Chapter 43

The battle line was officially drawn between me and Gertrude. I didn’t let that bother me as I settled down beside Hycinth at the end of the celebration.
It was cold outside but inside our tent was warm and cosy. I snuggled closer to him and he responded by holding me and stroking my back tenderly.
Not much has changed since we parted. He still smelled the same and his body responded to mine in that familiar way that I still remembered.
We kissed passionately and began to make love tenderly. I didn’t realize just how much I missed the loving touch of a man until this moment. We climaxed together, clinging to each other for dear life.
It was a beautiful moment but I felt… empty afterwards. My mind drifted back to Alpha Rowan and I had to shake my head to clear out that alluring image from my subconscious. The way my body reacted just from thinking about him, amazed me.
“Are you all right?” Hycinth asked me.
“Yes,” I replied and smiled at him in the dimly lit tent.
He kissed my forehead. “I loved how you stood up to my mother out there. She was so shocked. I nearly laughed.”
I chuckled. “She didn’t find it funny, though.”
“I know. Nobody had ever challenged her in the pack. Not even my father when he was alive. I used to think that he was madly in love with her and that was why he overlooked her excesses.”
“Well, wasn’t he?”
“He was but he was mostly afraid of her, I think.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. He was the Alpha. Why would he be afraid of her?”
“Well… I’m going to tell you a secret tonight but you must not repeat it to another soul. Do you promise?”
“I promise,” I replied immediately. I couldn’t wait to hear his juicy secret.
“My mother was originally from another pack. They were mercenary warriors hired by most packs to fight wars on their behalf. She was the only heir of the Alpha and the next in line to become the pack leader.”
“Wow… she was supposed to be the next Alpha after her father?”
“Yes.”
“So, what happened?”
“She met my father during a battle mission with her pack. It was love at first sight and they both felt the mate bond. She introduced him to her father but he was not impressed.”
“Why?”
“Well, he wanted his daughter, the sole heir and next Alpha of the pack to be mated to one of their own. My father was a Gypsy with no territory or battle accolades to his name.”
“Oh, I see,” I said, enjoying the tale. “So what happened after?”
Hycinth shrugged in the dark. “What else? My mother was determined to be with her true mate. She gave up her position in the pack and left them to be with my father and she never let him forget it for as long as he lived.”
“No wonder she was always acting as the Alpha in charge. She believes that it is her rightful position.”
“Indeed… “ Hycinth said sleepily. “My father must have thought that letting her have her way every time was his little way of compensating her for giving up her birthright for his sake.”
Knowing this story finally made me understand why Gertrude was so tough. A part of me felt sorry for her for what she had to give up for love. Yet, another part of me reminded me to be alert around her, now that I knew what she was capable of.
Morning came with bright sunlight and lots of laughter in the camp. Our mood became sober by noon when Hycinth announced the sad news of Lola’s death.
When a few pack members asked if there were any plans to rescue the enslaved Gypsies in the Highlands, Gertrude shushed them rudely and forbade further questions on the matter.
I busied myself with taking care of my stepchildren who were surprisingly cheerful and accommodating to me. It felt good to be a mother again.
Heavy rainfall descended on the camp by evening and we all had to retire to our tents earlier than usual. I let the children sleep in our tent and Hycinth was glad to have them nearby too.
I was happy to have survived the day without running into Gertrude. I hoped that she would continue to avoid me and allow me to enjoy some peace of mind here.
I thought about Cherise and Ebbie, and all the other Gypsies stuck in the Highlands as slaves. I had given them my word that I would come back to set them free and I believed that with Hycinth’s involvement, it would be possible.
I raised the issue with him the next morning but his response was shocking.
“What do you mean by no?” I asked him angrily. “They are Gypsies. You can’t just leave them there!”
“So, what do you want me to do? Wage war against the Highlands?” He asked me.
“You don’t have to,” I replied. “We could have a meeting with Alpha Rowan and discuss the possibilities of trading our pack members – “
“With what?” He asked sharply. “What do you have to give him that is worth over a dozen werewolves? Tell me.”
I was silent. He was right. We didn’t have any treasures or worldly possessions that were valuable enough to trade with. The Gypsy life was simple. They had very few properties and that made it easy for them to migrate whenever they had to.
“But we can’t just leave them there,” I protested.
“Then go and rescue them,” he replied flippantly. “Don’t let Mariah be your only success story. Go on and rescue the rest.”
I didn’t like his tone but I understood his frustration.
“What if we asked the Lycans for help?” I asked hopefully.
Hycinth stared at me with a blank expression for several minutes before he threw back his head and laughed.
“The dye in your hair must have soaked into your brain and coloured your senses,” he said in between laughs.
I frowned at him. “That is not even funny,” I said.
“Isn’t it?” He asked me as he wiped a tear from his eye. “Why would the Lycans meddle in our business?”
“We could try.”
“Drop it, Jade. That’s wishful thinking. Lycans don’t bother themselves with wolves and that’s fine. They tend to go overboard with their emotions.”
And that was the end of our conversation on that topic. I felt horrible knowing that there was nothing I could do to save those poor Gypsies from slavery.
Gertrude and I finally crossed paths again when night came and she insisted on taking the children to her tent.
“Why?” I asked.
“Why not?” She retorted. “Shouldn’t you be happy that I am giving you and your mate the privacy you need to conceive?”
I was shocked. “To conceive what?”
She grinned slowly. “Oh, wait. Did you think I will allow you to continue to parade Lola’s children as your own?”
“Lola isn’t here anymore, is she?” I asked through clenched teeth.
“No, she isn’t. But I am, and I say the children stay with me. If you want little children to snuggle with at night, then give birth to your own!”
Her words stabbed me like a knife. How dare she? How could she be so cruel to me?
“Give those children back to me,” I demanded.
“Make me,” she replied, daring me.
I instantly knew that this was a trap. She was baiting me. She wanted me to fight with her and then she would unleash her anger on me. She would either injure me or even kill me and tell Hycinth that she did it in self-defence when I attacked her.
I took a deep breath and turned around to leave.
“That’s right, coward. Leave. Run off to your lover,” she said, taunting me.
“You will not get a reaction from me,” I replied with my back turned to her.
“I wouldn’t expect anything more from a barren she-wolf like you,” she said.
My fingers curled into fists but I willed myself to keep moving forward. Gertrude knew how to push my buttons and she was doing it so well.
“I will be the death of you in this camp,” she promised. “You will either leave this pack willingly or I will make you. You don’t belong here and you will never fit in.”
When I reached in front of my tent, I turned back to look at her with a sweet smile. “And you will never be the Alpha of the Gypsy Pack. Your days of ruling in the shadows are over.”
Her left eye twitched with extreme anger. “What did you just say to me?” She asked menacingly.
“You heard me clearly,” I replied. “Goodnight, Luna Gertrude. Try to sleep well.”
I entered my tent, not giving her a chance to reply. It felt good to have the last word in that showdown. And it felt even better to finally put my bully mother-in-law in her place.
Or so I hoped.