Garrett listened intently, his fingers gently brushing her hair as she recounted the fragments of her dream, her voice quivering with emotion.
When she had finished, he sighed, his gaze distant as if lost in thought. "Lily, that sounds like a deeply buried memory from your childhood. But why would it resurface now?"
She shook her head, her mind still a whirlwind of emotions. "I don't know, Garrett. It's like something triggered it."
"Do you think me marking you had something to do with it?" Garrett asked.
"No, never. This felt like an outside force caused this to happen," Lily replied. "I can't believe my father lied about this. Why would he lie about this?"
'What else did he lie about it? What else is that man lying about? Is he even our father?' Dina growled within Lily.
Garrett tried to keep his emotions from overwhelming him. This was supposed to be their moment. As soon as he marked Lily, he felt the mate's bond. All those feelings, his skin humming-the Moon Goddess did really bless Lily as his second chance mate. They were supposed to enjoy the moment of him marking her, but no. Her father had to interrupt another precious moment of theirs.
'We need to tear that man limb from limb,' Berric growled within him.
'I am not opposed to that, but we focus on our mate for now,' Garrett responded. He kissed Lily's forehead, his lips warm and reassuring. "We'll figure it out, Lily. We have multiple people looking into your mother's and Kenneth's pasts. There are a few more hours of the night, and you need to rest. There's a lot that we need to discuss and do tomorrow."
As he held her close, Lily eventually fell back asleep. When she awoke, Garrett was gone. There was a note on her pillow advising her that he had gone to speak with Ethan and wanted to give her time alone to speak with Tiffany and Luna Debra.
Lily eased herself out of bed, her body sore and sticky from the passionate night. She blushed, remembering the intimacy they had shared.
'It happened, it really happened,' Lily thought as she touched the mate mark on her neck. She tiptoed towards the bathroom. She looked at the symbol on her neck. Lily had seen it multiple times at Alpha Jack and Luna Kelly's home. It was their pack's crest.
'We didn't mark him back. It is not complete,' Dina whined.
'We will complete it,' Lily said firmly as she entered the shower. The sensation of hot water cascading over her skin was a welcome relief. As she stood there, she let the memory of the nightmare return, sharing it with Dina. The young wolf had not been awoken at that time, as she had not reached puberty, so Lily had to show her memories of her youth.
'I can't tell who that was. Who would have wanted to harm our mother?' Dina asked.
'I don't know, but we're going to find out. We're going to avenge her death and bring her murderer to justice,' Lily replied.
The hot water had worked its magic on her tense muscles, and she emerged from the shower feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. Wrapping herself in a fluffy towel, she made her way back to her room to get dressed.
As she entered her room, she was surprised to find Tiffany waiting for her. Her friend was perched on the edge of the now-made bed, her expression a mix of excitement and concern.
"Lily!" Tiffany exclaimed as she caught sight of her. "Congratulations on being marked! Now, tell me everything!"
Lily couldn't help but smile at Tiffany's enthusiasm. "Thank you, Tiffany. It was amazing. He took control. There was no hesitation from him. This is what he wanted."
However, Tiffany's expression quickly shifted to one of scolding as she continued, "But seriously, Lily, you should have marked Garrett back. It's a two-way bond, you know. You can't just let him claim you without marking him in return."
"How did you know?" Lily asked in surprise.
"The mark is only his pack's crest. It should be a combination of the pride crest and his pack's crest," Tiffany explained. "He also put it in an interesting place, so you can hide it. What do you two have planned?"
"Tiffany, I know I am supposed to mark him back. It wasn't that simple. Things got complicated, and there wasn't an opportunity. He took COMPLETE CONTROL, I repeat, he took COMPLETE CONTROL. Besides, I want to mark him once everything is settled after the trial and the issue with my father."
Tiffany raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued. "Your father? What does he have to do with this?"
"I had a dream last night. I remembered something from when I was a baby," Lily clarified. "My mother didn't die in childbirth. She was murdered."
"Oh, my goddess, Lily! That is awful. I am so sorry," Tiffany said, pulling her into a hug.
"I am still in shock. I don't think it is a coincidence that I remembered it now. Something bad is going to happen. I need to talk with Luna Debra, and I want you to come with me when I do," Lily said.
Tiffany readily agreed and said, "I know exactly where she is. Janet showed me."
The two of them made their way to Luna Debra's quarters. As they approached, Lily couldn't help but feel a mixture of anxiety and anticipation.
Luna Debra welcomed them into her quarters and gave them a warm smile. "Lily, it's good to see you. I am surprised to see you so soon. I thought you would still be with Garrett. Congratulations on starting the process of being marked."
"Thank you," Lily said with a shy smile.
Luna Debra noticed Lily's serious expression and gestured for them to sit down. "Was mating with Garrett not what you wanted? Why do you look so bothered?"
Lily took a deep breath, her gaze steady as she began to speak. "Luna Debra, I know what happened to my mother. She didn't die giving birth to me. She was murdered."
Luna Debra's expression changed from pleasant to shocked to sad. "How did you find this out?"
"I dreamt it. I suppressed the memory," Lily explained. "Or maybe it was a vision, but it felt like I was reliving a memory."
"An ability may have activated when you started the marking process," Luna Debra suggested.
"An ability?"
"All red wolves have some sort of ability. That's part of the reason why we are so secretive about the bloodline," Luna Debra clarified. "I knew that bastard was lying, but I had no proof, and this still may not be enough to have Kenneth stand trial."
"You think her father killed her mother?" Tiffany asked.
"If he didn't do it himself, he had a hand in it because of what he told me. He said if he had known she was a red wolf, nothing would have happened to her, but," Luna Debra paused as she rubbed her temples in irritation, "If he was actually her fated mate, he would've known that."