“What does he have to do with anything?”
“Years ago, Keith was my boss at a hospital before I met your dad,” she begins. “And he…he took me by force.”
I freeze, the words hitting me like a physical blow. “What?”
“I got pregnant,” she continues, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands. “That’s you. He has no idea you exist. I quit the hospital job before you were born. I thought I was safe.”
The room seems to tilt around me, the walls closing in.Is Keith my father?The thought makes my stomach heave.
“But he found me,” my mother continues, turning me around to face her. “Six years later. He showed up at our house one day with two of his pack members. Said if I didn’t come with him willingly, he’d kill you and your father both.”
“Oh my god,” I whisper, my hand flying to my mouth. “That’s why you left?”
She nods, tears streaming down her face again. “He gave me twenty minutes to pack a bag and say goodbye. I couldn’t even tell you the truth because you were too young to understand, and I was afraid that if you knew, you might say something that would put you in danger.”
All these years, I thought she left having fun gallivanting around with a new man. This was way worse and sadder than I imagined.
“That’s so horrible,” I say, tears rolling down my face. “You suffered to keep me safe. So it’s true then that I’m some type of omega?”
“Yes, I’m one too,” she says, smiling through her own tears. “I believe you’ve found out already through a pack?”
“I found a pack,” I say, the word ‘pack’ still feeling strange on my tongue. “But I left them.”
“Oh no,” she says with a grim expression. “You need themfor protection. At least for now. I’ve thought about you every day. Wondered how you were doing and if you were happy.”
“It’s okay. You did what you had to do.”
She pulls back, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “We need to finish getting you ready. It’s almost time.”
I nod, suddenly exhausted, my emotions wrung dry. My mother leads me to the bathroom, where a small vanity is set up with makeup and hair products. I sit on the stool, staring at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes are red and puffy, my cheeks blotchy from crying. I barely recognize myself.
“I need to wash my face,” I say, reaching for the washcloth on the sink.
My mother nods, busying herself with organizing the makeup. As I splash cold water on my face, I can’t stop stealing glances at her reflection in the mirror. She’s thinner than I remember, with fine lines around her eyes and mouth that weren’t there before, but she’s still beautiful and still my mom.
After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I dry my face with a towel, peeking around the door to make sure she’s still there, that this isn’t some cruel dream I’m about to wake up from.
“What do you do here exactly?”
She picks up a foundation brush, her expression carefully neutral. “I have to make sure the omegas are clean, dressed nicely, presentable.”
“And you’re okay with that?” I can’t keep the judgment from my voice.
Her hand stills, the brush hovering near my cheek.
“No,” she says quietly. “I’m not okay with it. How did you end up here?”
I close my eyes, letting her work. “I answered an ad for a housekeeping position. Had no idea what omegas and alphas even were. My friend tried to warn me, but I was desperate for money.”
“Your friend was right to be concerned,” she says, her voice gentle. “This place is dangerous. Wolf Isle is safe for the humans but not for us.”
“No kidding,” I mutter.
She works in silence for a few minutes, applying blush to my cheeks, shadow to my eyes, mascara to my lashes. Her movements are sure and confident, transforming my tear-stained face into something polished and pretty.
After she’s done, my skin glows with a subtle shimmer, my eyes look bigger and brighter, my lips full and pink. My mother has twisted my hair into an elaborate updo, with tendrils framing my face in soft curls.
“You look beautiful,” she says, her voice catching.
