Left Pack

"‘Mate,’" Maya completed Rish's words, her head ready to burst just thinking about it.

"If he's her mate, then why is she running away from him? Shouldn't she feel the pull?" Levi trailed off, more confused than ever. "This shouldn't be the case for sure."

"I don't know, but I do know one thing. If she was on the verge of marrying him, then he's definitely her mate. As for why she's running, what kind of guy he is, or if her wolf is trapped in her body and cursed, only the pack witch can answer that. I can feel the curse, but I don't know anything else. I'm just a mere doctor," Maya grumbled, not knowing what more to do.

She had been shocked when she found Alisha in the forest, smelling the scent of her blood. That's why she brought her here; otherwise, she would be helping her but wouldn't have invited her here.

Her whole life had been spent searching for the one and only child of her king and queen, who died due to hunters.

When the fight broke out and the hunters killed everyone, she was the one who held baby Alisha in her arms when she was just a few days old and left her at the station.

She didn't want anyone to find her, but when things got a bit better and she did her best to find Alisha but couldn't, she regretted it. She should have left her in a place where she could easily be found.

But she couldn't do it because of how bad things were at the time.

Now the situation was dawning upon her. She didn't know what to do. She left the pack because everyone blamed her for losing the royal heir.

She regretted it too, even though she knew it wasn't entirely her fault.

Now after 18 years, she became old and now had no powers because she had to cut ties with the pack, and her kids also lost the opportunity to have their wolves, which she regretted deeply.

Still, Levi and Rish never complained, and they both tried to find the royal blood.

But the issue was something she never expected. There was a curse on Alisha. Who cursed her? That was the biggest question, and that's why Levi and Rish couldn't detect any trace.

She got the trace because Alisha was bleeding, and even though she couldn't use her powers, she had her wolf, who could sometimes sense things.

But Levi and Rish never even got the opportunity to have their wolves, so it was much tougher for both of them.

Levi, her daughter, had always been a mindful one, and Rish was fierce yet jolly. She felt like she owed too much to both of her kids. They had to suffer just because of her.

She didn't know how she would repay everything, but one thing was for sure: even if she died, she couldn't forgive herself for being careless with Alisha, and just that mistake cost her everything.

She couldn't fathom how she would ever make things right. Even if she managed to find a solution, the guilt would never leave her.

"Mom, we'll figure this out. We won't let anything happen to Alisha," Levi's voice was filled with determination.

Rish nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we'll do whatever it takes. We're in this together, Mom."

Maya felt a surge of gratitude toward her children. Despite everything, they stood by her side, ready to face whatever challenges came their way.

"Thank you, both of you," Maya said, her voice choked with emotion. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Levi smiled softly. "Let's leave everything for now. At least we've got her. Finally, we found her. About the pack witch, we'll need to connect with Father."

Maya massaged her temples, feeling her heart race at the mention of her husband's name.

Eighteen years had passed, and she was still counting. She hadn't seen her husband, not because of hatred between them, but because he chose to stay with the pack.

She was a doctor, but her husband was a healer, and he needed to be there after the fight, for healing , due to the huge damage.

She didn't want to be a burden, so she didn't even give him a choice to choose; she left. Since then, she hadn't been able to connect with him. She couldn't use her wolf powers or mindlink, and she didn't want to be his weakness.

She didn't even know how he was. Only her heart knew how much she had suffered all these years, and how much her heart had cried for her mate. She couldn't even describe the pain in her heart; it shattered her whenever she had to think about it.

Duty and regrets had not only broken her family, but she didn't even know what Alisha had suffered. The situation in which she found her didn't bode well.

She could only imagine what Alisha had endured during all those years. The situation she found her in didn't promise anything good.

"Mom, are you okay?" Levi's voice brought Maya back to the present.

Maya forced a smile. "I'm fine, sweetheart. Just a bit overwhelmed."

Rish stepped closer, concern etched on his face. "We understand, Mom.”

Maya nodded, grateful for her children's support. "How can we connect with your father?"

"Maybe we could write a letter and send it," Levi suggested.

"I don't even know if he still lives at our old address, Levi," Maya replied.

"Mom, at least we can hope. There's no harm in trying. Who knows, he might still be there?" Rish chimed in optimistically.

Levi and Rish exchanged glances. They avoided talking about their father in front of their mom, knowing how much it pained her. Yet, their own hearts longed for their father's love, a love they hadn't felt growing up. Sure, they had it when they were kids, but only for a few years before the fight broke out. After their mother left the pack, everything fell apart.

Still, they didn't regret it. They knew their mother needed them more than their father did. He still had the whole pack, but their mother was alone without them.

Now they couldn't help but bring this up, knowing it might be their only chance for help.