All Chapters of Forsaken Mate: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

Present DayMakayla’s POVI’m numb as Christobel weeps, recounting the details of my father’s final moments and my mother’s swift departure from Io. Should I be crying with her? Is it right for me to cry when I don’t know these people and was the cause of so much heartache? Realistically, I know it isn’t my fault, but guilt still weighs heavy on my heart.If my mother hadn’t been pregnant with me, would she have been able to fight the Elders and take back control of Io with my father?“You’re just like her, you know?” Christobel sniffles, smiling wearily as she squeezes my hands gently. “I can tell you’re already blaming yourself for what happened. But it wasn’t your fault. It will never be your fault.”Clearing her throat, she wipes her eyes on the sleeve of her blouse, never releasing my hands. “Your mother had to kill your father because he was going on a rampage. Everyone who was there that day acknowledges that she saved the pack from total destruction. We all know Nemora as a he

Christobel excuses herself, leaving Rafe and me alone. The door isn’t closed for three seconds before he wraps himself around me in a crushing hug. At the same time, his guards come down, and I feel all of his emotions intensely. They mingle with mine, clouding my already confusing feelings. I can pick out a single, strong undercurrent of sadness. The deep, heartbroken kind that permeates everything and makes it heavy like a dead leg.You’d think he was the one who just discovered he had wrongly accused his mother of a crime for his entire life.“Are you okay?” I ask, rubbing his back and kissing his shoulder.“I should be asking you that,” he grumbles into my shirt, squeezing me tighter. “How do you feel knowing the truth?”“About my mother? Numb. I can’t process all of this in a single afternoon.” I release my mate, slipping from his grasp and wrapping my arms around myself. It’s not the same as it once was. Giving myself a hug used to be the only comfort I could get. It used to feel

Rafe’s declaration of my impending Luna ceremony was the start of a landslide of changes. It started off small, with Christobel stopping in early in the morning with food, clothes, and etiquette lessons. Though the etiquette lessons were apparently unnecessary, according to her abundant praise.My manners, posture, and poise are, as Christobel stated, “beyond perfection and not at all an accurate reflection of the conditions of your upbringing.” I didn’t have the heart to tell her that etiquette and proper manners were the only real education I received in River Crest. Deadrick Pride was… physically assertive about my falling into line as a perfect “daughter” for one of his status.I still remember the sting of the switch as he slashed down my back when I stumbled as a child. The bitter taste of lycathistle root under my tongue when I forgot to address him as Beta Pride instead of ‘Father.’ If I told her half of what he did to make me so… perfect… she would join up with Thane and wa

It took some convincing and about a hundred promises that I wouldn’t leave his side, but Rafe finally relented and let me join him in the cellblock beneath the packhouse. His hand tightens around mine as we descend the metal spiral staircase into the basement prison.The winding stairwell disappears deep into darkness below, and there’s no light above. Every few floors, a guard is stationed and ready to apprehend anyone who dares attempt to escape this cavern.We finally reach the bottom and stand before a heavy metal door with several locks and deadbolts on the outside. It takes two people with two sets of keys to pry the door open. The groan of the hinges reverberates around the stone walls.“I never wanted you to see this place,” Rafe grumbles, squeezing my hand. I give him a reassuring squeeze in return.“I’m no stranger to prisons,” I reply. “I’m okay.”“It’s disgusting down here.”“I wasn’t expecting a five-star suite,” I chuckle, walking through the doorway first, pulling him b

The dam breaks loose and hot tears spill down Quinn’s face. An unholy wail breaks from her chapped lips, and she grovels at my feet.“Please! Please let me talk to Alpha Thane!” she cries, her hands pressed together as if she is kneeling in prayer.Rafe laughs. “As if.”“You have to make him let me go, Makayla. Please, if I can’t speak with him, you can! I know he’ll listen to you,” she begs, her entire body trembling with each word.“And why should I do that?”Quinn raises her head at my question, glaring for a second before fixing her face into a pathetic, teary pout. Does she really think I’m buying this piss-poor act of hers? Stars above.“Please, I have nowhere to go!”“What about your beloved pack? The Superior River Crest that you so vehemently defend?” I press. Hopefully, she won’t pick up on my scheme.“I… was forced out.” Her lie isn’t convincing, but I’ll take the bait.“You? The Future Luna forced out? Who would dare?”Full of new vigor, Quinn rises to her knees and knots