Chapter 123

Aurora’s POV

“She’s alive,” my father whispers, sitting on the edge of the bed.

I don’t move. My chest tightens at the sight of him finding his mate again, remembering how much I missed Thorne when I was only away from him for a week. I couldn’t imagine being separated for over twenty years.

Is this what will happen if we don’t win the fight against the Black Knight Pack?

Will Thorne and I be separated like my parents?

Sensing my thoughts, Thorne steps up to my back and wraps an arm around me. He pulls me back against his chest, and I sink into him.

“We’ve been slowly healing her injuries over the years, but she has never woken up,” Ms. Blackwood says, moving to the other side of the bed. She reaches out to touch my mother’s head, but she freezes when my father growls.

“Why not?”

“After she was fully healed, I tried to wake her, but she never came to,” the witch says with a sigh. “I believe she wasn’t ready, but now that you two are here, she might wake up. Would you like me to try again?”

My father doesn’t look away from my mother as he asks, “Will it hurt her or cause any damage?”

“No.”

“Then wake her. If she wouldn’t wake when you tried alone, I will call to her.”

Nodding, Ms. Blackwood reaches down and lays a hand across my mother’s forehead. I don’t know what to think or do as they hover over the sleeping woman, but I find myself holding my breath.

Thorne holds me tightly, and we watch as the witch mutters an incantation in some foreign language that I don’t understand. It’s mesmerizing, the way the air shifts and becomes almost visible.

A soft light hovers over my mother’s body. It moves like liquid, slowly pushing back and forth with the movement of the witch’s hand before eventually shimmering. It fades in and out, falling back over her body like a blanket of air and light.

“I’ve done what I can,” Ms. Blackwood says, taking several steps back.

There isn’t a change in my mother. She still lays impossibly still on the bed, and I grip Thorne’s forearm that is banded across my chest. I dig my fingers into his skin, holding my breath and waiting for some sort of reaction.

But nothing comes.

She doesn’t move. It doesn’t even look like she’s breathing.

Before anyone can speak, my father leans in and pulls his mate into his arms. He settles her into his lap before leaning back against the wall.

“Come back to me, Liz,” he whispers, the words so soft and broken that tears sting in my eyes. “You’re safe now. Our daughter is safe now.”

I grip Thorne tighter, and in return, he lowers his head to my shoulder and brushes his lips across the mate mark. Warmth and comfort fill me, but I can’t fully focus on the new emotions because my father is sitting there, whispering comforting words to my mother.

Then, she breathes deeply, sucking in a large breath of air. Her chest rises and falls quickly, like she’s trying to catch her breath.

“Don’t let her go,” Ms. Blackwood orders, rushing forward. She weaves more magic over my mother’s unconscious body. “Keep talking to her. Try to connect with her through your mate bond.”

“That’s it, Liz. I’m right here,” my father rasps, pressing his lips to her forehead.

The moment his lips touch her skin, her eyes fly open. I jump, bumping into Thorne as she gasps then coughs. It’s as if she’s trying to breathe correctly for the first time in years, which is probably true.

My mother pushes my father’s chest, like she wants to be free. She struggles, her eyes moving around the room wildly. They find me, then Thorne, then the witch, but she can’t see Grayson’s face. She’s too busy fighting his hold.

“Elizabeth.”

At his voice, she freezes.

Her eyes slide up his form, finally realizing who holds her as he says, “Welcome back, Liz.”

I watch on bated breath as she lifts a hand and cups his cheek, her eyes losing all fear. Grayson smiles down at her and leans in, resting his forehead against hers as she whispers, “Hello, my handsome mate.”

Something in my chest cracks at the sweet sight of my father cradling my mother in his arms while he cries quietly. She is slower to respond, taking him in and touching his face.

“You’ve grown older, Grayson.”

He chuckles and holds her closer, “And you’ve grown more beautiful.”

“H-How long…” Her words trail off when she looks around the room again. Ms. Blackwood steps forward, but my mother’s eyes continue on to land on me. Something in her gaze changes when she looks at me, and I can only describe it as realization.

Without being told—even after so long—she knows who I am.

“You should take it easy,” Ms. Blackwood instructs. “You’ve been sleeping for a little over twenty years.”

“Twenty years,” my mother whispers, looking back at Grayson for confirmation. He nods, and I notice her bottom lip wobble.

“You’ve been blessed by the Goddesses to make it out of such a trying situation,” Ms. Blackwood says, gaining everyone’s attention. “Not many people could make it through what you went through, Elizabeth.”

My mother looks up at the witch and leans into my father’s chest, looking slightly pale.

“You’re going to be tired for a while, and you’ll need to take things slow at first. I’ve done what I can to heal your muscles to where you’re not unable to move, but sleeping for twenty years means you’ll need to readjust,” Ms. Blackwood says. “You’ll grow stronger over time, once you’ve had a chance to get up and move around. Reconnecting with your wolf will also help.”

She continues talking about recovering slowly, but my mother’s eyes slide over to me again. I stiffen, wondering what she’s thinking, but I don’t speak. I let her look at me, just as I look at her.

Again, a mental image of Sleeping Beauty pops into my mind, and I bite back a laugh. It’s ironic that she looks like Sleeping Beauty while she named me after the character.

“Elizabeth.” Grayson pulls her attention off me, and I feel like I can breathe again.

“What is it?” Her voice is smooth, like silk, and melodic. I wonder what it would sound like if she sang. I bet her voice would be beautiful.

Grayson holds his hand out to me, motioning me forward. My mother’s eyes follow the movement before she looks at me again.

Thorne nudges me toward them, but my feet won’t move. This is a moment I didn’t think I would get. After meeting Grayson and learning that my mother was supposed to be dead, I never imagined something like this happening.

“Go,” Thorne whispers, pushing me gently.

One step. Two steps. Three steps.

I close the distance between us easily and quickly, my hand landing softly in my father’s hand. He smiles and turns to my mother who has tears in her eyes.

“She’s so grown,” she whispers. Then, she takes my hand and pulls me to her. I fall into her arms, my eyes stinging and my head spinning, as she hugs me.

My father’s arms wrap around both of us, and I can’t stop the tears that fall as I sink into my birth parents’ arms.