One Night

Chapter 152

Audrey

My stomach twisted into knots into knots at the sight of that peeling paint, that overgrown lawn, those cracked windows. letting in the cold late-autumn air.

The sight of my childhood home brought back a flood of memories I had tried hard to forget. The house looked even more dilapidated than I remembered, the porch sagging slightly and the windows clouded with grime.

Edwin pulled up to the curb, and we just sat there in silence for several long moments. My throat bobbed painfully as I stared up at that place through the windshield.

“We don’t have to do this, you know.”

The sound of Edwin’s voice, smooth as butter, caressed the inside of my head. I turned to look at him and saw a gentle, if not pained, expression. I had warned him that my childhood home was… a mess, although I hadn’t dared to send those images through our bond.

I didn’t even want to remember them myself, let alone burden him with them.

Drawing in a deep breath, I shook my head and said softly, “It’s fine. We just need to grab a couple of things and then we’ll leave.

“You sure?” He covered my thigh with his hand. His touch sent a wave of warmth through our bond, trying to soothe my anxiety.

*Positive.” I nodded, even though I felt my wolf curl up tightly inside of me as if trying to.. hide.

Edwin nodded, his jaw set. We walked up to the door, dodging weeds that had sprung up through cr**ks in the concrete path

I didn’t bother knocking. As we entered, the musty smell of neglect hit me harder than ever scent of stale cigarette smoke, old food, and something unidentifiable made me wrinkle my nose.

with

my

enhanced senses.

The

My parents were in the living room, as usual, my father glued to the TV and my mother absently flipping through a magazine. Neither looked up as we entered.

“Mom, Dad,” I called out, my voice wavering slightly as we stood in the doorway. “Tm.. I’m home. This is Edwin, my fated.

mate”

My father merely grunted in response, not even looking up from the flickering screen. My mother gave Edwin a once-over, her lip curling slightly in distaste. Her eyes flicked over me, and I thought I saw them widen slightly-no doubt as she picked up on my new scent-but she didn’t mention it.

“Nice to meet you,” she said, her tone anything but welcoming. She turned back to her magazine, dismissing us without another word.

Edwin and I exchanged a glance, and I rolled my eyes.

Leaving my parents in the living room, we climbed the creaky stairs.

My childhood bedroom was hardly bigger than a closet-Edwin could easily touch each wall on either side if he stretched out his arms. The bed was just a cr***was tattered now, and smelled musty.

my *

first

There was a little desk in the corner, surprisingly, still piled high with high school notebooks and papers and drawings. The walls were dotted with mold along the top, some spots even sporting holes through the drywall. The one window was

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Chapter 152-

cracked, and I shivered as I remembered cold winters in here with nothing but that one blanket to keep me

warm.

“This will just take a minute,” I said as I began rifling through my desk drawers. “It has to be here somewhere”

As I searched, Edwin ran his fingers along the drawings and posters taped to the walls. He still hadn’t uttered a word, although I could feel a heady mixture of anger and confusion and maybe even a touch of awe slip through that thread

connecting us.

“What are these?

I turned to see him pointing at a cluster of fashion magazine pictures that had been cut and pasted together; a model’s smiling face taped onto a random dress taped onto a pair of boot

I flushed. “I used to cut out pictures from fashion magazines and tape them together to create new outfits,” I said. I walked over to the wall, pointing out a cluster of sketches that resembled those Frankenstein-esque creations. “Eventually, I taught myself to sketch that way. I’d make a collage that I liked and then try to draw it. And then I’d add my own style.”

Edwin’s eyes softened as he reached for the sketch. “May I?”

I nodded, and he plucked it from the wall with the utmost care, studying it closely. “You were talented even then,” he murmured, his fingers tracing the lines of the sketch.

I turned back to my work then, if only to hide the tears that sprang to my eyes. But as I rifled through some old papers in a drawer, looking for anything resembling a birth certificate, I felt Edwin’s arms wrap around me from behind.

“Audrey, I… I’m so sorry you lived like this,” he murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to my temple.

I turned in his arms, burying my face in his chest.

“It wasn’t always like this,” I said softly. “My first home was much nicer than this.”

Suddenly, a floorboard creaked. We turned to see my mother standing in the doorway, her eyes narrowed. She looked between us, her gaze lingering on Edwin’s arms around me.

“So you’re a werewolf now?” she asked, her tone flat. There was no curiosity in her voice, no concern or interest. Just a statement of fact.

Edwin’s arms tightened around me. I straightened, meeting her gaze, remaining in his embrace. “I always have been. My wolf was just.. dormant.”

For a moment, my mother was silent. I waited, wondering if she’d have any questions, or even **k a smile at the fact that I’d found my fated mate. But she just looked… annoyed.

“I wish you’d told me sooner,” she said, crossing her arms.

My wolf bristled, and I felt anger rise in my chest, and I finally extricated myself from Edwin’s arms, turning to face-her fully. “I just found out myself. But even if I’d known before, why should I tell you anything? We don’t talk We never have.”

My mother merely shrugged, which infuriated me even more. I could feel Edwin’s mind rolling with rage. He wanted to snap at her, maybe even bite her head off, but he controlled himself. For my sake.

Taking a deep breath, I asked, “Where are my personal files? Birth certificate, school records, that sort of thing?”

My mother huffed. She disappeared for a moment. When she returned, she was carrying a dusty box. As she handed it to me, she added, “It’s a good thing you came, you know. We’re going to convert the room into a nursery. We adopted another human kid.”

I felt my blood boil, the box nearly slipping from my suddenly numb fingers. “You’re going to bring another kid into this

hellhole?”

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Chapter 152

My mother’s lip curled to reveal her fangs, a spark of anger finally breaking through her indifference. “Hellhole? We gave you a good upbringing. And now look at you.” She gestured to me, then Edwin. “Mated to a clearly wealthy Alpha. You should be grateful for what we did for you.”

I scoffed, clutching the box tighter. “No thanks to you. I got where I am in spite of you, not because of you.

She shrugged again, and I’d finally had enough. I shoved past her with the box and stormed out to the car, Edwin close behind. I could hear him murmuring something to my mother, his voice low and threatening, but I didn’t stop to listen.

As we peeled away from the curb, tires screeching, he glanced at me. “Do you want to talk-

“They didn’t give a s**it whether I was happy or not as a kid,” I said before he could even finish his question. “They only did the bare minimum. A leaking roof over my head and hand-me-down clothes that never fit right. I often fended for myself with food, usually my only meal being my school lunch.”

My mate remained silent, I took a shaky breath, continuing through clenched teeth, “They never helped me with homework, never took me anywhere, never tried to show that they loved me. I could have lived in that ramshackle house just fine so long as there had been love inside the walls. But there was nothing. Just…. emptiness.”

Edwin listened quietly, his eyes on the road but his attention fully on me. When I finally fell silent, tired and tearful, he gently sent a caress down our mate bond. I relaxed a litle and felt my wolf uncurl slightly, but not enough.

I was too angry. Too angry at the thought of…

“I don’t want another kid to go through what I went through in that house,” I said softly, wiping at my eyes. “No child deserves that kind of neglect.”

Edwin’s hands tightened on the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. “I promise you, I’ll look into a way to stop your parents from adopting more kids. We’ll find a way to protect other children from going through what you did.”

I sighed, shaking my head. “It’s not just my parents. A lot of werewolf families adopt human kids just for the welfare checks,, and the orphanages don’t give a **with something else that felt like determination.

“Then we’ll do something about that, too,” he said, gripping my hand.