Chapter 39 Dantes POV The meeting dragged on , each word from the company sharehollers scraping against my nerves like jagged glass . My patience , already thin , wore to nothing as my mind tugged persently toward Valencia . There was something wrong , I could feel it , a faint hum of uncase that had been building since the meeting started . But I couldnt leave yet ; my father had answers I needed . The moment the discussion ended , I rose sharply from my seat and strode out , ignoring Caiuss questioning gaze . My boots echoed against the marble as I took the stairs to the tenth floor , beading toward my fathers office . Raiden was there , seated behind the vast mahogany desk that dominated the room . Sunlight filtered through the high windows , casting long shadows across the intricately carved bookshelves lining the walls . Despite his age , Raiden Steele radiated a quiet strength , his silver gray hair tied neatly behind him , and his piercing eyes sharp as ever . He glanced up as I entered , his gaze immediately narrowing . You look like hell , he commented , his tone dry . I ignored his remark and sat down opposite him , leaning forward with my hands on my knees . Tell me everything . Raiden tilted his head , confusion flickering across his face . Everything Mother , I clarified . I want to know everything . Why didnt you tell us what she was ? Why didnt you tell us what we are ? What else are you hiding … and how exactly did she die ? Not that I could feel my strength beightened . I knew for a fact that normal poison was in no way capable of subduing a dragon . And according to our Father thats how mom died . For a moment , Raiden didnt speak , his expression unreadable . Then he sighed , leaning back in his chair . I suppose its long overdue. He gestured for me to sit back . This will take time . I crossed my arms but leaned back , giving him the floor . Raiden began slowly , his voice carrying a weight of memory . I met Aurora almost twenty five years ago , during the war that tore the supernatural world apart . Back then , there was no courell to enforce peace . Wolves had their alliances , but vampires and shifters were our enemies . It was a brutal time . His gaze grew distant , his fingers drumming lightly against the armrest of his chair . I was young , barely 22. During the Blue Moon Festival , I went on a hunt with my father . We were ambushed by shifters . I managed to kill most of them , but I was badly injured . He paused , his lips tightening . Thats when Aurora found me . She saved my life . I raised an eyebrow . Why would a dragon save a wolf ? Especially during war times . When every creature had their own faction ! She wasnt just any dragon , Raiden corrected . She was alone , a survivor in hostile territory . Aurora had already been wounded , but she risked everything to pull me out of danger . Arst , I thought she was just another shifter a rare one , maybe but not a dragon . That truth came later . Raidens expression softened , a rare sight . She didnt even speak our language at first . But she stayed with me , nursed me back to health , and I brought her back to the pack to ensure her safety in return . She was … different . Fierce but gentle . Over time , she started to understand our ways , and we formed a bond A bond , I repeated , skepticism lacing my tone . 1/3 866 % Chapter 39 Raidens gaze sharpened . Not a mate bond . Not at first . It wasn until she went into heat that I realized what she truly was . Dragon heats are nothing like ours . She transformed , 1 murmures . Raiden nodded . In her half dragon form . When I promise that I would keep her secret she trusted me and told me everything . Her lineage , her form , the truth about her people . 1gons were dying out . Their inability to reproduce had decimated their kind . Aurora believed she was the last of her bloodline . She never spoke much of her own past , only that she had been hunted . And you took her as your mate ? Eventually , Raiden admitted . She told me the risks . But when we discovered she was pregnant with you , I knew I couldnt let her go . Thankfully you both were born as wolves so we had no complications . He leaned forward , his voice lowering . Not everyone agreed with my decision . Least of all my father . He wanted me to marry Tatiana . I stiffened . The Wolfe packs deceased Luna ? Raidens expression darkened . Tatiana was the daughter of powerful pack , and an alliance with their pack would have solidified our position and strengthened our packs military power . But I refused . I hadnt agreed to the engagement , and when Tatiana married Roman , I thought the matter was settled . 1 frowned , confusion stirring . What does this have to do with Mother ? Raidens jaw clenched . Everything I learned later on that Tatiana never forgave me for rejecting her . And when Aurora came into our lives . He exhaledsharply . When your mother passed away . You were just 18 , Caius was 15. Pain rippled through me at the memory . I already knew that . At that time she had already been sick for a couple years . Raiden sighed . I had always been suspicious about your mothers condition . Her depression had no cure and it came from nowhere . I knew for a fact that she had been happy and content living with me . So I didnt understand why she would become so ….. He paused , then continuet , Anyways , I had told you later on that she was poisoned . That wasnt incorrect , She had been poisoned . But it had been a gradual process . Three years after her death , I found a maid who had fled our pack . A maid that was supposed to have died earlier . Shed been living in Velhaven , disguised as a salon owner . When we brought her in for interrogation , she confessed . Confessed to what ? I demanded , my voice tight . She revealed that Auroras paranoia and panic attacks were caused by the Snowmist flower , Raiden said grimly . Im sure you have heard of it . Its a slow poison that drives its victims into madness . Aurora began to believe she was a burden . She thought she was ruining our lives . She wasnt a burden , I growled , my fists clenching . No , Raiden agreed . But the Snowmist made her believe otherwise . And it was Tatiana who gave the maid that poison . The revelation hit me like a thunderclap . Tatiana ? Raidens eyes burned with fury . The Wolfe pack knew . Roman might not have sanctioned it , but someone in his pack did . Thats why the war began . My hands trembled as rage coursed through me . The memory of my mothers laughter , her warmth , her kindness stolen by the Wolfe packs cruelty . Raidens gaze hardened . She wrote us letters before she left , apologizing for the trouble she thought shed caused . Then she took her own life with Weyog 2/3 3/3 Chapter 39 I frown , Weyog ? Dragons have a longer lifespan than wolves and also have a way stronger body than typical supernaturals . There are very few things that can kill a dragon , among them is the Snowmist , which if taken by a wolf is lethal , but taken by a dragon is a slow poison . And another among those is Weyog . Something only heard about in legends after the extinction of dragon shifters . Its a poison made from the tears of a dragon and its lethal to them when consumed . My fingers clenched taking in everything he was saying . It had been five years since she died and almost two years since w discovered that mom had died from being poisoned . In the beginning we had all assumed she had committed suicide after being depressed and suffering panic attacks for so long . We had found her body lying peacefully on her favorite hill near the lake . That had been her sanctuary . 411 Then two years ago father had told us that someone else had poisoned her and that someone was sent from the Wolfe pack We had assumed it was Roman . Since the enmity between our packs was generational . Maybe it was me being selfish but I had been happy knowing that she didnt leave us because she gave up . I was happy knowing she didnt commit suicide and that she had wanted to fight her depression for us , for her sons , for her family . But it turns out I was wrong . The room seemed to tilt around me as a realization dawned . So in the end … she actually did kill herself , I whispered . Raiden froze and the air inside the room seemed to grow cooler No. She was forced to take her own life . Had Tatjana not sent the maid to slowly poison her … she wouldnt have thought of herself as a burden .. she would have still been alive . A lump rose in my throat as an image of that hill formed in my mind a serene spot by the water , bathed in golden light . It had been my mothers favourite spot . Of course . It wouldnt have made sense for her to die there if she had been poisoned by someone else A sharp knock at the door shattered the tense silence . 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