Time for Truth Ch. 11

Javon spoke, "Gentlemen, we will place you in our holding cells until morning, and then we will decide what to do with you from there." The vampires grabbed the men and lead them to the basement. Gernick and Garrick went with them. Once the men were secured the vampires returned to talk to Javon.

Javon sighed, "We go after Jael tomorrow. Their reign of terror needs to end."

Gernick and Garrick nodded, "You will not face them on your own. We will be there." He vanished.

*****

At the medical center, Vince had joined Amari as Kim and the other doctors checked Iyoka. She seemed fine, but Geraldo insisted that something was wrong. Finally, Iyoka consented to a full body scan. During the scan, Kim yelped. She had not seen anything like this since Esmeralda was alive.

"Iyoka, do you have a child?" she asked. Geraldo growled. The only way she could have a child was to be part vampire or mated. Amari stood, waiting.

Iyoka could not answer without the truth coming out. So she looked away. Amari pleaded with her. She knew her sister had been hurt years ago before she was born, but Iyoka never talked to her about what happened, or who hurt her. "Iyoka, please answer. Do you? Did you mate with someone?"

Tears started falling as she realized that the one secret she never wanted to come out would, "Not by choice. I was forced." She replied. Amari froze.

"The man that raped you when you were younger, was it him? Did he force you to mate with him?" Amari asked, her heart breaking for her older sister. But the doctors found something and they needed the truth to fix it. "Iyoka, so you do have a child. What happened to the baby? Did he take it? Did the baby die?" she asked.

"I can't talk about this now. Amari, listen, you need to stay here. I'm going home and I will tell them you perished. That way they won't send anyone else after you." Iyoka explained as she tried to get out of the hospital bed. Geraldo stopped her, his wolf barely contained.

"You will not go back to that place, Iyoka. I won't allow it." He stated in full alpha command.

Iyoka gaped at the imposing male. He was handsome, and her wolf whimpered. She recognized the alpha and was willing to comply to his command. Iyoka shook her head, resisting his command. She faced this alpha and spoke, "Listen Alpha..."

Geraldo spoke, "I am not alpha here. I'm just Geraldo. Javon is alpha but he is dealing your cohorts. However, this isn't about him. Iyoka, I cannot let you go back there. I failed my Angel. I will not fail you. I will go there and deal with your pack. No one will hurt you or Amari ever again."

She believed him. It made no sense. She felt safe and she knew this man was telling her the truth. How she knew was a mystery. She looked into his eyes and something came to life inside if her. Mine her animal growled softly. Iyoka gasped. She was damaged goods. No man would want a mate that was broken. She was destined to be alone and she had to remind her animal of the truth of their situation.

Amari would not be dissuaded, and then she started thinking. All of her life her sister fought for her, protected her. She even endured beatings to keep her safe. Mom would laugh and Dad said nothing. Her sister was eighteen years older than her and they looked so much alike. She gasped, and Iyoka looked at her. Amari looked into her sister's eyes and for the first time she realized they were the same as hers. It made sense now. Pieces started falling in place. Iyoka sacrificed everything to protect her.

"I'm your daughter, aren't I?" she asked.

Iyoka did not answer. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She didn't respond. Geraldo paced the room. He learned that she had been raped, the bastard more than likely mated her and impregnated her. She spent her whole life trying to protect her daughter. The bastards failed to care for her properly and now she was ill. He fought to keep his emotions in check.

Amari now was crying too. The tears fell and she embraced her mother telling her it would be alright. Then she had to ask, "If you are my mother, then who is my father?" Amari knew she was a product of rape, but Iyoka had to know the man's name at least. She hated hurting her, but whoever it was lived in that pack. She wanted him to pay for hurting her mother, so she needed his name.

Iyoka could not lie anymore. She had dedicated her life to protecting her child, and she was willing to die to do so. She had to make sure that she never went back to the Jael Pack, and from witnessing her with her mate and seeing how protective this pack was of her, she could finally release this last horrible secret.

"Who is my father?"Amari whispered, for some reason she was frightened even more. Maybe she didn't need to know the answer.

Iyoka cried and faced her daughter. She felt ashamed and filthy. What would these wolves think of her when she told the truth? The male was there, waiting. She looked at him and his eyes said it all. He would go after whoever hurt her. For over eighteen years, she never told anyone other than David. She never wanted Amari to learn the truth. Now she was here, and the doctors found evidence that she did have a child. Iyoka took a deep breath and let the secret go.

She said the one thing that forced Geraldo to lose control. "Dad"

Everyone jumped back as the alpha wolf exploded. Shifting, he headed for the exit. He had one goal, destroy the Jael alpha. Geraldo's movement spurred Kim into action. She called Javon, but right now she had to help Iyoka. She needed help and there was one person she knew was familiar with what she was looking at.

"Iyoka, Amari, I need to make a call. But Iyoka, can you remember drinking any type of red substance. Maybe disguised as a medication or...?" Kim asked.

"I was so tired. I just remember the healer giving me a shot. When I woke up, Mom refused to let me hold my baby." Iyoka answered.

"I'll be right back." Kim rushed to her office and called the one person she could think of that could help.

"Hello Samaria, I need to speak with Ms. Eugenia. I know it's late but..." She was talking to no one as Samaria called her mother-in-law. She was worried now. Krill had left earlier to meet with Gernick, Garrick, and Kale. Gernick even called Corliss and asked that he be vigilant, not that they expected anything to happen. Cantar actually appeared at her apartment, worried about her brothers and seeking answers. She had Christiana with her. Corliss followed and tried to reassure his worried mate.

Both Cantar and Corliss stood as Eugenia answered the phone. "Hello," Eugenia answered timidly. Something was going on, she prayed her boys were OK.

"Ms. Eugenia, can a wolf be infected with obta?" Kim asked.

Eugenia's heart dropped. "Yes, but I didn't think Esmeralda poisoned any wolves." She whispered. Her sister's evil had no bounds.

"Can you come to Loess? I need your help." Kim added.

"Yes, I'll be there shortly. Let me tell Samaria, OK." She answered.

"What did Momma do?" Cantar asked. Her mother was pure evil. She tried to kill her and have her brothers executed. She poisoned her father and for centuries caused him to hate her oldest brother Gernick. Now from beyond the grave, she managed to hurt the wolves.

"A wolf is hurt. Kim thinks she was given obta. I need to go see her." Eugenia explained. Cantar took a deep breath.

"I can call Thomas. Maybe he can come and help." Cantar suggested. Thomas and Diamond lived in Italy. They were expecting their first child and he was nervous about leaving her alone. Corliss spoke, "No, let Eugenia go; if she needs Thomas, we can call him later." Cantar nodded as Eugenia vanished to the compound.

Kim was waiting when Eugenia appeared. She hugged her and the two rushed to Iyoka's room. She explained what she found and Eugenia was stunned. She faced the young she wolf and apologized. She smiled, "Can you remove the scar tissue?" Eugenia asked.

"We will first thing in the morning." Kim answered.

"I will make the antidote, and it should force the poison from your body." She smiled at the young lady who was now facing her. Iyoka started to speak, but couldn't. Eugenia explained, "My sister created this poison." She exhaled. "I prayed after she died the nightmare would end."

Iyoka didn't know what to say. Soon, Amari came back in and the two just stared at each other. Amari sat on the bed beside her mother and said. "I don't know how you didn't hate me. I was a constant reminder of what he did to you." She walked across the room. "I won't bother you anymore, OK. I can't cause you any more pain."

"Amari, you were my sole reason for existing. When I found out I was pregnant, I won't lie, I was terrified. Then Mom had me locked away. For months she was the only person that came to see me. Then right before I had you she explained that you were her baby and I was just a surrogate." Iyoka cried.

She closed her eyes. "Mom had one of her servants to come in one day and she brought my food. It made me feel sick and I started hurting." Iyoka gasped, "I remember the meal was steak rare and it had a sweet taste. She could have mixed..." she shook her head, "The woman stayed and when she saw that my labor had actually started, she helped me lay on the small bed I slept in. She called Mom. Mom came in the room and Dad was with her. You were born and I reached for you. Mom held you away from me. She called for her maid who gave me a shot, and I passed out."

Amari listened, "I swore I would not let them hurt you, and I did my best. I still failed though. But here, you are safe. They can't hurt you anymore."

Amari smiled and she looked at her mother and she said, "Momma, I love you." She hugged her mother and cried tears of relief. The evil woman at Jael was not her mother. For that at least, she was grateful.

Iyoka returned her embraced as she replied, "I love you, too."

*****

So ends chapter 11. I hope you enjoyed it. Please feel free to share your thoughts. Don't forget to vote.