Alpha Lorenzo

Chapter 32

LORENZO

I watched as Mia backed away from me, her hands shaking and eyes wide, instantly filling with tears.

"Mia, sweetheart, I know that it's-"

"She's not dead," whispered my mate, shaking her head, her face contorting in shock. Her expression suddenly appeared exasperated, her eyebrows knitted together in fury. "She's not dead!"

I made my way over to her as she slid her back down against the office wall, hitting the cold floor, her legs splayed out in front of her. Crouching in front of her, I sighed, my heart burning at the sight of my crying mate, looking far too vulnerable for my liking. Her eyes pleaded with me to admit to lying to her.

"I saw her in my visions, Lorenzo," Mia muttered, wiping at her eyes, tears dribbling down her chin. "She was alive. She can't be dead."

"I know baby," I said, grabbing one of her hands, giving it a gentle squeeze, allowing Mia some space. The last thing she needed was me smothering her when she was trying to come to terms with the fact that her biological mother had just been found dead.

"Are you sure it's her? It could be someone else," cried Mia, shaking her head, hugging her knees to her chest, causing me to curse under my breath. I felt a wave of intense guilt for springing the news on her so suddenly.

"Caspian said she was wearing this," I spoke coldly, passing my mate the delicate locket. Mia clutched it to her chest after looking at the photo that was inside, crying harder, her breathing becoming laboured.

"Shh, I know," I said, scooting closer to her and wrapping my arms around her, allowing her to fully relax and sob into my chest. She muttered incoherent sentences to herself, but I decided against asking what she was saying. She just needed to let her emotions take control right now, and I needed to be here for support. "It's okay, I've got you."

After a few more minutes of crying into my chest, Mia pushed at me gently, nudging me away from her as she fiddled with the locket in her hands. She gazed at it sadly, silent tears now falling from her eyes, her nose running.

"Where was she?"

"Mia, do you want to get a hot drink or take a bath first? It might help you calm down," I suggested, and I could hear my Italian accent becoming thicker as I strained my voice, imagining Mia breaking down yet again in front of me.

I didn't want to stress her out too much, being unsure if she could handle all of the information at once. She needed a break.

"A bath isn't going to help," pushed Mia, clearly frustrated with me, and I nodded, pursing my lips, sighing.

"We found her inside the cavern," I said, blinking a few times, cocking my head. "Actually, Martina found her. Ophelia kept her protected from the curse, so she was the only one who could go past the boundary."

"You asked Martina for help?" questioned Mia, looking confused, and I quickly shook my head, holding my hands up defensively. Although I knew that Mia had forgiven Martina for what she had done to her when they first met, I still hadn't.

In my opinion, my mate was too empathetic, and it would be her biggest downfall as well as one of her biggest strengths. As much as I wanted to be like her, I couldn't. I just couldn't let go of the past. I couldn't forgive Martina for what she had done.

"No, no, I didn't ask for Martina's help," I assured her. "My sister has left her pack because of Adam's cheating, so she has nowhere to go. She heard us in the woods and decided to help."

"Where's my mother's body now?"

"She's back in the cavern," I said regretfully, worried about coming across as insensitive, throwing Mia's mother back into the environment where she was murdered. "I wanted to preserve her body until we were sure of her identity."