Chapter 38

“So, tell me, Cherise,” I began. “What happened to Lola?”
She sighed sadly again. “It’s a long story,” she said. “Before we were captured, we were living in a camp not too far from here.”
“I remember,” I said.
“After you left, Alpha Hycinth was upset. He searched for you everywhere and went to Apex Woods as I mentioned earlier. He narrowly escaped from there with the help of the Betas that went with him. When he returned, he changed.”
“How?”
“He became angry all the time. He blamed Luna Lola for driving you away with her pettiness. Things became strained between them. They started to live in separate tents.”
“Wow…” I said. I was amazed that Hycinth still cared about me enough to look for me after I left. I thought he had stopped loving me after he became intimate with Lola.
“The tension between them affected the pack. It was as if the pack was running on its own because our leader was more obsessed with finding you instead of being in charge. Soon enough, his mother added wood to the already burning fire.”
“What do you mean?”
“She accused Lola of having an affair with one of the Beta guys. She couldn’t prove it, of course, but Alpha Hycinth believed his mother’s claims. She tried to convince him to kick Luna Lola and the Beta out of the pack and that caused more problems.”
“Did he kick her out?” I asked tensely.
“He tried to but that decision divided the pack. Not everyone was in support of it. When he saw what was happening, he decided that it was time for us to migrate to the east.
“Not everyone was excited about that but he left anyway, in the middle of the night with his mother and a few pack members. The following morning when we discovered that they had left, we also found out that he had taken Mattias with him.”
“His son,” I said, remembering the adorable little boy who was Hycinth’s little twin.
“Yes. He took his heir and left Mariah with her mother because she wasn’t yet weaned at the time.”
“That’s so sad,” I said. I could imagine how Lola must have felt, waking up and finding out that her toddler son had been taken away by his selfish father.
“Luna Lola was inconsolable for days,” Cherise continued. “We debated whether to follow them or not but then decided against it. We thought they would come back because Gypsies always stay together. We were wrong. A few weeks after, Alpha Rowan and his warriors descended on our camp and brought us here to be his slaves.”
“I am so sorry to hear this,” I said. “So, what happened to Lola?”
“Well, she was placed on kitchen duty while her nursing daughter was taken from her and placed in the nursery. The work was too much for her fragile body.
“One day she collapsed in the kitchen and died. That was two months ago. They buried her in the valley of bones on the outskirts of the Highlands.”
“I don’t even know what to say,” I confessed. “So, Hycinth isn’t here?”
Cherise shook her head slowly. “No, Luna. He isn’t.”
Now that I’d found out the information that brought me here, I knew it was time for me to leave but not without little Mariah.
“Where is the servant’s nursery?” I asked Cherise.
Her eyes lit up immediately with hope. “It’s on the other end of the corridor that we came through to this room. It’s a straight walk from here. You can’t miss it.”
“But the child… How will I recognize her?”
“She’s a miniature version of Luna Lola. She has curly blond hair and bright blue eyes. You’ll know her once you see her.”
“Will the nursery attendant let me take her?”
“Of course,” she said confidently. “It’s Ebbie, your former maid.”
I smiled, remembering my friendly maid who did everything for me when I was the reigning Luna of the Gypsy Pack.
“Well, it’s settled then,” I said. “I’ll take Mariah and find my way out of here. I wish we could all leave together.”
Cherise smiled sadly. “It’s ok, Luna Jade. Just get little Mariah out of this horrid place. She deserves to grow up in a decent environment.”
“You’re right, Cherise,” I said. “Thank you for your help so far. I’ll do my best to get Mariah out of here and take her to her father in the east if he’s still there.”
“I’m sure he is. They’ve only been there for a couple of months.”
“But the east… isn’t that Lycan territory? Why would he go there? Aren’t they dangerous?”
Cherise shrugged. “Lycans won’t bother you if you don’t mess with them. I’m sure Alpha Hycinth knows that too.”
“If you say so,” I said and smiled. “I have to go now. If miracles are real, I just might find a way to come back here and set you guys free.”
She grinned. “Miracles are real. I’m rooting for you.”
I hugged her quickly across the basket of clothes and stood up to leave.
“Look out for the guards,” she warned me. “Be safe.”
I nodded and hurried out of the laundry room. Once inside the corridor, I waited for my eyes to adjust to the semi-darkness there before tiptoeing down the passage. My heart was beating fast but I’d gone too far to turn back now.
Halfway down the corridor, I could see the nursery door ahead of me as Cherise had said I would. Suddenly, I heard footsteps approaching from somewhere on my right.
I looked in that direction and realized that there was a staircase there and a guard was descending from it. I knew there was no way I could get into the nursery in time without being caught by the guard.
“Crap!” I whispered to myself and ran up a flight of stairs on my left. I didn’t care where it led but I had to hide before someone discovered me.
The stairs led to a balcony and the gust of wind blew back my scarf, revealing my hair. I gripped the railing of the balcony and inhaled the fresh air deeply with my eyes closed. I needed to get a grip on myself before I continued this dangerous mission that I had placed myself on.
I breathed out and opened my eyes. I guessed that by now, the guard must have left the corridor, so it was time for me to go back downstairs and continue my trip to the nursery.
As I turned to leave, my eyes caught a figure standing on the other end of the balcony. I looked in that direction and my soul froze inside of me. Alpha Rowan stood there, watching me with sharp eyes like a hawk.