Page 50 of Destined Bear
“The results came in this evening while you were out, Miss Vivienne,” one of the healers declares earnestly. “We didn’t want to trouble you with the information while you were so far away.”
“I’m going to kill her myself.” Vivienne’s chest heaves, her breaths escaping in rasps.
I tighten my hold around her waist.
“Why?” Circe’s sad question makes me angry for her. “Was I that terrible to her, Viv?”
Vivienne spins and stares at her mother. Untangling herself from me, she perches at Circe’s bedside. “We can’t understand the motivations of evil because we aren’t. All we can do is love, right?”
She strokes Circe’s cheek, and I see the tears glistening on both their faces.
“You do listen to your mother sometimes,” Circe mumbles. “I’m tired.”
“We’ve given you a solution to flush out her blood,” Isadore nods toward one of the IV bags, and the other healers bob their heads. “That’s why she regained consciousness, but she still has quite a recovery ahead.”
Vivienne looks over at her mom, who definitely looks better, but still looks so weak. “We’re here for you, every step of the way, Mom.”
“I want to go home.” The words fade out as Circe falls back asleep, but they stick with me long after we leave the room.
She’ll make sure her mother gets the care she needs, but I have no doubt she’ll be coming back to me.
We’re fated mates.
Nothing will separate us again.
CHAPTER 15
VIVIENNE
Two weeks later, and we are finally bringing my mother back to her house.
"Stop it!" She swats at my hand when I try to help her out of my SUV and up the cracked walkway toward the house. "I know how to walk."
She does, but every movement is excruciatingly slow, as if she's learning to use her legs again. For the past two weeks, she's been working with healers to get her strength back. Every time I look at her, I'm consumed with rage toward Millie.
A car horn honks from the street, and a black convertible pulls up to the curb. Alessa waves from the car.
"Go be with your friend," my mom tells me. "I don't want that one in my house."
I roll my eyes and ignore her, waving at Alessa. "I'll be right there."
"I have your ceremony dress!" she yells from the car.
A flutter of excitement rushes through me at the mention of my upcoming mating ceremony, but I don't lean into it. Not yet. There is too much that needs to be done first.
"Leave me be!" Mom waves her cane at me as I follow through the house with a suitcase and tote. "Go get your dress."
The inside of the cottage-like house is a mess, but I have cleaners coming this afternoon to deal with that. And a new nurse to stay with Mom. I'm not nervous about this one. She comes with a slew of recommendations because she is a part of our pack.
I set Mom up in the living room and gather the rest of the boxes and bags from the trunk as Alessa slinks up the driveway with a garment bag in her hands.
"Look what I have!"
"Not right now," I implore her. "Can you keep it until next week?"
She pouts. "You are seriously no fun at all. You're going to be our pack's Luna! And you found your fated mate. Can't you at least try to pretend to be excited about that?"
"Of course I'm excited. I just have too much else going on right now to focus on the ceremony."
