CHAPTER 10
1051 Words
MIRA
The only thing I could hear in the deafening silence of the woods was my ragged breathing as I ran for my life.
They did Athena dirty, and now they want to silence me forever. Well, they can only do so much.
Aurora's cries haunted me after I listened to her cry out in pain after I told her what had been done to Athena.
I swore to make things right. I didn't know how, but I was going to at least try to make things right for her.
I shouldn't have lied to begin with, but not when my son was in their grip. I glanced at my toddler who was somehow fast asleep despite all the jostling happening right now.
The night was still young when I was finally allowed to take him home. How he cried touched my heart and I decided that getting out of here was the best decision I was going to make for him.
What was next? Who else was his life going to be held over my head to f**k over?
He began to stir as though he knew I was thinking about him. I stopped to nurse him.
Yes, he was close to one-year-old, and I needed to stop breastfeeding him, but he was my little one. The only one I might have.
The snapping of a tree branch caught my attention as the hairs at the back of my neck stood. There was no way the person coming was a friend.
Thankfully, my little one was back to sleeping, so I wrapped him securely and edged away from the spot I was hiding in.
When the coast seemed clear, I took off on a dead run. I wasn't going to wait around to find out what was coming.
“Over there! I saw her run that way!" Someone yelled behind me, propelling me to go even faster than I was already going. At this point, I wasn't looking to see where I was running to, but I just knew that I had to run.
Suddenly, I came to a halt. It was a cliff and it was night. My wolf vision was good, but it wasn't that good because all I could see was thick darkness. Almost like it had a personality.
I held my breath as my pursuers made their appearance known. But there was something off about them, it was like they suddenly couldn't see me.
“You said she came this way, dumbass! Where is she? All I see is a dead end!" One of the guys said, clearly annoyed with his companion, who looked utterly confused.
I recognized them. Of course, they were pack warriors. Friends of the fool that roped me into this mess!
But why couldn't they see me?
“Come on, the Luna would be furious if we didn't return with her head," one of them said, and I felt my blood run cold.
They planned to kill me? What about my baby? What was supposed to happen to my son?!
“I know. The child would be placed in an orphanage outside the pack. That way the goddess wouldn't visit a plague on us for harming him," one of them said, and I staggered to my feet.
She planned to kill me? After the lie she made me tell? After making me screw up Athena's life?!
“Argh! When brutal reality hits!" a voice said from behind me, startling me greatly and causing me to scream.
“Keep it down, would you? You might as well call them back with all the ruckus you're making!" The person that spoke earlier hissed at me as they took off their hood.
The gesture revealed their presence and what I thought to be a cliff turned out to be a rock. How did I miss this?
“Yes, yes, I know I'm hot, but we can't be here all night. Your wolves are annoyingly persistent prey. They'll be back soon enough because your scent will call them," the person who I was yet to identify if they were male or female said to me, and I hurriedly went after them as they moved.
My son began to stir, and I tried to rock him as I moved along.
“Please sleep a little longer! I don't know if it's safe yet," I silently pleaded with him as I entered a doorway that I hadn't seen earlier.
What exactly was wrong with me? Was this some sort of sorcery?
“Sit over there. Leave your shoes and cloak on the table. I have some soup, something the little one can enjoy, and then we will have a conversation about your recent activities," my rescuer said, and I got to take a good look at them. It was a woman.
Her hair shone brightly with the light from the fireplace. And though she looked youthful, the eyes with which she stared at me told me a whole different story.
All I could do was nod and do exactly what she said. I didn't want to cause offense and put my child in danger.
She left the area and soon returned with a huge bowl of soup. My stomach made loud noises in response. I felt my cheeks heat up in embarrassment.
“Well, eat up. You need your strength for the journey ahead,” the woman said to me as she sat with a bowl of her own.
Throwing caution at the wind, I began to eat. The soup was simply delicious, and soon I began to feed my son. He ate so much of it that I wondered if he was going to sleep properly tonight.
After the meal, we were shown to a bedroom where I quickly gave him a bath and changed his diapers for the night.
It didn't take long for him to fall asleep.
I laid him at my feet on a bale of hay and covered him with my scarf that I always take everywhere with me.
"Now that the child is asleep, let's talk. My name is Crescenda, and I am the leader of the harrow wolves. You must be Mira. Your mother was a great friend of ours,” she said to me,
" I beg your pardon?”
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