BOUND TO MY RUTHLESS ALPHA

Chapter 12

"Quick, Luna Remi! We have to make haste!" Aileen chided gently, hastening her pace as much as possible, mindful of Remi's limited mobility. It was dark as night. Remi's sluggish pace wasn't solely due to her physical limitations but also her lack of inherent Wolfkin traits. Unlike the wolvess Aileen she trailed, she struggled to navigate the dark, shadowy night, her vision hindered by the all-consuming blackness which nocturnal creatures were basically immune to.

The Servant's Shrine was a small thatched hut just outside the confines of the Lupercus Palace. It was surrounded by years old trees and overgrown shrubs and weeds. This was where Remi had stealthily snuck to, without a lamp as Aileen had instructed, and from here, they began moving hurriedly.

"We have to wait for Joleen." Remi protested.

"We can't, Luna Remi. The moon is almost up, and not everyone who sees us will be on our side. We can't afford to wait for her. We have to move now before we get caught."

Aillen held Remi's rough looking sack filled with nothing much, except for clothes, bread for a few days, and a flask of water. The only important thing being the ring Boris had given her, tucked deep in the bag.

"Aileen... I can't see. You're... too fast." Remi stumbled, trying to catch a breath. Aileen cursed and went back, raising Remi from the ground. "Forgive my carelessness. I should never have trusted Joleen to come. She was meant to come with a lamp for your journey."

Remi winced. "Joleen isn't coming, is she?" She saw Aileen's darkness shake its head twice, and Remi hurtfully closed her eyes.

I should have expected that.

"Let's hurry."

"It's hard to hurry, my back h..hurts." Aileen and Remi snuck through the grasses and thick trees until they reached the path where a big tree had fallen, making it impossible for riders to pass through.

"This is where we must say goodbye, Luna Remi." Aileen sighed.

"Aileen... I can't..."

"You can't what? See? Remi, you can see. You have to accept who you are, what you are, before it can recognise you." Aileen took Remi's hands in hers. Remi's dull eyes peered deeply into Aileen's bright red eyes that gleamed like red Jade in the dark of night.

"I will never forget you, Lady Ai... Aileen." Remi sobbed. She was actually doing this, and she couldn't believe it. The sets of emotions that unravelled within her could not be described with words.

"Luna Remi, I meant what I said. You are as Wolf as any of us. Never forget this. And yes, I was there when your mother bore you. In fact, I held you before you were cut from her womb." Aileen's laughter was fleeting, her eyes welling up with tears as she spoke. "When she looked at you, she saw only her perfect, beautiful daughter. She loved you unconditionally, Remi. In her eyes, you were flawless." Aileen stroked her cheek. Remi immediately snatched herself from Aileen's soft touch.

"Lady Nyla hates me."

"Nyla is not your mother!" Aileen retorted, and Remi's eyes widened.

"What?"

"Listen–"

"Isn't this lovely?" A hoarse, wicked voice suddenly erupted from the background, causing Ailen to swiftly turn back. Remi gasped, engulfed in sudden fear.

As Aileen turned around, following Remi's gaze, they were met with a chilling sight: a multitude of red eyes, at least ten pairs, gleaming in unison. The eerie tableau held for a moment before a torch flared to life in the distance, illuminating a cart equipped with a cage. The cart, pulled by horses, was now steadily approaching them.

A cart with a cage. Remi's bones chilled.

"Da." Remi said weakly, resting her eyes on her father's feet and not daring to lift them any higher. But Aileen said nothing. Instead, Remi could feel the maiden strengthen posture further, pushing her chest out.

"Is this not the chief kitchen maid?" Dantina's voice erupted.

"I wouldn't know." Boris answered. "But she's definitely a traitor."

"So, it is true?" Thane said in a mocking tone, his tall, caped figure, illuminating the monster Remi had always truly known he was. "She planned an escape indeed."

Joleen. Remi hissed in her heart.

Aileen's stance shifted instantly, positioning herself protectively in front of Remi. Remi's heart constricted further, filled with a sense of impending doom. She was convinced that her fate was sealed; she was going to die tonight, and she would soon drag her only loyal friend, Aileen, down with her. As Thane's face twisted into a wicked grin, Remi closed her eyes behind Aileen's figure.

Dear goddess Mene, Save Aileen, but me...I am ready.