Torn In Between My Alphas

Chapter Five

CLIO'S POV

I wanted them to get mad at me and get fed up, but they didn't. Annoyingly, they somehow didn't mind.

I resumed my job in the kitchen, and this time they made sure that the head cook put an extra eye on me to make sure that I didn't do something stupid.

And was it just me, or were their efforts to get me increasing by the day? I resorted to the last option, causing a mess in the palace where they stayed and making sure that I did things that would make them hate me, but they didn't.

I got tired of the little game of cat and mouse that we were playing, so I decided to avoid them, especially as the mate bond was hiking my emotions. I always felt that l**t inside me anytime I was around them, and I knew they felt it too and they wanted it, but they never brought it up again.

I had brought Pearl to start living with me in the house assigned to me in the palace, and I must say that I was satisfied. It felt good to know that you wouldn't lack and you could provide for your daughter.

On this particular day, I had opted out of the kitchen because I had come down with a cold, so I was in my room trying not to freeze over, so I didn't notice when Pearl slipped out.

I liked keeping her around me, but today I was delirious, so I didn't notice in time that she had left the house until I heard a commotion outside.

A scream followed by people's shouts.

On a normal day, I wouldn't have budged, especially with how weak I was feeling, but I knew that scream. It was pearl.

Oh s**t.

I quickly forced myself up and raced outside to see a small crowd gathered at the gates.

“What happened?" I asked in a panicked tone, my eyes desperately searching around while cursing myself for leaving her alone.

“Oh, Pearl's mother..." The woman gave me a sympathetic look, and my heart sank.

Did something happen to my child? Seraphina in my mind was also restless, and she had begun to pace about my consciousness.

“What happened to my daughter?” My voice trembled as I asked the woman.

“She went out the gates. Rogues…” She trailed off, seeing how my skin was blanched of color at that.

My legs buckled, and I almost fell to the ground, but someone caught me.

No, no, my daughter couldn't be dead. No. She was fine.

“Look!” Someone yelled, and everyone turned to the gates again.

I raised my weak eyes in time to see the twins walk in the gates, Pearl unconscious form in Zane's arms. Zaren stormed over to the guards at the gates, who immediately bowed.

“Seriously? How stupid can you be?!” He yelled at them, his eyes flashing noticeably from where I stood.

“We're so sorry, sir," one of the guards pleaded while we all watched in shock.

My mind was focused on Zane, who was walking towards me.

She was fine. She was alive.

Immediately, I struggled to get up from the ground where I lay and tried to find my footing.

“Easy there; she's fine. We were able to save her,” he muttered, concern showing in his eyes.

Zaren shouted a few more obscenities to the guards for letting a little girl out the gates before he jogged over to us.

“Are you alright?” He muttered, looking me over.

Tears rushed to my eyes, and I struggled to keep them at bay.

“Thank you…” I muttered, stretching my hand out to collect Pearl, who was knocked out with no wounds but a slight scrape on her forehead.

Zane shook his head. “I'll take her back to your room. Zaren, help her into the room; she looks weak.”

They both escorted us into our rooms while the crowd dispersed as they had seen enough.

I expected the twins to drop us off and leave, but no, they didn't. They stayed with me till Pearl regained consciousness before they made to leave.

As much as I wanted to just walk off, I knew that would be ungrateful, so I saw them out the door, where I thanked them for helping me and saving my daughter.

“We'll be back in the morning with drugs for your fever. It'll help you recover faster. Get some rest, will you?” Zane said.

Then they were gone.

I went back into my house and went to sit with Pearl, who was still weak.

“Don't ever do that, okay?” I cautioned her even as I stroked her head gently.

“I'm sorry," she sniffed, her voice weak and her eyes full.

It broke my heart to see my daughter this way; she was always so vibrant and full of life, and I knew that it was traumatizing to meet a rogue.

“They've helped you, you know? Many times,” Seraphina said in my mind as I walked out of Pearl's room to get a glass of water.

“I know,” I whispered back. I felt ashamed of myself; after everything I had done, they had still helped me.

The mate bond was making me feel more guilty than I already felt, and I deserved it.

True to their words, they were there the next day and the day after to make sure that I got better, and when I asked them why they were helping me, Zaren simply said, “You work in the kitchen; we need food.”.

It was a joke, but it meant so much to me.

Today, they had brought drugs and a doctor for Pearl, as she had gotten down with a fever too.

As I watched them talk to the doctor about Pearl's health outside my house, something in me clicked while that familiar stirring in my stomach happened again.

Things between us had begun to change, and I think that I was beginning to like them.

I was so cooked.