Broken Wings

Asking Questions

*Lark POV*

Cameron and I have been talking a lot more, and just getting to know one another. I even introduced him to my son, Zion. After all, he was the one who went through the most with Artemis. I wanted his opinion before I proceeded any further.

"I like him, mom. He seems pretty genuine. You know, something I've noticed about vamps: they struggle with lying. For example, when I asked him if he had romantic feelings for you, he tried to tell me he didn't. He immediately backtracked, and admitted very quickly that he did. He even confessed that he believes the two of you are mates," Zion explained.

He what? Cameron had mentioned that he felt a connection to me, but he never said that he felt any kind of mate bond. Am I ready for that? Will I ever be ready for that again?

"Oh stop. He didn't say that, Z. You are just messing with me now," I laughed. However, my son's face told me that he was definitely not joking.

"Do you think I would do that after everything you have been through? Mom, I am telling you the truth. He said that he knows you feel it too, but said he will wait for you to be comfortable with everything before he claims you," he said seriously.

Again, I had to laugh. However, this time, I did it internally so I didn't upset him. Zion had such a loving heart, and he just wanted to see me happy. Even if I explained to him a million times that I didn't need a mate to be happy, he still wanted that for me.

"No, son. I know you wouldn't joke about something like that. I'm just in shock that he told you, and not me. Yes, I feel a pull. However, I haven't let myself get close enough to fully feel it. I'm still very guarded. I have to be careful," I replied.

He understood my hesitancy, but he also encouraged me to allow myself to feel. He said that being guarded would only get me so far, and I would have to acknowledge it eventually. He was, once again, correct.

"Fine. I have a dinner date with Cam on Sunday, and I will try to be more open. Just for you," I laughed as I touched my finger to the end of his nose.

"Mom, stop that. I'm not a kid anymore. I'm the gamma, dammit," he laughed.

Gamma. I never thought I would see the day when my kids would actually sit in a higher-ranked position. Now, I have several who are doing just that.

Diamond and Emerald are the Beta females for Crescent Moon. Zephyr is an Alpha of a pack near Eureka, California. Now, Zion is the gamma for Buck's pack.

Things are very different for my kids than they were for me growing up. I was an adult when I met my twin brother, father and family. Something that I still sometimes struggle with.

"I'm pretty proud of you, kiddo. You work hard all the time. It's about time you got some recognition," I smiled. I knew he didn't work hard for praise, it's just who he was.

I made him a sandwich, and he took it as he walked out the door to head back to his pack. I still lived at my parents' pack for the most part. However, I had an apartment in my shop just in case it got too late to drive home. So when I get to see my kids who live in other packs, I always make sure they have some kind of food when they leave.

Just as I was about to get in the shower, I heard a knock on the door. I wasn't expecting anyone, so I was cautious as I moved towards the door. I peeked out the peephole, and saw that it was my mother. It wouldn't do any good to ignore her, so I went ahead and answered.

"Hi mom. What are you doing here?" I asked as I let her in. She smiled and kissed my cheek, and asked me to sit down. She needed to talk to me.

I followed her into my kitchen, and she grabbed herself a bottle of water and sat at my table. She looked stressed out, so I started to worry.

"Lark, I need your help. You have contacts who are able to track people down, right?" she asked. I nodded, and told her I knew a few investigators. However, I was confused about why she was asking.

"Could you reach out to the one who knows the most about Lycans? Sterling contacted me about Zayden today. There was a man asking a lot of questions about the little one. No one knew who he was or how he got into the pack, but Sterling made sure he left. I'm terrified it might be hunters, and Samantha agrees," she explained.

I knew of someone. He was a Lycan himself, but avoided people if he was able. He lived on the bayou not far from here, so I decided to call him while mom was still there with me. Maybe see if he could swing by to talk.

"Chuck? It's Lark. Could you swing by my place right now? It's kind of important. It's about my great-nephew. The one I was telling you about," I explained. Thankfully, he said he could come quickly, and would be here in a few minutes.

True to his word, it took less than 10 minutes for him to arrive.

"Hey girl, what's up? Is the little guy alright?" he asked. When grandma explained to him what she had told me, his face was expressionless and pale.

He explained to my grandmother that he would like to speak to Samantha and Sterling. Even though she was confused by his demeanor, she called and spoke with Sterling. She told us she would be back in fifteen minutes, and then popped out of the room to get my nephew.

"Chuck, is this bad?" I asked. He slightly nodded, and then started to ask me questions about Samantha before asking to see a picture of her.

"Was Samantha adopted? Has her family told her anything about who and what she is? Lark, I will be honest, this isn't great news, but it may not be the worst either. It would help if we knew what kind of questions this man was asking. He could be there to help, but he could also be there to exterminate the "problem" if you know what I mean," chuck said.

I stared at him for a moment, processing what he had said. I started to think about the questions he asked, and answsered to the best of my ability.

"I'm not sure about whether she is adopted or not. I know that the family who raised her lived a long time at Blood Moon, and after she and Sterling got together, they moved. I don't know where to. She said they have barely told her anything about their history, and what he has learned she had to fight for it. So, I'm not sure about anything else. She would be able to answer you better," I replied.

I made us both some herbal tea, and we spoke about other things while we waited for my mother to return with my nephew and his mate.

"So, Cameron LeTroux huh? Is it serious?" he asked with a smile. Chuck was always good for calling things out. Especially where I was concerned.

We were so close at one point in time that people thought him and I were a couple. Little did they know that Chuck didn't have eyes for little ol' me. He was very gay, and very much in love with his husband, Bradley.