Chapter 15: The Sharpest Sting
1702 Words
I needed diapers.
It was such a stupid, mundane problem to have in the middle of a war zone. Outside, there were helicopters and men with guns. Inside, there were wolves who wanted to eat me.
But my son’s bottom was wet, and I had used the last spare from my emergency bag an hour ago.
"I’ll be right back, baby," I told Leo. He was sitting in the bathtub, which was dry for now, playing with the truck. It was the safest place for him. "Don't climb out."
"Vroom," he whispered.
He's a good son, maybe too good I think for myself. Most toddler’s would scream, cry, kick. For the most part Leo had always been just silent and watched as mommy scrambled around.
And sometimes it breaks my heart. So young yet he learned to hide, that silence was peace.
I knocked at the door. It unlocked almost immediately. The guard outside looked at me. He was a big guy with a scar on his chin.
"I need to go to the kitchen," I said. "For supplies."
"I’ll escort you, ma'am."
"I can walk," I said. "It’s just down the hall."
He didn't argue. He just fell into step behind me. It made me feel like a prisoner. Or a target.
My ankle was throbbing. Every step was a heavy thud-wince rhythm. I was limping badly, dragging my left leg like it was dead weight.
The house was buzzing.
It wasn't quiet like yesterday. The staff was everywhere, rushing around with linens and trays.
And they were talking.
As I passed the laundry room, the whispers stopped abruptly. Two maids looked at me, then at each other. They giggled.
"That's her," one whispered. "The one he carried."
"Naked," the other one giggled. "I heard he was buck naked. In the snow."
My face burned. I pulled my cardigan tighter around myself. They weren't talking about me being safe. They were talking about me being a scandal. A cheap thrill for their King.
I kept my head down. I just needed to find Mrs. Higgins.
I turned the corner near the library.
My heart lifted for a second.
Julian was there. He was carrying a stack of books, looking flustered as usual.
"Julian!" I called out, a smile trying to break through my stress. "Hey!"
He looked up.
His eyes went wide. Pure terror washed over his face.
He didn't smile back. He didn't wave. He practically threw himself against the wall to put distance between us.
"I... I have work," he stammered, looking at the floor. "Excuse me."
He ran. He actually ran away from me.
My hand dropped. The smile died on my lips.
It hurt. It hurt worse than the ankle. Yesterday, we were the Squirrel King and the Knight. Today he avoided me like I was the plague.
“Please wait for me,” I said to the guard who's constantly looming over me like an out of place shadow.
He actually listened this time and I sighed relief. I walked into to the kitchen that was buzzing with servants.
"You should leave him alone."
The voice sounded sharp and startling.
I turned. It was housemaid was standing there. I knew her face. Sarah. She had been working here three years ago, too. She had always looked at me like I was a stain on the rug.
"I was just saying hello," I said.
Sarah stepped closer. She was holding a feather duster like a weapon.
"You’re trying to get him killed?" she hissed. "The Alpha almost fired him yesterday because of you. Julian is a good boy. He doesn't need a charity case dragging him down."
"I didn't mean to—"
"You don't mean to do anything, do you?" Sarah sneered. "You just stumble around, limping and crying, trying to get the Alpha to look at you. We all see it. Walking out in the blizzard? Please. You just wanted him to save you."
"That’s not true," I whispered. My throat felt tight.
"You should learn your lane," Sarah said. She took a step closer, lowering her voice. "Lady Elara is the Luna. She is strong. She runs businesses. She has Alpha blood. You? You’re just a desperate single mom with a bastard son looking for a payout."
The words slapped me. They way he insuled my son. My fist clenched at my side.
"I’m here to work," I said, my voice shaking. "I’m not looking for anything."
"Then stop throwing yourself at men who are out of your league. Julian or The Alpha. It’s pathetic."
I opened my mouth to defend myself, to scream and put her in her place.
But then, the air changed. It got hot suddenly.
Elara walked by.
She didn't stop. She didn't say a word. She was flanked by two guards, looking regal in a cream-colored suit that cost more than my life.
She glanced at me.
It was a look of pure, distilled poison. She looked at my messy hair, my limping leg, my cheap clothes. She smirked. A tiny, cruel curling of her red lips.
Then she was gone.
"See?" Sarah whispered. "That is a Queen. You’re nothing."
I opened my mouth to argue.
Sarah turned and marched away.
"Miss Noelle?"
I jumped.
Mrs. Higgins was standing by the kitchen door. She was holding a brown paper package.
"Mrs. Higgins," I breathed. "I was looking for you. I need... for the boy."
"I know," she said. She wouldn't meet my eyes. She was looking over my shoulder, nervously. "Here. Size four. It’s all we had."
She thrust the package at me. Her hands were shaking.
"Thank you," I said. "Are you okay?"
"Just take it," she snapped. But there was no heat in it. Just fear. "Go back to your room. Keep the door locked."
She turned and bustled back into the kitchen before I could ask another question.
She was acting weird. Mrs Higgins is strict, not jittery. Everyone was acting weird.
I grabbed the package. I turned and limped back to the East Wing as fast as I could. I didn't look for Julian. I didn't look at the maids. I just wanted my son.
I got back to the Blue Room and locked the door. I leaned against it, breathing hard.
"Mama?"
Leo’s voice came from the bathroom.
"Coming, baby!"
I went into the bathroom. He was still in the tub, making car noises.
I turned on the water. It was warm. I stripped him down and let the tub fill up with bubbles.
"Warm?" I asked.
"So warm," he sighed, sinking down until the bubbles touched his chin. "Like soup."
I laughed softly. "You are my little noodle."
I washed his hair. I washed his little back. I let myself breathe for a second. This was real. The warm water, the smell of baby soap, the way he splashed me and giggled. This was the only thing that mattered.
Sarah could call me desperate. Elara could look at me like trash. But I had Leo.
"All done," I said, pulling the plug.
I lifted him out and wrapped him in a fluffy white towel. I carried him to the bed.
"Lotion time," I said. "Then fresh diaper."
I rubbed the lotion on his legs. He was kicking, happy.
"Truck," he demanded.
"Hold on. Diaper first."
I reached for the brown package Mrs. Higgins had given me. It was already slightly open at the top, but easy to ignore.
I pulled out a diaper. It looked normal. White and soft.
Yet something felt... off.
I didn't know why. Maybe it was the way Mrs. Higgins couldn't look me in the eye. Maybe it was the paranoia that living on the run had drilled into my bones.
I didn't just put it on him. I'm used to double checking anything I use on my son.
I ran my hand over the inside lining.
Nothing.
I pressed harder.
Ouch.
Something sharp pricked my finger.
I pulled my hand back. A tiny bead of blood welled up on my index finger.
My blood ran cold.
I grabbed the diaper. I ripped the lining open.
There, buried deep in the absorbent cotton, was a sewing needle.
Not just one. Three of them.
And not just in one spot. They were positioned right where his legs would move. Right where it would hurt the most.
If I had put this on him... if he had run or sat down...
I felt sick. I felt like I was going to vomit right there on the expensive duvet.
I grabbed the rest of the diapers in the bag. I ripped another one open.
Glass. Finely crushed glass dust sprinkled in the lining.
Someone had tampered with them. Someone had taken the time to open the package, to hurt a child, and seal it back up.
I swear to the Goddess. If any of them touches my child!
My teeth gritted. My fingers tingled dangerously. My blood running hot.
I looked at Leo. He was naked, giggling, reaching for his truck. He had no idea. He had no idea that there were monsters in this house who wanted to make him bleed. Or worse dead.
My blood boiled even more. My vision blurred with red rage.
I stood up. I was shaking.
"Mama?" Leo stopped laughing. He looked at my face. "You mad?"
"No, baby," I choked out. My voice sounded like a stranger's. "Mama isn't mad at you."
“Mama is just looking for a diaper okay?“ I forced a smile. I didn't want to scare him. To see the monsters were after him.
I grabbed my bag. I dug to the very bottom, past the clothes, past the snacks.
I found one. One single spare diaper I had stuffed in a side pocket days ago. It was wrinkled. It was old. But it was safe.
I put it on him. My hands were trembling, but I was gentle.
"There," I whispered. "Safe."
I looked at the pile of tampered diapers on the bed. The needles glinted in the firelight.
They tried to hurt my son.
I would burn this whole lodge down before I let them touch my son.
- Writer
