Chapter 44

Gertrude kept to her word and limited my access to the children. When I complained to Hycinth, he told me to pick my battles and let his mother enjoy a small victory at least.
I hated how he always shied away from confronting his mother. He could see how being separated from the children affected me but he didn’t do much to help.
“Just ignore her,” he would say. “She’s just doing that to annoy you and you’re falling for it. She’ll find someone else to bully soon enough.”
His lack of action annoyed me greatly but there was nothing I could do about it. I thought about the other Gypsies trapped in the Highlands a lot. I wondered if I could convince Hycinth to attempt to rescue them but there never seemed to be a good time to raise the issue.
Life in the Gypsy camp became boring for me. Nothing exciting ever happened and the harsh eastern weather was not even helping.
It was the beginning of summer and the weather was very hot. We all abandoned our tents and sat under the trees surrounding our camp.
“We should probably move to the north,” said Hycinth absently. “The weather would be mild there. We need a break from this heat.”
“We should start thinking of establishing a root somewhere,” said Gertrude firmly. “We can’t keep roaming around from territory to territory any longer. I am too old for the constant travelling.”
Hycinth grimaced. “What are you suggesting? That we remain here?”
“I never said that,” she replied sharply. “I only said we should consider finding a permanent place to settle. A place we can call our home.”
For the first time since I returned, I agreed with Gertrude on something. I too felt that it was time for us to have our own territory instead of going up and down like homeless people. Which we were, by the way.
“What are you talking about?” He asked her. “We are Gypsies. Travelling is what we do. We were not built to remain in one place.”
“I was never a Gypsy!” She hissed. “Roaming around the world is no way to live. It’s time for us to change our way of living.”
“That’s not up to you to decide,” he replied. “I am the Alpha here.”
“Then act like it!”
“Let’s all calm down,” I said, trying to quench the tension.
“Be quiet!” Gertrude snapped at me.
“Don’t speak to her like that!” Hycinth retorted.
“Then tell her to stay out of this conversation,” she said. “In fact, tell her to stay out of this camp. She’s not one of us and she will never be!”
“Are you trying to divide the pack again?” He asked her.
“I never divided the pack before,” she replied. “But in this instance, I will gladly do so for her sake. She does not belong here!”
“I agree.”
We all turned around to the voice of the newcomer. My heart dropped when I saw Dominic and Darius standing on the hill bordering our camp. They were armed with swords and they were not alone.
“Oh, no…” I whispered fearfully. “Not again.”
“Who are these?” Gertrude ask.
“We are the Alphas of the Woods Pack and we are here to collect what belongs to us,” said Dominic menacingly.
“How did you find me?” I asked shakily.
Darius held up the wolf head necklace that I had discarded on the road, on my way to the east. The sun bounced off the jade pendant and it sparkled brightly.
“Do you know what I call this necklace?” Asked Darius. “I call it the gift that keeps giving. It keeps leading us back to you.”
“I’ve had it with you two!” Hycinth shouted. “I will no longer shy away from fighting with you since that’s what you want.”
“Bring it on then,” Dominic challenged him. “Don’t hold back.”
Hycinth nodded to one of his Betas and he ran into his tent to bring out an axe and a sword.
“Hycinth, please, don’t let them bait you into a fight,” I begged him.
“What do you mean?” He asked me angrily. “Can’t you see what is happening? They’ll never leave us alone unless we get rid of them.”
“She’s right,” said Gertrude. “You shouldn’t fight with them. Give her to them instead and let them leave us alone.”
“Do what your mother says,” said Dominic.
“We don’t want to kill you because of her,” Darius added. “She’s not worth it.”
“Shut your trap, pretty boy!” Hycinth barked at him.
His Betas were already arming themselves, getting ready to attack the Woods Alphas at their leader’s notice.
“Just let her go, damn it!” Gertrude spat in frustration.
“Hush, Mother!” He replied to her nastily. To the brothers, he said, “This is your last chance to leave here alive.”
Dominic and Darius exchanged a look with each other. It was a silent signal and their warriors immediately ran toward us. They were over a dozen in number.
Hycinth looked at me and said, “Run!”
“No!” His mother screamed. She tried to go after him but I stopped her.
“Get your filthy hands off me!” She yelled at me. “Get the children and run. Do it now!”
I would have stayed to argue but I could already hear the clash of metals as the warriors began to fight with Hycinth and his fellow Gypsy werewolves.
Most of the females and the little children were already running away from the camp. I grabbed Mattias from where he had been playing with some sticks and carried him in my arms. Mariah was already in the arms of her newly appointed nanny who was running in front of me.
As we ran into the Lycan town, I looked back to see what was going on. It was a horrific scene featuring wolves and men, swords and claws, axes and fangs.
I saw Gertrude armed with an axe, smashing the Woods Pack warriors like a farmer chopping wood. She must have been a terror in her youth.
Hycinth had shifted into his wolf form and was ripping his opponents apart like a possessed animal. I couldn’t be more proud to see how he was bravely defending me.
Darius was strolling toward the fight casually while swinging his sword loosely in his hand. He looked back and nodded at Dominic whose eyes were pinned on me.
Dominic sidestepped the fight scene and began walking towards my direction.
“Oh, shit!” I gasped and started to run.
“What is it?” Mattias asked me innocently.
“Nothing, darling,” I said shakily. “Just hold onto me tightly, ok?”
“Ok,” he said and tightened his little arms around my neck.
My heart was literally pounding in my mouth as we ran. It was only a matter of seconds before Dominic would catch up to me and drag me away like a rag doll.
I was so afraid and running blindly that I didn’t see a small rock ahead of me. I stumbled on it and fell down with Mattias still in my arms.
“Oh my goodness,” I exclaimed. “Mattias, are you ok?”
He nodded but his chin wobbled as he began to cry. I had taken most of the pressure of falling but the fall had upset him.
“I am so sorry, darling,” I said, trying to console him.
The others had gone ahead of us and were not aware that we had fallen. I carried Mattias again but a hard grip on my shoulders prevented me from moving forward.
“And so, we meet again,” said Dominic behind me.
I turned around slowly to look at him. He had grown a full beard and his eyes were bloodshot. He looked like a man who had been drinking and was in the mood to do something crazy.
“Let me put the child down and then I will follow you,” I said to him calmly.
“Do it,” he replied coldly.
I gingerly put Mattias down. My arms were already hurting from carrying him and my hip ached due to the fall.
“Go on, Mattias,” I said to the child softly. “Go and join the others.”
“No!” He wailed and clung to my skirt.
“Get lost!” Dominic barked at him harshly.
“Don’t yell at him like that. You’ll frighten him,” I said.
“I don’t care,” he replied. “Get rid of him and come with me.”
“Go, Mattias. Run!” I said to him.
“No!” He replied stubbornly, still holding my skirt. “Let’s go!”
Dominic lifted his sword and my maternal instincts immediately kicked in. I was not going to let poor Mattias die carelessly as Domarius did. I would rather die than lose another child.
I blocked the impact of the sword with my body and the sharp blade struck me hard.