"Wait. Kenneth wasn't her true mate?" Lily asked, her voice filled with a mixture of confusion and disbelief. "How was that acceptable? Why would she have gone with him if she hadn't found her fated mate yet?"
Debra, her expression somber, nodded and said, "Let me explain, Lily."
"Sorry." Lily quickly closed her mouth and settled back, waiting intently for Debra to continue.
"No need to apologize. I know you're eager to understand." Debra smiled slightly as she remembered her daughter. She sighed and continued, "Abigail was a remarkable woman. She had achieved so much at such a young age. Abigail was only a few years older than you when we lost her. She possessed a kind heart and a beautiful spirit. She loved to cook and read. If you couldn't find her, she was either in the kitchen cooking or under her favorite tree reading. Abigail was a beautiful person, inside and out."
"That sounds a lot like you, Lily. Abigail sounds like an amazing person just like you," Tiffany added.
"When she entered the room, she lit up the room. Her smile could warm the coldest heart," Debra added.
A faint smile played on Lily's lips, a bittersweet expression as she savored these precious details about her mother. The pain of never getting to experience her mother's love washed over her again, but she composed herself, swallowing hard.
As Debra delved deeper into her memories, her expression grew more somber. "But life took an unexpected turn for Abigail when she found out about her mate."
Tiffany interjected, seeking clarity, "You mean Alpha Kenneth? She found out that he was her mate?"
Debra nodded, confirming Tiffany's guess. "Yes, Kenneth. It was a controversial topic within the pack, as you can imagine. Abigail was a very forward person, but she was strong-willed. When she learned that Kenneth was her mate, she had doubts and was against it herself. She displayed none of the typical signs of a mate's bond. Abigail believed Kenneth was mistaken. Tyler, my mate and your grandfather, was against it too."
"If my grandfather didn't believe Kenneth was her mate, why did my mother agree to be his mate? Why did she go along with it?" Lily asked.
Debra sighed, her expression heavy with the weight of the past. "The pressure from Kenneth and the council was immense. It was a difficult time for her. Abigail felt she couldn't ignore the Elder Council's decision despite her doubts. I wanted to flee with her. I would have gone rogue for her, but your mother didn't want that life for me."
"Wait. Why did the Elder Council get involved? Lily's grandfather should have had the final word on this," Tiffany interjected confused.
"Kenneth held favor with one of the council members. I am not sure what lie he told the Elder Council, but it made them side with him without even hearing our side," Debra clarified.
"So, she was forced into this marriage? The Elder Council forced her to be mated to Kenneth," Lily concluded, her voice filled with disgust at the thought.
Debra nodded. "Tyler tried his best to convince her not to go through with it, but she felt trapped by the circumstances. She didn't want any harm to come to us. So, we invited Kenneth over for dinner to at least get to know him."
"I am sure that was a disaster," Tiffany scoffed.
"That would put it lightly. He brought his warriors with him. Every word out of his mouth was a passive-aggressive insult to get under our skin. It took everything in Tyler not to start a pack war right then and there, and all we could was watch helplessly as he dragged our daughter away," Debra said. She stopped as her voice trembled slightly. Lily handed her a tissue. Debra smiled slightly at the gesture and took it to wipe her tears. "A few weeks after Abigail left, Tyler told me he found something that could get Lily back and break the mate bond. He said he was going to bring the full wrath of our pack down on Kenneth. Before he could tell me what that was, there was a rogue attack on our pack. Tyler...he never backed down from a fight and if it wasn't for him, so many of our pack members would've died. He took on so many before our warriors got to him. We tried our best to heal him. Ironically, Abigail was the better doctor. She could have saved Tyler, but Kenneth refused to let her go and Tyler died of his wounds."
Lily's eyes welled up with tears. Dina howled in anger within her. She balled her hands into fists. How could Kenneth be so cruel? How could he keep her mother from her dying father? "That son of a bitch," Lily growled. Tiffany wrapped her arms around Lily, purring in an attempt to calm Lily.
"I am so sorry that... I'm just sorry," Lily stated.
Debra acknowledged her sympathy with a nod, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Nothing for you to be sorry for, dear. You didn't do this. It was a painful loss for our family. Tyler was a good man, and he loved Abigail dearly. Losing him so soon after she left was a heavy blow."
'He got our grandfather killed,' Dina growled within Lily. 'You saw how he treated us. He would do whatever it took to get what he wanted. He sold us. He would have allowed his warriors to beat us into submission at the Winter Moon celebration if everyone hadn't interfered. Kenneth killed our grandfather.'
Lily didn't have a counter to what Dina was saying. She couldn't help but agree as she felt a growing sense of unease and suspicion. "It just seems so convenient-even my wolf, Dina, believes that."
"Yes, it's almost as if Kenneth knew that Tyler was onto him and knew that Tyler would get the Elder Council to give up Abigail. So, he decided to get him killed," Tiffany agreed.
Debra's expression darkened as she contemplated their words. "It's not a far-fetched idea. In hindsight, it does seem suspicious. But we were all consumed by grief at the time, and Abigail was caught in the middle of it all."
Lily, her mind racing with questions, sought to understand further. "But if Kenneth didn't know my mother was a red wolf and he wasn't her true mate, why would he want her?"
Debra's voice held a note of anger as she responded, "Kenneth had a history of being a womanizer. Abigail was one of the few she-wolves who wanted nothing to do with him. She was simply a conquest for him."
Tiffany, her disgust evident, voiced her thoughts. "I thought he was an asshole before, but he is even worse than I originally thought."
"And while I grieved my mate, Kenneth attempted to gain allies to seize my pack. He claimed Abigail agreed to it. I never believed that for a moment. I fought it. I fought the Elder Council. I told them if anyone tried me, I would put them to death, and I meant it," Debra continued. "With all this going on, I was thoroughly occupied. I could do nothing as Kenneth abused Abigail as I tried to hold onto my home and protect my people. When I found out that Abigail was pregnant, I thought I could mend things with Kenneth but he didn't want that. He wanted nothing to do with me, but Abigail and I were able to meet in secret. We came up with a plan. I was going to send her abroad and she would go rogue. I would lose my daughter but I knew she would be safe, but he found out about our plan the day I put everything into motion. I waited at the airport for her for hours but she didn't show. Kenneth called, mocked me, and Alpha commanded Abigail into never speaking to me again."
"How did he find out?" Lily asked.
"She had a friend at his pack, but she betrayed her," Debra replied.
"Who was her friend?" Tiffany asked.
"You know her very well, Lily. Her friend was Mandy,"