He was sure the cavern was big enough if he did shift but wondered if he’d able to force him to shift back; there wasn’t any way his dragon could use the portal and that would present a big problem. Stalking through his hoard, angry bursts of flames shot from his nose.
“Hi angel.”
Whipping around, Fionn’s mouth dropped open at the sight of his mother standing before him bathed in a white light. “Mum? What are you doing here? I didn’t call you.”
“No, angel, the gods sent me.”
“The gods? Really? How come? Oh crap, it’s because of my mate, right?”
“They can’t understand why you are here instead of with him.”
“What?” Fionn said, angrily. “You got to be kidding me! What am I supposed to do with a mate I never met before who isn’t even a dragon…and that reminds me…why didn’t you tell me about my white dragon? I had to find out from Kieran. Did my father know about my dragon?”
“No, angel, I kept that from him because I knew he’d force you to help him increase his wealth. As for not telling you, I’m sorry but I thought it best you didn’t know. I was afraid it would slip out one day and be used against you before you were protected.”
“You mean before I joined the Blackwood Pack, which I did, so why do I need a mate? Jackson and his brothers can protect me better than just any old wolf can.”
“Angel, while that’s true, they cannot give you the absolute love a mate can.”
“Love,” scoffed Fionn. “No thank you. I saw what father’s ‘love’ did to you.”
Fionn’s mother hung her head as sorrow washed over her, remembering what her son witnessed while growing up. Raising her head, tears glistening in her eyes, she said, “Angel, that was not love. Your father bought me from my father when I was too young to protest and, when I came of age, he took me from my family, cutting off all ties to my mother who I loved with my whole heart. And while it wasn’t the life I dreamt about while I was growing up, I would gladly do it all again just to have you…the joy of my life.”
As Fionn listened to his mother’s revelation, he thought about the indignities she’d endured—bought by a cruel master to serve a life of slavery. “So he wasn’t your Fated Mate?”
“No, angel. I was just a business transaction to your father.”
“Why did my father want you for his wife if he didn’t love you?”
“For my bloodline. My mother’s family is a very old one in our world.”
Fionn sat down heavily in his chair of golden bars. Finally, the relationship between his father and mother made sense. Despite what must have been their intense dislike for each other, it was now clear to him why his mother never left his abusive father. “You stayed because of me, didn’t you,” he said.
“No, I stayed because I loved you…and you needed me. Angel, don’t feel guilty. You were a blessed gift from the Fates, and you made me so very happy.”
Tears welled up and rolled down Fionn’s cheeks as he recalled his father’s cruelty to his mother, finally understanding the extraordinary sacrifices she’d made for him.
Chapter 15
Kneeling next to Fionn, his mother tentatively reached out, not sure her son would feel her touch. Slowly, she lowered her hand until it was on his back, feeling his dragon’s fire burning inside. “Angel…baby, look at me.”
His mother’s touch soothed his pain, helping to stem his tears. It brought back good memories of his childhood—like the fun he had with her when they played games she made up—but more importantly, knowing how it felt to be loved unconditionally by someone. When she died, he was tossed into a world of hate, greed and revenge, a darkness that was always trying to eclipse the joyful light she’d given him.
Tears filled Fionn’s eyes again as he saw the pure love for him burning in his mother’s eyes. “Mummy…” he choked out, wanting to be held in her arms once more.
Gathering him up as she used to do, Fionn’s mother hugged him tightly, humming his favorite childhood song, flooding him with her love. Rocking back and forth, she let him cry until tears would no longer flow. Then, she murmured, “Angel, my darling boy, please never doubt for a second how much joy you brought to my life. When the Fates gave you to me, my world became filled with love…a love so bright it made everything else pale in comparison. So please don’t weep over what my father or husband did to me because you were worth it all. Now, please angel, go back home to meet the man the Fates have deemed perfect for you, so you can be loved the way you should…completely and forever.”
“How can you be sure he’ll do that?” Fionn asked, his voice breaking.
“Because, my darling angel, he is the chosen one for you,” his mother replied.
Fionn remained where he was, soaking up his mother’s love, reluctant to leave her arms, a place he’d always found comfort. But he could see the light surrounding her grow fainter; her time with him was coming to an end. Using the heels of his palms, he rubbed his face dry and then, sitting up, he said, “I love you, Mum, always did and always will.” Sighing, he gazed at his mother as she began to fade, quickly adding, “I’ll go home and meet my mate, mum, I promise you.” His mother smiled and then was gone, leaving Fionn alone in the cold, dank cavern that even the glow of his gold couldn’t warm up.
~/~/~/~/~
“Thank you, sweetie,” Oracle said, picking up her cup of tea.
Sitting down in a chair opposite Oracle and Maximus, Jackson said, “No problem. Steel was going to bring it but then Dakota messaged him that he’d be able to resume his chef’s duties for lunch, sending my mate into a panic. Right now he and Theo are frantically cleaning the kitchen.”
