Page 48 of Hunt

Tears slip down her cheeks, leaving glistening trails on her porcelain skin. She leans forward, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead, her lips warm and comforting against my clammy skin. The scent of her perfume envelops me, a delicate blend of jasmine and vanilla that brings back memories of happier times, when the world wasn't so cruel and unforgiving.

Shame and self-loathing rise up like bile in my throat. I turn my face away, unable to meet Mama's loving gaze as the enormity of what I've done crashes over me in suffocating waves. My fathers' blood stains my hands, their deaths a burden I will carry for the rest of my life.

"Mama," I choke out, my voice brittle and thin as spun glass. "I...I'm so sorry. I didn't want...I never meant for you to lose them like this."

Mama's fingers tighten around mine, her grip firm and grounding. She shakes her head, her eyes shining with a fierce, unwavering love. "No, Bella. You have nothing to apologize for. Your fathers...they were not the men I thought they were. They hurt you, they hurt Rosa, in ways no parent should ever harm their child."

Her voice wavers, thick with emotion, but she presses on. "I know the bond between an omega and their alpha is a powerful thing. Losing a mate, even one who caused such pain, leaves avoid that feels like it can never be filled. But what they did to you, to our family...that wasn't love. That was cruelty and abuse, a twisted mockery of what a true bond should be."

Mama reaches out, cupping my cheek with her palm. Her skin is soft and warm, her touch a soothing balm to my battered soul. "I could never love a man who laid a hand on my daughters. You were protecting yourself, protecting Rosa. You were fighting for your life, for your freedom. And that is nothing to be ashamed of."

Tears sting my eyes, hot and prickling. I blink rapidly, trying to stem the flood, but they spill down my cheeks in scalding trails. "But they were your mates, Mama. Your alphas. How can you not hate me for taking them from you?"

Mama's voice trembles slightly, but she presses on, determined to share her truth. "At first, it was small things—a sharp word here, a possessive grip there. But gradually, their control tightened like a noose around my neck. They began to dictate every aspect of my life, from what I wore to who I spoke to. And when I dared to defy them..."

She trails off, a shudder rippling through her slender frame. I squeeze her hand, offering what little comfort I can. Mama takes a shaky breath, blinking back the tears that shimmer in her eyes.

"They would punish me," Mama whispers, her voice barely audible over the soft beeping of the heart monitor. "Not with their fists, but with their words, their actions. They would lock me in our room for days, denying me food, water, even the simple comfort of sunlight on my skin. They would force me to watch as they took other omegas to their bed, parading them before me like trophies."

A single tear slips down her cheek, glistening in the muted light of the room. She dashes it away with a trembling hand, drawing in a shuddering breath. "I thought I was strong enough to endure it, for the sake of our family. I convinced myself thattheir love for me, for you and Rosa, would be enough to temper their cruelty. But I was wrong, Bella. So very wrong."

Mama's gaze grows distant, her eyes haunted by memories too painful to voice. "When I learned what they had done to you, what they planned to do to Rosa...something inside me shattered."

She leans forward, pressing her forehead to mine in a gesture of infinite tenderness. Her breath is warm against my skin, her presence a soothing balm to the ragged edges of my soul.

Mama's voice drops to a whisper, her words meant only for my ears. "I won't lie to you, Bella. Losing a mate, even one as cruel as your fathers, is like having a part of your soul ripped away. The pain is unimaginable, a raw, gaping wound that feels like it will never heal."

She pulls back slightly, her eyes finding mine, shimmering with unshed tears. "But that pain pales in comparison to the agony of seeing my daughters suffer at the hands of the men who were supposed to protect them. Of knowing that I failed you, that I couldn't keep you safe from the monsters in our own home."

Tears spill down my cheeks and they won’t stop. I realize now that this is the first real heart to heart I’ve ever had with my own mother. Her pain must be nearly unbearable, and yet here she is, sitting at the bedside of the woman who killed her mates.

My eyes flicker over her shoulder, meeting Hector’s gaze. His face is drawn into a mask of icy rage. Not for me, but for what my mama and I went through at the hands of alphas. Alphas whose job it was to care for their omega.

“I’m going to check on your sister, but I think I can safely say I’m leaving you in capable hands.” She looks up, meeting Sam’s eyes, and I’ve never seen her more serious in my life. As if she’s warning him not to fuck with her.

With a kiss to my forehead that makes me feel like a little girl again, she stand up and leaves the room, shutting the door softly behind her.

The guys move in closer, each of them taking a seat on my bed as slowly and as carefully as they can manage.

“I’m not made of glass, you know,” I tease, trying to break the tension suffocating the room.

Dante's lips quirk into a smirk, his eyes glinting with mischief. "Oh, we know you're not made of glass, mate. But you did just take a bullet to the stomach, so forgive us for being a little cautious."

I huff out a laugh, wincing as the movement jostles my injured ribs. "Fair enough. But if you keep treating me like I'm going to break, I might just have to prove you wrong."

Silas arches a brow, his golden eyes darkening with a hint of warning. "Don't even think about it, baby. You're not leaving this bed until you're fully healed, even if I have to tie you to it myself."

A shiver runs down my spine at the promise in his words, and I feel a flush of heat creep up my neck. "Careful,mate. Keep talking like that and I might just take you up on that offer."

Sam clears his throat pointedly, his lips twitching with amusement. "As much as I hate to interrupt this riveting display of foreplay, I think it's time we let our little omega get some rest."

Hector nods in agreement, his expression softening as he gazes down at me. "Sam's right. You need to sleep. Your body's been through hell, and it needs time to heal."

A playful pout forms on my lips as I gaze up at my mates through hooded lashes. "Fine, I'll rest. But only if you promise to stay with me. I don't want to wake up alone."

Silas's eyes soften, a tender smile curving his sensual mouth. "Wild horses couldn't drag us away, baby. We'll be right here, ready to kill any motherfucker who comes though that door.”

He crawls up the bed with feline grace, his powerful body radiating a comforting heat as he settles in beside me. The mattress dips as Dante follows suit, his chiseled features gentled by the warm glow of the bedside lamp.

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