“An Omega? A male Omega Wolf Shifter? But they have to be white!” exclaimed Logan.
“That’s why she said I was a contradiction. Is this a problem for you?”
Logan stared at his mate—surprised but elated—and shook his head before finally finding his voice, “Never in a million years,mo anan cara!”
Kieran beamed, one of his fears banished, then he said, “Please go on, Oracle. What happened to my birth mother?”
“You were only a week old when she realized she had caught the virus through some meat she had bought from a passing salesman. Her anger was swift at the Fates and gods who would be so heartless to leave you alone in the world, with no hopes of surviving on your own. Then she cried…cried for her dead mate, cried for herself, but most of all cried for you because she had no way to protect you from all the evil in the world.”
Logan held his now-crying mate tightly, crooning words of love to Kieran while listening to his sobs of sorrow. Tears welled in Logan’s eyes as he wondered how much more of this heartbreaking story Kieran could take. When the room grew silent, and his mate’s tears stopped, Logan murmured, “Mo anan cara, what do you want to do? Do you want Oracle to go on?”
Kieran raised his tear-streaked face to Logan’s, giving him a gentle kiss, then whispered, “Please…”
After receiving a nod from Logan, Oracle continued, “Realizing her time was growing short on earth, she pleaded with the gods and Fates who had given you life to take you as one of their own and protect you. No one had ever asked the gods and Fates this before and, after much discussion, they agreed, so your mother wasinstructed to take you to the ancient oak tree near the Hill of Tara, a sacred site.”
Oracle paused before continuing, “Your mother was very sick and knew her end was near, so she bundled you up, wrapping you in the clothes and blanket she made and, tucking in a letter to you, she made the trip. She was close to death, but by sheer grit and her love for you, she arrived at the spot where she made a bed of grass for you to lie on. Then saying a prayer of thanks to the gods and Fates, she died with her arms around you.”
A loud wail filled the room as Kieran felt his mother’s pain and suffering. Clinging to Logan, needing his mate’s strength to comfort him, Kieran realized how perfect they were for each other as Logan soothed him. His mind was filled with images of his mother and her last few minutes on earth, her whispers suffusing his soul, giving him all her love. Finally, Kieran understood where the love had come from and why it endured when his world fell apart after he was sold to Arald.My mother was with me all the time! I was wanted, I was loved!And as that realization hit him, a new wave of tears streaked his cheeks. But they were tears of happiness.
Chapter 30
“Macushla,” Kieran whispered to Logan, “I was wanted and loved!”
Logan squeezed his mate. “By the sound of it, very much so,mo anan cara,never forget that.”
“I won’t, promise.” Kieran turned back to Oracle and asked, “What happened then?”
“The man you call your father found you shortly after your mother died. Deciding to claim you as his own, he buried your mother and took you home to his wife,” said Oracle.
“My mother is buried near the tree where I was found?”
“Yes, he buried her under the spot he found you.”
“Logan, I have to see my mother’s grave, I mean, I know we were just there, but I didn’t know my mother was buried there. Oh, can we mark her grave somehow, so she is not a nameless soul. Oh no, I don’t know her name!” Kieran looked at Logan, pain once again on his face.
“Oracle, do you know the name of Kieran’s mother?”
“I have one more thing for you Kieran,” Oracle said, handing him the small bag at her feet.
“What’s this?” Kieran asked.
“Open it and see,mo anan cara,” Logan said, pretty sure he knew what it was.
Taking the bag, Kieran opened it, looked inside, and pulled out a baby blanket bundle. Setting the bag down, he unwrapped the bundle and found an infant’s outfit and a yellowed note. Glancing at Oracle, he asked, “From my mother?”
“Yes, and the outfit your mother made for you along with the blanket she wrapped you in.”
Kieran’s hands trembled as he carefully unfolded the note. He looked at the handwriting, running his fingertips over it, seeking to touch his mother. Finally, he began to read:
My darling son,
The day you were born was the happiest day of my and your father’s life. We waited so long for a pup of our own and we were finally blessed with you…the best pup in the world. Your father took one look at you with your bright blue eyes and shock of dark hair and decided to call you Kieran. He held you your entire first day of life, smothering you with kisses and love, never wanting to let go of you. Alas, life faded from his body. But before he died, he told you how much he loved you and wished for you a life filled with joy and happiness.
You and I cried together as your father was buried, but I promised you at his gravesite that I would protect you always, as he had wanted to do. But the Fates had a different plan for me, a plan that would never allow me to keep my promise to you. So, I passed your protection on to the gods and Fates who swore to keep you safe from harm, and if you are reading this letter, then be assured they kept their promise to me.
How can I possibly convey in this letter how much I love you? I can’t. But understand my love for you is so great and strong it would allow me to fight dragons for you or to scale the highest mountain to find you, but because I won’t be here to do those things, I’m giving you all of my love to carry in your heart to feel and use whenever you need your mother.
I’m sorry I will never see you grow up or meet your mate or hold your children and if I had the power to change anything, it would be to be there for you, to love you, to hug you, to guide and protect you through all of life’s struggles. My last wish on this earth is for you to be happy and find love. If it is granted, your father and I will be at peace in the afterlife where we will be waiting to see you again.
