The Delta's Daughter Chapter 168

He scrunched his face up before he relaxed his posture and his eyes softened. “For many years I have lived with hate, it was all I was taught. I was taught to hate the royal family, I was groomed to exact my revenge. So I helped Silas, a rogue king, my father, capture the Dire Wolf. Not only did it hurt your prince immensely but it gave me great satisfaction that I could hurt him the same way I had been hurt my whole life. Growing up without my mother, I felt like I had been cheated.

“After Riocht and seeing that there were worse things than my Rogue king father, like Orion, I couldn’t say I wanted that life anymore. However, Jack was a means to escape the current situation. Then Jack, who I swear is born with a four-leaf clover up his ass, by chance, runs into King Kellen, in a bathroom of all places, and decides your father will give him a pretty penny for him. Trafficking him, was not part of my plan. At one point, yes I wanted to kill him, now I just want out.”

Oliver paused and hung his head, “I didn’t want this, not this time, I wanted to start again. And you will help me Tala. I am not a good man, but I promise if you help me, I will not hurt you and I will keep Jack away from you.” He lifted his head and peered straight into my eyes baring his emotions to me. I saw the look of failure cross his face and his eyes, although icy held a saddened and regretful look.

I couldn’t detect a lie, but I still wouldn’t trust him. As I held Oliver’s gaze, I realized. If you eliminate his personality, Oliver was a handsome wolf, tall, built, with eyes that were intimidating yet alluring; his blond hair was kept neat and moderately short. I wondered just what had happened to him. Was he born into the slave-trading business as Jack was

In another lifetime, He could have been a good person, someone she could have been friends with. Alas, he was not a good person, he was a monster and she was sure this was all some kind of faade, and no matter how much he would try to appeal to her better nature she would not fall for his lies.

“We are running out of time princess, war will be upon this kingdom soon and by the smell of it, you will be going into heat even sooner.” I gasped in shock, my eyes bugging out.

“H-how, how did you know” Shit, if he knew, that means my father would easily figure it out.

“I smell him all over you, but you have no mark on your shoulder, yet you smell like a marked female. I am assuming you marked him” He had a smug smirk on his face, he wasn’t really asking me because he already knew, he just wanted to hear me say it out loud and confirm it. Oliver was smart, sly, and a slime ball bastard, that was for sure.

“Well at least, your wolf doesn’t have to take commands from your father anymore. She has a new Alpha, whether he is enslaved or not.” He shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly.

“What Vargr can’t control me anymore” I was shocked, this was not something I had thought about and only realized when Oliver told me plain as day. I suddenly felt like leaping, which meant I could shift whenever I wanted. I held my smile to myself, the comprehension of his words and realization had both me and my wolf silently shouting with glee.

“I see that look on your face princess, I wouldn’t rush into anything. You need to play the game first. Like a fox, cunning and sly.”

“You mean like you” I tilted my head towards him.

“Exactly,” Oliver smiled. “Goodnight princess let's speak soon. I quite look forward to our little chats.” He winked at me before leaving the kitchen area and leaving me to ponder everything that had happened tonight. As soon as I thought of Kellen, the achy neediness set in between my thighs with lustful wanting.

I ran upstairs to my mother’s room; her maid and Eloise were already there, along with Jasper’s mother Alice. The three of them were trying to calm her down as she held a large men’s shaving blade in her hand. Blood trickled to the floor from her wrist, soaking her long white nightgown in deep crimson that almost looked black where the majority of the blood had gathered on the material.

I stopped taking in the scene, trying to determine if my mother was having an episode of crazy or had remembered what my father and Jack had done to her. Her sky-colored eyes met mine and we held our eyes locked and watched as the tears gathered and began to fall down her pale cheeks.

“Leave us,” I ordered, hearing a collective grumble. “It’s OK,” I looked at Alice and my mother's maid. “I can take it from here."

I had already assessed the damage and it didn’t seem like she had really harmed herself too much, the cut too far up her arm and too far around. She had done this for attention I concluded. Alice and the maid looked at me like I was nuts.

“It has taken us over an hour to calm her this much! Where were you Tala” Alice hissed out at me. I turned and scowled at her, giving her a death glare for taking that tone with me.

Instead of replying to her I gritted my teeth and tightened my jaw. “I said you can leave.” I didn’t shout but you could still hear the fury in my voice. Alice clicked her tongue and left the room stomping as she went. The maid gave me a sympathetic smile and I nodded to her that I would be fine.

Eloise stayed behind and approached my mother “Luna Mila, it’s okay they are gone now,” she gently spoke to my mother, which had me questioning why she would say that, I raised my brow tilting my head until El turned and saw the look on my face. “Let’s get your mum cleaned up then maybe the Luna can tell us all about what happened.”

*I arrived just before you did, she was screaming at Lady Alice to get out and that it was her fault. Her maid told me they had been arguing earlier and Lady Alice had followed her in and said some pretty nasty and weird stuff to your mum.* I heard El’s voice fill my head, not wanting to talk out loud.

Eloise not only looked but sounded frazzled, no doubt my mother’s actions scaring her, especially after her last episode where she managed to kill a guard. We got my mum into the bath after taping her wound and gently washing her down, then drying her off and changing her clothes. The whole time my mother remained silent as I spoke soft words to her.

“I need you to hang on for me mum,” I said while seating her in bed, Eloise cleaning up the blood as best as she could. The rug that covered the floor would need to be thrown out. “I will get us out of this. I don’t know how yet, but I will. You don’t deserve this life.” I said shaking my head in pity not just for her but for all of us: Me, Eloise, Jasper, the members of this pack that was enslaved to my father’s commands.

It was that last sentence that had my mother’s head snapping up to look at me head-on. A sudden fire burned within her eyes, where only moments ago they were void of any emotion. “That’s where you’re wrong,” She suddenly burst out. This time she was shaking her head at me.

I looked at her, not being able to determine how she could even think that.

“I deserve it all. He hates you because of me.” Her words drifted off into a whisper as her head turned towards the window. “Run Tala, run far away and never look back.” Her voice broke. I ran a hand down her blond hair in an effort to soothe her.

“Mum,” I called out, not knowing if this was the right time or not, “You said Vargr is not my father”

“Shhh,” She put a finger to her lips and laid her head down against her pillow. “The three sister fates will make everything just fine. My beautiful daughter, you were never a mistake,” She reached up as I sat by her and her one hand cupped my face as she looked into my eyes tenderly “None of this is your fault. He is angry with me. Always angry at me but stay away from him.”

“Who is my father” I asked ignoring her confusing words. Her lips parted but she said nothing before closing her mouth again.

I looked at Eloise, who looked as equally confused by my mother’s riddles as I was. “Mum,” I tried again but I was cut off.

“You are a red wolf, Tala. Beautiful and rare, I have been commanded to never speak his name. I cannot tell you, but find the wolf that smells of the ocean, you know him, you have his eyes. He will save you.” She got that far away look in her eyes again and turned her head from me.

I let out a heavy sigh, knowing that I wouldn't get anything else out of her. She had recessed back into her own mind, her prison of thoughts. She could be like this for days or hours, you could never tell.

“What was that about” Eloise asked as we left my mother’s room and closed the door behind us. I shrugged, not knowing what to say, but her words played over in my mind. My wolf was silent but present and I knew she was trying to figure it out too.

“I have no idea,” I said truthfully, still trying to make sense of what my mother had said. I linked for her maid to go back to her room and watch over her again; not trusting my mother on her own. She was becoming too unstable with each passing day.