Knowing myself
Amanda’s POV
I stormed into my room and began pacing around. My mind was messed up, and it felt like my brain was about to explode. All the revelations replayed in my head. The thought of being stolen by my aunt and realizing that a woman who has loved me all my life and whom I have considered a mother was actually not my biological mother was a hard pill to swallow. But I knew this might be the truth. This explains why I felt so connected to Beta Matthew, why his arms felt so familiar, and why he was not sexually attracted to me. This explains everything!
A heavy sigh left my lips as I remembered the day I wanted to give my body to him. Shit! That would have been an abomination, but thank Goddess, he rejected me.
The thought of being Beta Matthew’s younger sister was overwhelming, and I didn’t know how to take it. My thoughts drifted to the death of my mother and my stepmother’s confession about how she sent men to kill my mother. The revelation proves that Alpha Edward was telling the truth when he said he had no hand in my mother’s death. But if it weren’t for the confession from my stepmother, I would never have believed it.
My thoughts turned to all she said about how I would get my wolf, and I shook my head. I can’t have Alpha Edward’s mark on me; I can’t be his mate, not after all he has done to me. Fear gripped me as I thought of Liam. The look in Alpha Edward’s eyes showed that he would do anything to have Liam, and the thought of that scares me. I can’t lose my son! Liam is my life.
A knock came on the door. “Amanda, it’s me.” I recognized the voice as Beta Matthew’s and asked him in.
When he came in, he shut the door and stood by it while we exchanged glances. I could see the relieved look on his face as he stared at me. “Our Mother will be so happy to meet you,” he said, and I furrowed my brow.
“Your mother is alive?” I asked, confused. I thought they were dead.
“Yes, Amanda, our parents are alive,” he announced, and my eyes widened.
“Really? Where are they? Why don’t you talk much about them?” I asked, eager to know more about my family.
Beta Matthew left the door and walked into the room. He took a seat and asked me to take the seat across from him, which I did. A moment of tense silence hung in the air as I waited for Matthew to tell me everything I needed to know because now it seemed like I didn’t even know myself.
“Our father is Alpha Henry. He is no longer the alpha since our stepbrother has taken over from him.”Content rights by NôvelDr//ama.Org.
“Stepbrother?” I asked with a furrowed brow.
Beta Matthew nodded. “Yes, we have an elder stepbrother,” he announced, and a lump formed in my throat. “Our Mother is the mate and first wife of our father, Alpha Henry, but unfortunately, she had difficulties getting pregnant. After six years of marriage, no child was coming forth, and as an alpha, our father needed an heir, so he was compelled to get another wife. Fortunately for his new wife, she conceived and gave father an heir. Three years passed, and I miraculously came, but it was already too late; our stepbrother had already been declared heir to the throne…” He took a deep breath before continuing. “Four years later, Mother miraculously conceived again and had you. Your delivery was complicated, so mother had to be admitted to the hospital. I was with her throughout her labor, and when you were born, I held you in my arms. He smiled at me, and I smiled back at him. I could see the genuine love for me in his eyes.
“My personal maid took me back to the mansion to get some sleep, but the next morning, we realized that you were dead. It was so confusing, but mother kept saying that the dead child wasn’t hers. Mother kept saying her child was exchanged, but no one believed her. They thought she was just finding it hard to accept your death…” Beta Matthew revealed, his voice breaking down due to emotion.
“Your disappearance made mother lose her senses as she kept saying her daughter was stolen. Father did everything to make her well again, but it was useless. Mother had gone insane.”
I stared at Beta Matthew, my mind spinning with the new information. So, my birth mother went insane because she knew I had been stolen? The pieces of the puzzle began to fit together, but there were still so many gaps.
“Is she still alive?” I asked, my voice trembling.
“Yes,” he replied softly. “She is alive, but not completely well. She has good days and bad days. But she will be overjoyed to see you.”
Tears welled up in my eyes as I thought of the woman who had gone mad with grief over my disappearance. “I want to see her,” I whispered, my voice choked with emotion.
“You will,” he assured me. “I promise.”
“Where is she?”
“Still in our pack. I wanted to bring her here with me, but father refused. She was his mate, and he was not letting go of her.” He explained, and a smile appeared on my face. At least, it was good to know that my biological father loves my mother.
“And you? What are you doing in this pack? How did you become the beta?” I asked with curiosity.
Beta Matthew sighed and took a deep breath. “I had issues with our stepbrother, and it resulted in a fight where I almost killed him. So father decided to send me to live with his brother, who was beta to Alpha Edward’s father. Our uncle had no child, so he took me as his son, and that way, I got to know Edward. We became friends, and after the ghastly accident that killed both his parents, he was made the alpha and chose me as his beta.”
“Wow!” I exclaimed. I couldn’t believe I was from a royal family. I have a real family.
“Mother will be so happy to see you, but I will still conduct a DNA test just so there won’t be any mistakes,” he suggested, and I nodded.
“I’m so happy to have finally found you. You were a promise I made to our Mother. I believed her even when no one did, and I told her I would find you and bring you to her…”
“Then let’s go see her,” I said worriedly.
“We will, but after the DNA results are out. We need to do it and confirm because I’m certain Father will demand it.” Beta Matthew explained, and I nodded, fully understanding him. Silence hung in the air as we both pondered our thoughts.
“Amanda, there’s so much more you need to know, and I promise to tell you everything. But first, we need to focus on what’s happening now. Alpha Edward is not going to give up easily. He wants Liam and will do everything to have him,” Beta Matthew muttered, and I frowned.
“He will not take my son away from me. Liam is my son!” I declared firmly.
Beta Matthew released a soft sigh before speaking. “What will you do about your wolf? You heard what the witch said. Don’t you want her back?” He asked, and I frowned.
“Of course, I want my wolf back, but not at the expense of having Alpha Edward’s mark on me.” I sighed, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on me. “I need another way to get my wolf back without submitting to him. There has to be another way.”
Beta Matthew’s eyes softened with understanding. “We will find another way, Amanda. I won’t let him force you into anything,” he assured me.
I nodded, appreciating his support. “Thank you, Matthew. It means a lot knowing you’re here with me.”
Matthew reached out and took my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “We’re family, Amanda. We look out for each other. I promised Mother I’d bring you back to her, and I won’t stop until that promise is fulfilled.”
He got up on his feet. “I have to see my mate and tell her the news.”
“Alright.” I smiled and watched him go to the door, but he stopped and turned around to look at me.
“Amanda, I have to tell you this. You know I will never lie to you,” he said, while I nodded, curious to know what he has to say.
“What is it?” I asked curiously.
“I want you to know that Edward is not a monster as you know him. He was just driven by rage and circumstances. I’m not asking you to forgive him. All I want you to bear in mind is that Edward is not as bad as you know him to be.” He said before opening the door and leaving the room, leaving me pondering his words.
I’m