Pregnant For The Ruthless Alpha But Secretly An Heiress

Chapter 21: The Witch’s Whisper

Lucy’s POV

I wasn’t by contract supposed to leave the pack talk more of going to places like the hospital. Ryker was very clear about that. "No visits of any type," he said. "The heir to the throne must of no account be in an unhealthy environment. It must always be a place, safe and protected from danger."

But that didn't sit well with me. Maybe he was doing all that to keep me in the dark and keep me from finding out all the strange happenings around me.

But it was so hard staying away from my own blood. Eli’s eyes kept glowing irresistibly like something seen in a nightmare. His breathing still hasn't returned to normal, with the same shallow and uneven pattern. So I got tired of waiting, got tired of living at his mercy, so I slipped out, careful to clear the guards so as not to be seen, hoping as I made my way to the hospital that Nurse Kara was right, that there's a high possibility of him pulling through.

As I made my way back to the pack, back to Ryker's penthouse, on the path leading to a quiet street, I met an old woman carefully wrapped in a worn-out, dirty shawl.

I observed her countenance to know well enough that she wasn't ordinary. Her eyes were too sharp, too sharp that I can comfortably describe them as all-knowing.

She didn't wait for me to get to her side before calling me over. Her voice was so faint that I feared she could barely hear herself.

“Child made uniquely of two worlds,” she started, “your blood which you despise is no ordinary blood. The moon’s sacred mark runs deep, but I must warn you, a curse runs along with it."

I blinked in confusion, not sure what I actually heard from her. “What curse are you talking about?” I asked, heart pounding and threatening to escape its abode. “Who exactly are you?”

She smiled weakly, and I could see it stopped just at the bridge of her nose but never reached her eyes. “You should know today are dangerous. But listen closely, I have something mysterious to reveal to you. Your heritage is not free, it's tangled in the shackles of dark shadows. I would also like to warn you again: beware of the wolf who claims to be the best and would do anything to protect you; his love may not be what you could have in your wildest imaginations; it might be the sharpest blade.”

She was out of sight before I could respond or ask questions for clarification. Like a ghost would blend perfectly into the fog, so did she.

My mind hasn't rested since I entered Ryker's abode; now it is. Was she in any way telling the truth or just chasing clout for recognition? Or better still, another of the plots to get me again? Was there something I did not know about this pregnancy I was carrying? Were there terms in the contract that I failed to read or comprehend?

My mind drifted again to Ryker's stern warning, how he was so obsessed with controlling my movements. Maybe he wasn't ensuring the babies were in perfect shape; maybe he was using it as an escape to hide something very dangerous from me.

When I finally got to the penthouse, I lay down in thought, not knowing what to believe anymore. I lay down, thinking hard about the woman's words, 'The wild who claims to care and protect you, you must be wary of him lest he devours you.'

Could that be Ryker she was talking about, or was it just a random talk to get attention?

I could still hear Ryker's voice from the council hall as they discussed matters patterning to the pack.

I knew that I needed to find out the truth, and the sooner I did that, the better it would be to find a solution to it all.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The day was coming too fast, faster than I ever anticipated. It was my 25th birthday. Somehow, that number was becoming scary to me. It was as if I wasn't ready to cross that path again, as if I needed to mark time a little at my current age.

I couldn’t seem to get the key out of my mind; that particular key my uncle visited and handed over to me shortly after Eli fell ill. He had come with all seriousness, though he hardly smiled, but his expression that day spoke volumes more than just smiling. “This key belongs to you. When you finally turn 25 that very day, you’ll understand why this was kept a secret from you. You would find out who you truly are. But you must promise me never to use it till the appointed time."

I still have no idea what to expect or what the key would unlock on that particular day. It was a very old and rusty small key, so I feared it might not open to whatever place.

A part of me kept wondering if, by chance, the key had a connection to the strange dreams I was having—the unsettling flashes of broken memories I had been trying to piece together for days now. Does opening have a solution to Eli's strange recent development?

One evening, as Ryker returned late from his tiring and boring pack meetings, I decided it would be then or never. “Ryker,” I began as sweetly as possible, my voice surprising me. “I want to make a request that you give me only a few days to celebrate my birthday. I have something very important to attend to on that day."

He looked up sharply, eyes narrowing. “You should have known the answer even before asking; you cannot go anywhere.”

I blinked in total shock. “Why don't you want me out of this prison? I thought you would understand how I feel without solutions to this key?"

He still remained indifferent. "Why don't you ask the same person who gave it to you instead of creating scenes and chasing ghosts that clearly do not exist?"

"My uncle vanished with no trace a few days after giving it to me and didn't even care or do anything after Eli took ill; how do you want me to contact him?"

Ryker stood to leave and said, "Why don't you stop searching for him or looking for answers? Maybe that's how he wanted it to be, without a trace. Maybe the key is way more dangerous than you think, and I would advise you to stop searching."

With that, he left the room and headed to his quarters, not caring if I was okay or wallowing in pain. Why did my uncle disappear not long after handing the key to me? And why is Ryker against me finding the key?