A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you're doing well and staying safe! Here is the next chapter! Thankyou for always taking the time to review and read. I appreciate it so much! Enjoy :)

Chapter 3: A Desperate Plea

Mira moaned, her eyes twitching under her eyelids. Her ears flicked anxiously. She kept flexing her paws in and out, drawing his claws on the dirt as she slept. She could hear a voice calling to her. Her eyes shot open and rolled slowly into the back of her head. She faded into darkness and when she woke, she felt light as if she was floating.

"Have you told him?"

Mira looked around, her blue eyes wide as she tried to find where the voice was coming from. Her legs were shaking violently and she cowered low to the ground, recognizing the voice instantly.

"Answer me."

"N..no, not not yet."

Then the voice came into existence as a huge abyss of white came forth from the shadows. Her fur was like silk cotton. Crystal and soft and it shined like beautiful white sand. Her eyes were like the ocean. Smooth and mysterious with flakes of green buried into the ice blue. She glowed like an angel in front of Mira. Beams of light illuminating her coat and eyes.

"And why not?"

"Please don't be angry with me, Anui. I've tried. Believe me I've tried, but I just…he's been through so much already. I don't want to hurt him anymore."

Anui's ears flatten against her head and she walks around Mira with her eyes locked on to hers.

"And you don't think it hurt me to abandon my son? My only son?" Anui bites back, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I didn't mean….Anui please. It's just he has so much to learn and yet to discover about himself."

"He will learn in time. He will become what he was always meant to be."

But Anui, he's just a boy. I mean, was it such a wise choice for you to choose Balto to take place as Alpha?"

Suddenly Mira is thrown on the ground by the grand white abyss. Mira grunts from the force and shakes like a leaf between the two white paws. Anui's eyes were as if someone had lit a match to her entire body. Her body stiff and tense as she looks down at the smaller wolf she has pinned. Her eyes held fire as she let out a deep growl.

"You dare question me?" Anui shouts, her voice echoing against the shadows.

"N..no."

Anui snarled and the sound echoed around the shadows, pounding back and forth in Mira's ears.

"Forgive me Anui. I'm sorry." Mira pleaded, looking up at the dark eyes.

Anui held her intense glare on the prone wolf, but she felt pity seeing Mira shake under her. Slight traces of veins could be seen in her face and legs as she was nothing but bones with skin stretched over them. She had been suffering and was still suffering now. Getting weaker and weaker each day.

Finally Anui relaxed her body and glazed her eyes over. With a sigh, she moved away from Mira so that she could stand up.

"You can't wait much longer. You know that, don't you?" Anui asks, her back turned away from her.

"I know. I've known for some time."

"Mira, this is the fate that was chosen for you. And you cannot leave until he knows. He has to know."

"I k-know." Mira said with her head hung low, her voice faltering.

"There is doubt in your voice."

"I'm just afraid. He has so much to learn and he is not proud of who he is. He has so much fear and he is so unsure of himself."

"He will become stronger in time. He will be ready to take the lead of this pack and he will save them. Mira, deep down he knows this. He knows."

"But what if he's not ready? How do I tell him that I'm not his mother? You know I love him as my own son!" Mira barks back, anger and sadness taking over her voice as she thinks about Balto.

She loved him. Even though she wasn't his actual birth mother, she had raised him when she found him. Took him into her pack. Into her home. Into her heart. She loved that little fluffy grey pup that had grown into a strong fine handsome young wolf. How could she leave him now when he needed her so desperately? How could fate be so cruel?

"I know you do. And I'm eternally grateful to you for taking him in and loving him as I never could." Anui whispered, tears falling from her eyes. She takes a deep breath and feels herself being pulled back into the shadows. She starts to fade away slowly, her white fur blurring and shining more brightly as she feels herself being pulled back into the spirit realm.

"But your time is running out, Mira. And he can't become what he is meant to be unless you tell him the truth."

"I…I I will. Just give me some more time. I just don't want him to be alone."

Anui turns around and looks at her. Her eyes glow with such a radiance that Mira has to squint to look at her face.

"Have faith Mira. I will guide my son and so will you. He will never be alone. Never."

Anui fades into the shadows and all feeling leaves Mira's body as her eyes roll into the back of her head and she collapses, her limbs crashing underneath her.

"Mama, Mama." The voice calls to her from the depths of the blackness surrounding her.

Mira tries to open her eyes as she hears a voice calling to her. But she feels so weak. If only she could just open her eyes.

"Mama. Wake up."

Mira slowly opens her eyes and blinks a few times to get them in focus. Two yellow anxious orbs look at her with curiosity.

"B..Balto?" Mira questions, her eyes dilating back to normal size, and feels her body regain a sense of being. She moves her legs out from under her and shakily sits up.

"What is wrong, my son?"

"You were crying again in your sleep."

Mira shook her head, her hearing still echoing and tried to focus on his words.

"I'm sorry. It was just a bad dream." Mira whispers, choosing her words carefully.

Anui had been coming to her in visions every night since Balto had taken place as Alpha. And she had been saying the same words. They never changed. Her fate had been chosen and she couldn't fight it as much as she wanted to. She knew the great Anui was right. But leaving Balto alone, her son, that was more than a bad dream. It was as if someone was crushing her soul.

"Seems like you've been having alot of these bad dreams lately. I don't like hearing you making those sounds. It scared me, Mama."

Mira sees the worry in his expression and watches as he curls into himself. She coos and reaches her neck over to nuzzle his cheek.

"I'm sorry I scared you. But I'm alright. Really I am."

"You sure?" Balto said, searching her blue eyes for answers. His mother had been having these dreams every night. The moans and cries that came out of her scared him, something awful and when he tried to wake her, she wouldn't hear him. She just kept moaning. Sometimes he would even wake to her thrashing herself around on the dirt like a ragdoll and there was nothing he could do to wake her. He could only watch as some dream in her mind took control of her body and he couldn't do anything to stop it.

"I promise."

Mira nuzzles him again and gives him a small smile. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep now. Her thoughts plagued her and Anui's words echoed in her head. She couldn't keep the truth from him much longer or she would never forgive herself.

"You look so tired." Mira whispered as she took in his appearance. His fur was matted on top of his head and his eyes were glazed over with exhaustion.

He gave her a smile and sat down with a sigh.

"Why don't you go back to sleep? I'm going to go out and get some fresh air. Walk these old bones of mine." Mira lets out a small laugh to reassure him that she is fine. She stands up and looks out the entrance of the cave for a minute. It was still dark and the wind had picked up, howling outside with a warning.

"D..do you want me to come with you?"

"Oh no. No. You just stay here and rest. An Alpha needs his rest. Can't have our leader dozing off now, can we?"

"No I guess not." Balto's ears flatten against his head and he lies back down. He curls his tail against his legs. He was very tired, but there was something in her eyes. He felt as though if he spent a minute away from her side, he would regret it.

"Good. Now sleep." Mira whispered, pressing her head into his.

She watched as he yawned and set his head down on his paws. He looked up at her and then closed his eyes. She smiled to herself, admiring him for a moment before she heard Anui's words echo in her head again.

Your time is running out, Mira. He has to know.

Mira felt tears well up in her eyes and she leaned down and licked Balto's forehead before making her way outside of the cave.

Mira felt the wind rush deep into her skin and rattle her bones. Her teeth chattered as she pushed her legs to move against the wind battering her frame. She had thoughts running through her head. Her time was running out and she couldn't leave anything unsaid anymore.

She kept walking and made her way to a den that was near a pile of big rocks. The wind kept pounding down on her, making her fur come alive. She stopped once she stood near the entrance. An overwhelming sense of dread filled her body. She looked up at the sky.

"Give me strength, Anui." She whispered, her blue eyes full of fear, and hesitantly walked inside the cave.

She kept her eyes low and froze in place when she saw him sitting in the cave facing away from her.

"Akeli."

The white wolf turned his head and looked over at her. Her amethyst eyes, cold and dark.

"Mother."

"What are you doing up so late?" She asked and walked closer to him, unsure of her footsteps. She sat beside him. As soon as she brushed against his shoulder when she moved closer, he got up and walked away.

"Just thinking."

"About?"

"Oh, you care now?"

"I've always cared, son."

Akeli stayed silent and held his head up.

"Don't call me that." Akeli spat and turned his back to her.

"You are my son, Akeli. You always have been and always will be." Mira stood up and walked over to him. Akeli moved away again and Mira sighed and hung her head low.

"And Balto? Isn't he your son as well?" Akeli spoke as he hunched his back over, looking at the wall.

"You know he is."

"Well, he may be your son, but I'm not!" Akeli growled, his voice rumbling deep inside of his throat.

"That is foolish talk. You are both my sons. And he is your brother."

"He will never be my brother!"

"How can you say that?"

"You brought him here without even asking how I felt. You didn't even care about me. All your love. All your attention went to that pathetic mutt!"

"You silence your anger. You know that's not true."

"Oh, it isn't? You were my mother, not his! You took him in and you forgot about me. And I accepted that. But now, now he is to be Alpha when I have waited my whole life to take that place. I am more worthy than he will ever be! He is no leader!" Akeli's voice shook with anger and slashed the wall in front of him with his sharp claws.

"Akeli, I've always loved you. You know that. Deep down, you know that. But you were growing up when I took Balto in. He needed me more. He was so small. He was just a pup and you were already honing your hunting skills and making friends. He was just a babe. Don't you see? He had no one."

"And I had no one because you abandoned me. You abandoned me! When you let that pathetic lobo into our pack! You abandoned me! You left me! And I accepted that. But now you want me to accept that.. this, this mutt is supposed to be our Alpha? I have been waiting patiently. For years. Praying and waiting for the day that I take place as Alpha. And then you take that away from me. After you've already taken everything away from me, you take away the one thing that I have been wanting for years. You gave him everything that you never gave me." Akeli's voice shook as his anger boiled deep inside of him.

"I never abandoned you Akeli. I loved you and I still love you. But you can not hold this anger inside of you. It was not my choice. You were not destined to become Alpha, my son."

"I told you. Don't call me your son!" He barked loudly and drew his claws out, running towards her at full force and he threw her against the wall. His eyes were dark as he looked at her. Full of hatred and disgust.

Mira groaned, her vision blurry and strained to stand up. She looked into her son's eyes and saw only darkness. She stayed silent, knowing that she would only anger him further if she continued to speak. His anger terrified her. He had become so cold and distant from her. She stayed where she was and watched him from a distance. He sat on his haunches with his back turned away from her. He huffed heavily, his broad chest moving up and down.

"Anui came to me. Again." Mira spoke up after a few moments of silence passed between them.

"Oh really? And what did the "great Anui" have to say this time?" Akeli questioned in a mocking tone. He spun his head to face her. His eyes held fire as he looked at her.

"She said that I had to tell Balto the truth. That was my time is running out."

Akeli shut his eyes tightly and he turned around to face her. His ears perked slightly at her words.

"Your time is running out?"

"Y..yes."

Akeli stayed silent, processing his mother's words. He wasn't sure how he felt about what she had just revealed. His deep purple eyes ignited with a new sense of knowing and he turned his head to look outside of the cave again.

He could sense Mira coming closer to him and this time he didn't move away.

"Why?" He whispered, feeling her sit next to him.

"Anui has decided my fate. And that is why I need you."

Akeli felt his anger returning, pulsing through his veins and he stood up and walked away from her.

"Y..you need me?" He asked in a bitter tone.

"I do."

Suddenly Mira shrunk back in fear as she watched Akeli throw his head up, laughing haughtily and his eyes glared at her with such an intensity. She shivered at his laugh.

"And where were you? When I needed you?"

"I've always been here. Don't you know that? Akeli, I have never abandoned you and I never will. Even when I'm gone, I'll be with you always."

"No. You were always there for him. Never for me." He hung his head low.

"Your anger has corrupted your thoughts! I have never abandoned you! I love you! How can you say such things? Has your heart turned that cold to your own mother?" Mira asked, feeling shock and anger at his words.

"You are not my mother."

Mira sighs and looks up at the ceiling of the cave. A few tears escape her eyes and she feels Anui's strength leave her body.

" see that I cannot reach your heart. You have grown cold and bitter towards me, but I cannot leave until I tell you what I must."

Akeli stays silent for a while and when he opens his mouth, his voice is low and dark.

"And what is that?" Akeli asks, turning his head to face her.

"I need you. Now more than ever. Fate has been chosen for me. My time is fading from me. I know you don't love me anymore, but Balto is your brother. Despite what you feel. And he loves you and looks up to you. He needs you, Akeli. He needs you to believe in him. But more importantly, he needs you to love him."

Akeli feels his body shake with such anger.

"He is not my brother! I hate him! Do you hear me? I hate him!"

Mira gasps and her ears flatten against her head. She rushes over to look into his eyes. To know if his words were true. To know that his heart was honest. She sobs when she sees the pure hatred in his eyes.

She cowers before him, crying.

"Please don't be this way, my son. He needs you! I need you! I know I've hurt you and I know you'll never forgive me, but I love you more than my life. But you cannot abandon Balto! He needs you!" She begs in front of him, her words coming out in agony, her breath leaving her as she takes short bursts of air from her heavy sobbing. She buries her head into Akeli's chest, but he pushes her away and she falls to the ground.

Akeli makes his way to the entrance of the cave and stops short, keeping his back turned away from her.

"I will never allow him to be my brother. I hate him."

Mira's eyes grow wide and she sobs hearing his words. She lays in the dirt shaking.

"And I...will never love you." Akeli whispers in a bitter tone, turning his head to face her, tears streaming down his face.

He walks out of the cave and disappears from her vision.

Mira covers her eyes with her paws, sobbing heavily. She stands up on her legs, shaking violently.

"Oh Anui, what do I do?" She cries out. Her strength leaves her as she collapses into a heap in the dirt and falls apart knowing that her true son, the one she birthed, would never love her back.

Alright that's chapter 3. I hope you liked it. It took a different twist than I expected and Jenna is coming in the next chapter for sure. I hope you enjoyed it and I would love to hear your thoughts! Thanks for taking the time to read!