Chapter 14

"What other problem do we have? She's alive, right?" I said nervously, my eyes darting to look at my father and then the doctors.

From the corner of my eyes, I could see the frown on Deborah's face. I guess she was confused as to why my mother was still alive. Her hand gripped Shannon's hand tightly.

I was sure that my mother's accident was a deliberate action!

Erik was still standing behind me and I felt him wrap his arm around my waist. I knew I wouldn't be comfortable with it, I quickly stepped forward, in order to evade his touch.

I planned to lead Erik on but then I wasn't in the mood for his shenanigans.

The hallway was quiet, my father opened his mouth to respond to my question. He was taking too long to reply but then I couldn't force the words out of his mouth.

His eyes darted to look at everyone and then he took me by the hand. I expected him to respond to my question but he led me inside my mother's makeshift hospital ward instead.

I understood he didn't want people listening in on our conversation. However, everyone present had heightened senses, so I didn't understand what was going on.

I turned to look at Xander and he gave me a comforting nod.

Immediately we got into the ward, I saw my mother lying still on the bed. Her face was deathly pale and her body had turned dry.

"What's wrong with mum?" I asked my father in a low voice. My heart sped up violently at the sight of her.

"Her chances of waking up are very slim." My father said to me, and then pulled me closer to him.

He hugged me tightly and then whispered in my ears, "It's going to be fine, Avery." But then I knew it wasn't going to be fine.

My mother was dying slowly before my eyes. I didn't let my father go and I asked, "What else did the doctor say? Is there anything we can do to revive her? Should we call unto the pack's priestess?"

I sounded really anxious and my father had to pat my back for me to calm down.

"Your mother was hit in the head, at a very delicate spot. It's already a miracle that she's alive." My father said dejectedly and my face fell for the umpteenth time that day.

"What about the priestess? She should come to take a look at mum." At this point, I would use any alternative to get my mum back. I wasn't even thinking straight anymore, my voice was frantic.

"Calm down, Avery." My father said, hugging me tighter, and continuing to pat my back.

"The priestess is out of town and we have no way to contact her." He said to me and immediately after he said those words, a knock sounded on the door.

Our heads whipped to look at the door, as we pulled apart. My father groaned and then walked toward the door.

The door opened the reveal one of my father's henchmen.

"What did you find?" I heard my father ask, as he walked out of the ward. He turned to me briefly, he didn't need to say a word before I understood him. I nodded my head to his silent request of leaving.

Immediately the door closed behind him, I turned to look at my mother. I walked toward her bed and my eyes followed the numerous tubes and machines connected to her body.

It was obvious that she was on life support. The scene from my past life flashed before my eyes. I had been on life support as well.

I sat down on a nearby stool and held onto her hand. Right then, the door opened up and Erik walked in.

I rolled my eyes and then turned to look at my mother.

"She will be alright." He said in a low voice, his hand on my shoulder and I graoned in frustration.

"Would you like to take a rest?" He asked me and I shook my head.

He then sat down beside me.

"Where were you?" I asked suddenly, my eyes red.

I could see the frown on his face as soon as I asked that question.

"What do you mean?" He asked back and then stood up to his feet. His eyes glanced at my mother and then back to me.

"I meant what I said." I said indirectly. I didn't want him to think that I suspected him. I needed to keep acting like the fool they thought me to be. But then it was too late, I realized that Erik had started to notice the changes in me.

"Do you suspect that I am involved in your mother's death?" He said to me, pointing at himself.

"She's not dead…" I shouted. I wanted to refute the obvious but then I knew she would die soon if she didn't recover.

On the other hand, I heard Erik chuckle. "You think I killed her?" He said threateningly as he started to walk closer to me. He had a wicked smirk on his face but then I stared defiantly at him.

"Whatever…" I said turning away from him but then I didn't expect the shove from the side. I couldn't get my balance, I fell head-on on my mother's life support machine.

There was a loud crash and everything started to beep loudly. My mother started to convulse on the bed and the door burst open. Erik dragged me by the hand and moved me away from the machine.

The doctors rushed in with eyes wide in shock. "What did I just do? I asked myself, my eyes turning teary as the doctors surrounded my mother's bed.

"Please, step outside." A doctor said to me and Erik and we nodded. I didn't wait for Erik to lead me out, I walked out myself. Guilt gripping my heart. Why did I start a fight with Erik in the first place?

Immediately I stepped out of the door, I spotted my father running toward me. He had probably heard the news that the doctors were attending to my mother urgently.

"What happened, Avery?" My father asked immediately he got to me. I could see the Beta, Deborah, and Shannon coming to stand behind my father.

What got me really surprised was Shannon's nonchalance toward my mother's critical state.

But before I opened my mouth to respond to my father's question, Erik was already one step ahead of me.

"She started to convulse." He said simply and my father turned to look at him with a confused expression.

"But the doctors declared that she was stable." My father said in an abnormally low tone. His eyes narrowed at Erik.

I wondered why Erik didn't say that we had a fight, even though I had started it. I wondered why he didn't disclose that he had shoved me.

But then I wouldn't be able to explain to my father why I started a fight with Erik. I couldn't tell him that I suspected both mother and son alongside Shannon.

What proof did I have? No proof but I had knowledge about my past life. But then no one would believe me if I accused them.

The door opened up and a doctor stepped out and beckoned onto my father. I wanted to follow after him but he motioned for me to stay still.

I watched him as he stood before the doctor. They were talking in incredibly hush tones and I strained my ears to at least hear a little bit of their conversation.

"She's dead…" I heard the doctor say finally and my eyes widened in horror. I ran past my father and the doctor toward my mother's ward.

I barged in not caring if the doctors were in the middle of something. What I saw and heard confirmed everything.

My mother was covered entirely from head to toe in a white cloth.

"Time of death, 3:59 pm…" I heard those words and my head started to bang. I rushed toward my mother's body and yanked the cloth away so I could see her clearly.

She was truly dead, and my heart tightened in tremendous pain.

"It's all my fault, mother." I cried inwardly, I couldn't let out a word as I was too speechless to speak.

Tears flowed from my eyes like a river and my knees weakened. I fell to the ground. "Noooo…" I cried in my heart. I could feel that even the heavens heard my cry.

My body was starting to weaken, I was dizzy. The energy in my body was depleting really fast and then I heard a loud thud.

I turned slowly to see my father lying on the ground. The doctors had surrounded him and I could see his hand clenched on his chest.

He was having a heart attack!

"No, dad…" I cried but I couldn't muster the strength to get up and everything turned black!