Chapter 10

Davina’s POV

The silence in the room was unbearable but broken only by my ragged breathing. My head was spinning, my heart was heavy with everything I’d just learned.

I sat on the cold floor, hugging my knees to my chest, staring at the door as if it might hold the answers I so desperately needed.

“Why?” I whispered to myself, my inner mind was barely audible. “Why didn’t anyone tell me the truth? Why was I left in the dark all this while?” No wonder Lyra and her mother never treated me like one of them. I felt like an outcast.

I leaned back against the wall, with questions flooding through my mind. Was my mother truly guilty? Did she really try to seduce the Alpha? Or was that just another one of Genevieve’s cruel lies? Where did she go? Will I ever find her?

And what did she look like? Did I resemble her in any way? The thought sent a strange pang through my chest.

“Does she even know I exist?” I muttered. “Or did she leave without a second thought?”

My mind drifted back to my childhood, trying to gather any memories that might give me a clue about her. My father had always avoided talking about her, no matter how many times I asked. It was so sad and unfair to me.

“Where is she, Papa?” I had asked once, as my small hands clutched his arm.

He had smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “She’s… somewhere far away, Davina,” he’d said, I noticed how thick his voice sounded with something I couldn’t understand at the time.

“Will she come back? Will I see her again?”

He had looked away, as he tightened his jaw. “Some things… they’re better left in the past.”

Back then, I hadn’t understood his sadness, his reluctance. Now, it all made sense. He’d been grieving, not just for her absence, but for the truth he couldn’t bring himself to share with me.

“Did you love her, Papa?” I whispered into the empty room, tears stinging my eyes. “Was she everything they say she was? Or was she better than that?” I was going crazy.

Before I could spiral any further, the sound of the lock turning startled me. The door opened, and there stood Genevieve with disgust and hatred covering her eyes. I could now understand her reasons for hating me.

“Well,” she began, curling her lips into a smirk, “still moping, I see.”

I glared at her, but the weight of my emotions kept me silent.

She stepped inside, clicking her heels against the wooden floor, then she leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. “I’m curious,” she said, sounding scaratic. “What’s running through that little head of yours? Are you imagining your mother as some tragic heroine? A misunderstood victim of this cruel, cruel world?”

“Why are you here?” I asked, glaring at her with anger in my eyes.

She laughed like a maniac, that sent chills down my spine. “Oh, Davina, I’m here to remind you of who you really are. You’re just like her, you know.”

I frowned, tightening my chest. “What do you mean?”

“Your mother,” she said, rolling her eyes. “She had a way of causing trouble wherever she went. Always seeking attention, always tempting men who didn’t belong to her.”

“That’s not true,” I snapped, trying to stand up but the pain on my knees wouldn't let me.

“Oh, isn’t it?” she sneered, walking closer to me. “You think Malcolm’s father was the only man she tried to ensnare? She was a master manipulator, just like you. Always pretending to be innocent, but underneath it all… trouble.”

“I’m nothing like that,” I said, holding my legs.

Genevieve tilted her head, studying me with an almost amused expression. “Aren’t you? Look at you, clinging to Malcolm like some lovesick puppy. Do you really think he’d choose someone like you? A wolfless, pathetic excuse for a mate?”

Her words hurt me, but I didn't let her see how it affected me.

“I didn’t ask for this,” I said, as the voice in my head came out barely above a whisper. “I didn’t ask to be his mate.”

“But you didn’t turn him away, did you?” she shot back, with her eyes gleaming with malice. “Just like your mother, always latching onto men who don’t belong to her.”

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. “You don’t know anything about me,” I said, closing my eyes to stop the tears from dropping off.

She let out a harsh laugh. “Oh, Davina, I know everything about you. You’re weak, just like she was. And look where that got her, banished, forgotten, and unwanted. That’s your future, too.”

Her words echoed in my mind, hurting me more. I felt like I couldn’t breathe like I was about to die.

But beneath the pain, something else began to stir. Even if my mother was weak, I would not. I’ll be strong for her and make her proud wherever she is.

“You’re wrong,” I said, staring at her now. “I’m not like her. And I’m not like you, either.”

Genevieve raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. “Oh? And what are you going to do about it, little wolf? Cry some more? Beg for Malcolm to save you?”

“No,” I said, standing up despite the ache in my body. “I’m going to find her. My real mother. I’m going to find out the truth about who she was.”

Genevieve’s smirk faltered for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure. “Good luck with that,” she said, turning to leave. “She’s probably dead by now. And even if she’s not, she’s nothing more than a disgrace.” she finished and punched me in the mouth that my lips bled.

I sank back onto the floor, sobbing. Her words had left me shattered, but they’d also ignited something inside me.

“I’ll find her,” I whispered to myself, whatever it takes. “Somehow, I’ll find her. And I’ll find the truth.”