Chapter 77 SEVENTY-SI

HAWKE'S POV My mother claims she loves us and then shows it in an entirely different way. I've heard her say those words so many times. She would say it in the gentlest way possible, making me believe that she really meant those words. As if being gentle by saying it could compensate for what she does after. Soon, those words that are supposed to sound sweet became a nightmare. It would wake me up in the middle of the night. It haunted me for years. After escaping from her, I thought I was free. But I was wrong. She did horrible and unforgivable things that haunted me for the years that followed. Now she's back and she's taken Claire as her hostage. I don't know how much she knows about my personal life but she was right to take Claire to lure me out. Claire is my protégé. A talented and skilled witch who has the potential to take over the coven should I decide to quit. And I've known her for so many years. I can't let my mother hurt her just to lure me out. "This is madness, Hawke. Yo