Rebirth of the Alpha's Slave Mate (Samantha and Kade) novel Chapter 82

Chapter 82

And then she had no birthmark, and acted nothing like Samantha, and he began to wonder if she truly was innocent after all. Tonight, she had even said that she loved him. Those were words that Samantha never would have uttered.

But now…

Kade felt like he was going mad. Reality seemed ever-shifting around him, one truth never staying that way for long. Kade didn’t know what to think, what to believe.

Serena returned to the room then, wearing a brand new dress-cream-colored silk that hugged her body far more than the voluminous skirts than the last one. She grinned, an almost competitive gleam in her eyes as she entered the room, but when she saw that Elena was gone, her smile faltered.

“Oh. Where did she go?”

Kade shrugged. “She said she wasn’t feeling well.”

“I see.” Serena took her seat. “Good. She was causing trouble anyway.’

ܙܙ

Kade shot Serena a sidelong glance. Was it really just Elena who was causing trouble? She had seemed to prod expertly at Serena’s self esteem as if she knew exactly where to poke. And it had worked brilliantly. Serena had been nearly vibrating with anger and indignation by the time the Omega entered the room.

Above petty arguments, though, the way those two had interacted had interested Kade a great deal. Kade could have sworn that Elena knew Serena inside and out, almost like… a sister.

“Serena,” Kade said carefully, watching his fiancee’s face, “you don’t suppose she’s more than just Samantha’s lookalike, do you?”

Serena froze and whipped her head toward Kade. “What do you mean?”

“Do you think Samantha’s death was a hoax? Or that she was somehow reborn?”

Serena stared at Kade for a long moment, eyes wide. Then, she snorted and picked up her cup of wine. “My sister is dead, Kade. As much as I wish that weren’t the case, of course, it unfortunately is. There’s no such thing as

resurrection.”

“So you really don’t feel a connection between you two.”

“Certainly not!” Serena’s nostrils flared with anger. “My sister never would have said such awful things to me. And she certainly wouldn’t have tried to wedge herself into my relationship. No, that woman is just using her resemblance to Samantha to get closer to you.”

Kade’s fingers tightened around his glass. Perhaps Serena was right-perhaps everyone was right. Perhaps Elena was simply scheming, either to become his Luna, stop the potential war, or even get pregnant with a strong child.

By the time dinner was over, however, Kade’s mind was still racing. He returned to his study, where the Omega was waiting for him.

“I’m so sorry for interrupting, Alpha.” She bowed her head respectfully. “I only wanted to tell you that the baby is running a fever. We’ll have to increase the dose of her medicine.”

Kade sighed, taking a seat behind his desk. Ivy had been ill ever since she was left in the forest on that cold night. It was nothing too serious, but enough to be wary about. It would have been different if Kade could be near her, but he had to keep her in a secondary location until he was certain it was safe here for her.

1/2

Chapter 82

+25 Bonus

And now, after the way Elena had reacted to the mention of her… Would Ivy be safe as long as Elena was here? Would Elena try to eliminate a potential threat to her future child?

If Elena was Samantha after all, would she try to take Ivy?

Kade shuddered at the thought of anything happening to his daughter. The Omega gave him an arch look.

“Are you alright, Alpha?”

Kade nodded, then paused, thinking for a moment. “Actually,” he said, “I have a question for you as a healer.”

“Of course.”

“Is there a way to test Ivy and Elena for a maternal bond?”

The healer’s brows shot up. “You think she’s Ivy’s mother? But Samantha is dead-”

“Morbid curiosity,” Kade said vaguely.

The healer still looked confused, but nodded. “Yes, there is a way. All you need is the leaf of a mistletoe-rub it on the collarbone of both mother and daughter. The wolf’s totem should appear, and if they share the same symbols, then they’re directly related.”

Of course mistletoe. The same thing that Kade had found in Elena’s possession the night she’d arrived. Everything was clicking into place now.

Every wolf had a unique totem that could appear on the skin in glowing symbols when combined with the leaf of a mistletoe. The symbols indicated paternal and maternal bonds-sigils inherited from the parents. If any of Ivy’s sigils matched Elena’s, then Elena was her mother.

Kade couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of it before. It was such a simple method of testing Elena’s identity, and yet he had completely forgotten about it, too caught up in everything else to remember.

“Well then,” Kade said, making a decision, “fetch me some mistletoe, will you?”

2/2

Chapter 83

+25 Bonus