Page 124 of Wolf's Mark

Again.

I was now becoming agitated. “I need the goddamn truth, Mother. It’s important to me. I deserve to know who and what I am.”

Raising my voice wasn’t something I usually did with either my mother or my father. But… With everything I’d been through over the last week or so, I believed I was owed the single opportunity.

She cleared her throat. “You are part Wolfen.”

There it was.

Right out in the open.

I couldn’t deny it any longer, no matter how many scientific aspects I attached to it.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because we weren’t allowed to do so until you were ready.”

“Ready? For what?” I almost missed my turn, my mind so damn foggy I could be living in London.

“For when you took the throne.”

Now I was heading straight to hell. “Throne? As in some kind of kingdom?”

“In a manner of speaking.” Her tone was contrite or full of fear. I wasn’t certain which.

“Okay, I’m a wolf and I’m a queen. Awesome start to my day. Don’t you think?”

“Honey, you must understand, your father was given a great opportunity, a true honor amongst the Wolfen community. He was allowed to select the perfect human mate to bring forth the next queen. You will be the king of the Wolfen’s strong right hand and exactly what he needs to lead the thousands of packs back to being family. Back to being the strongest creatures on the earth. Back to the place where we cannot be denied what we are owed.”

Well, at least I knew my father was a wolf. Maybe that explained who had led me to safety since he hadn’t been in the house the day I’d been led back. Well, groovy.

Plus, she’d been filled with the Kool-Aid, believing in every aspect of the Wolfen lore. I had to give her credit. She’d hidden her love of the world extremely well during my lifetime.

“A great honor. To lie to me. To keep my true heritage from me. When were you going to spring on me that I had to get married to someone I didn’t know?”

“But you do know him. You were led to him. Weren’t you?”

I’ll be damned. She knew more about my life than I think I did.

“You mean Jax Wolf.”

“Yes. He is your true mate.”

“You knew he was meant to be my… My significant other?”

“Of course. We were so thrilled to have you. I wasn’t capable of conceiving. Then I met your father. Magic happened.”

I longed to ask her what they’d received in return for selling me off, but it was the bitterness talking. “Are you aware the Wolfen are being challenged by fucking werewolves?” She hated when I cursed and I heard the glitch in her voice, but I had good reason to be angry. Lots of reasons why.

“We are on the communication system, Sedona. We do keep tabs on Wolfen politics.”

I pulled into the parking lot of the lab, maybe angrier than I’d ever been. Was it fair? Hell, yes. “So what now? I marry and have pups, living the dream life?”

“Is it so bad thinking about mating with a man you already care about?”

What? Had there been a camera on our passion? I jerked to a stop just before it was too late to avoid slamming into the building. “I don’t know Jax very well and I don’t want to be a wolf. I am a human, Mother. You raised me that way.”

“You are the queen. You are a significant reason the Wolfen will survive. But you must mate with Jax.”

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