we should let her out of the dungeons," Raven finally chimes in. "We can set her up in the pack house, assign her a guard. Maybe living in a pack once again would give her more lucid moments."
"And if she is an oracle?" Father asks.
"Maybe she can provide us with the information we need about the recusants," my mother says softly.
"Shouldn't we speak to Mae about this first?" I finally speak up. "What if she doesn't want her mother released?"
"Let me speak with her," Raven says calmly.