Chapter 18

Hycinth’s mother was kind enough to send a Gamma from their pack to give us food and water for our journey. We had walked a long distance from their camp and I wasn’t quite sure about our direction.
We met some travellers on the road and they told me how to find my way to the mountains. Domarius and I stopped a few times to eat and rest.
We finally arrived at the mountains as the sun began to set the following day. We were exhausted and I was happy to be back home.
People stared at us strangely as we passed. I recognized some of them but they didn’t recognize me back. I didn’t mind at all because I knew that I looked very different from my old self.
My hair was longer and darker than before, I was as boney as a skeleton and I had a child with me.
When we reached the cottage that used to be my home, I was sad to find it empty. Did this mean that Antonio had succeeded in killing my mates? Were all those dreams that I have been having about them just my imagination?
“I am hungry,” Domarius whined. “Do you have food?”
We had run out of the food that Hycinth’s mother sent to us and it pained me that my son was starving. Too bad, the cottage was without food or clean water. The place looked like it had been abandoned for years!
“Come with me, dear,” I said, taking Domarius out of the cottage. “Let’s go and find some food.”
“Where?” He asked.
“You’ll see,” I said, smiling at him.
I took him to Nana’s cabin, hoping that the elderly woman who raised my mates as her sons, was still alive and well.
Her compound looked neat and well-kept. Chickens were roaming about the place and a small goat was tied to a post nearby.
I knocked on the front door, praying silently that Nana would be inside. If she wasn’t, Domarius and I would have to go into the village and beg for food like a pair of homeless people.
The door opened slowly and a young woman showed up in front of us.
“Yes?” She asked with a curious look.
My heart sank with disappointment. Nana was probably dead and this was the new owner of the old woman’s cabin.
“Sorry,” I said apologetically. “I – I was looking for Nana. She’s the old woman that used to live here.”
“She still lives here,” said the woman.
“She does?” I asked happily. “May we see her?”
“Who are you?”
“I am Jade Hunter. I was mated to Nana’s foster sons.”
The woman was surprised. “The triplet Alphas?”
“Yes,” I said. “This is my son, Domarius. Can we see Nana now?”
“Well…” the woman hesitated. “Nana has been very ill. I’m not sure she would even recognize you because her memory has been failing fast these past few weeks.”
This news made me sad. Nana was a lively old lady with a sharp memory and full of funny jokes. What would she be without her memory?
“Sonia, who are you talking to?” Nana called out from inside.
“Oh, she’s awake,” said Sonia. “You better come in then. Your two look tired.”
“Thank you,” I said graciously, stepping into the cabin with Domarius.
The place hadn’t changed much. It was as tidy as always, and there was a pot of porridge cooking in the kitchen. The delicious smell made my stomach rumble and I heard Domarius groaning with hunger.
“Are you all right, son?” Sonia asked him.
“I am hungry,” he complained tearfully.
“Oh, dear. Come over here, let me fix you some food. That is if your mother does not mind.”
I smiled gratefully at Sonia. “I don’t mind at all. Thank you.”
“Who is that?” Nana called out from her bedroom. “Do we have guests?”
“Just a minute, Nana,” Sonia replied. “They’ll join you soon.”
I watched her dish a plate of porridge for my son and then she added a loaf of freshly baked bread and a cup of milk too.
“Thank you,” Domarius said politely and then he looked at me for approval.
I nodded at him to go ahead and then he began to eat. I may not like how Luna Elena treated me in the past but I was glad that she taught my son good manners while he was in her care.
“I think you should have some food too,” Sonia said to me. “Having a conversation with Nana these days require a lot of energy.”
I was filled with gratitude. “Thank you,” I said.
I sat at the small dining table and let her serve me the same food she had given to my son. Instead of a cup of milk, she made me a cup of herbal tea with a dash of honey.
Everything tasted so good that Domarius and I wiped our plates clean with our fingers when the food was finished. It was the best meal we’d had in days and we were very satisfied.
“That was a delicious meal, Sonia. Thank you,” I said.
“You’re welcome,” she replied with a warm smile. “Now, let’s go and see Nana, shall we?”
“Of course,” I said and we followed her into the only bedroom in the cabin.
Nana was lying on the bed, covered with a wool duvet and looking out the window. When she heard us coming in, she turned to look at us and a smile spread across her wrinkled face.
“Jade, is that you?” She asked.
“You recognize her!” Said Sonia happily. “How marvellous!”
“Yes, Nana. It’s me,” I answered her.
When she saw Domarius, she gasped and her eyes widened. “You have a son!”
“Yes,” I said. “His name is Domarius.”
“How perfect!” She gushed. “Come, child. Let me look at you closely.”
Domarius looked at me for permission and I nodded. He walked to where Nana lay on the bed and let her run her fingers through his hair and fluff his cheeks.
“You look just like your fathers,” she said tenderly. “He’s so adorable.”
“Nana, may I be excused?” Asked Sonia. “I have to go home to make lunch for my children. You know my mate is useless when it comes to taking care of the kids.”
“Of course, dear,” said Nana. “Thank you.”
“Sure,” she said and waved us goodbye before leaving.
“Who is that?” I asked Nana when she was gone.
“That’s one of my kind friends from the village who comes here to help me,” said Nana sadly. “Since the triplets abandoned me, these villagers have been taking care of me.”
Fear gripped me. “Abandoned you? How?”
Nana sighed. “Domarius, darling. I have a box of playthings under the shelf in my den. Why don’t you go and play with them while I talk with your mother?”
Domarius grinned happily. “May I?” He asked me.
“Of course, darling,” I said. “Go ahead.”
He ran out of the room happily and within seconds, I could hear the tinkling sounds of his new toys.
“After you left four years ago,” Nana began. “Your uncle in Apex Woods sent his warriors to attack your mates on the same day you left the mountains.”
“I know,” I replied sadly.
“Luckily, they overpowered the warriors with the help of some wolves in the village.”
I sighed in relief. “They survived.”
“Yes, they did. However, the Beta who led the warriors here claimed that you were the one who made your uncle order the triplet’s murder.”
“What!”
“I didn’t believe it, of course, but the triplets… they were so enraged that you had betrayed them even though they couldn’t understand why.”
“But that’s not true!” I yelled in frustration. “They tried to kill me too.”
“I don’t understand,” said Nana, looking confused.
I told her of everything that happened when I went to the palace that day, four years ago. I told her how my cousin tricked me and sold me into slavery in the Highlands and all the hardship I endured there before finally regaining my freedom.
“Oh, dear Jade,” she said sadly. “You have been through hell.”
“Yes, but I am free now,” I said with a smile. “I am here to take my life back.”
“What life?”
“The life I left behind, Nana,” I said impatiently. “I shall be reconciled with my mates and we will live happily with our son.”
“Oh, Jade… a lot has changed since you left. Your mates now live in the Apex Woods palace and they abandoned me here when I refused to go with them.”
I was shocked. “They live in Apex Woods? What about my uncle?”
“They killed him. Turns out that your uncle killed their father.”
“What!”
“Their father was friends with Barry Hunter who was a Beta from another pack. He sneaked into the Alpha’s room one night and killed him. The Luna managed to escape and she came here to me in the mountains to hide.
“She was newly pregnant with the triplets and the only possession she had on was the dress on her back and that necklace that now belongs to you.”
“Since we are from the same pack, I had no problem hiding her in my place. Barry blamed the Alpha’s death on Gypsy invaders. He convinced the Woods Pack to let him lead them in the fight against the Gypsies and they agreed.”
“So, what happened after that?” I asked when Nana became quiet.