CHAPTER 66

Maya's POV
'And that tome when Edna got stranded before we became familiar with this place and all the trees and stuff?" Tommy laughed.
'And she kept on screaming about how she had got lost and was going to die when she was only about a few metres from where we had left her too?" Shalom laughed.
'Could she not have just tried to sniff her way out? You know, using wolf senses?" I laughed, hoping that Edna would somehow react and come charging for me.
But she did not, she just sat there.
'I asked the same thing! She could have just done that, but she did not!" Tommy said and reached his hand towards my direction. I raised my hand to hit his in a high five and we started to laugh.
'In the end, I eventually had to come over and hold her hand and lead her out here. It was quite hilarious for everyone." Shalom said, brushing some invisible dirt off her dress.
'I always try my best to help everyone, you know?"
'Wait, who remembers the first time that Edna had some Jerk chicken and Sichuan hot pot for the first time?" Asher asked.
'What are those?" I asked, confused by the strange names.
'Oh my, they are the spiciest meals ever! You would hate them so much that you would love them!" Shalom said, squealing.
'I would love to have a taste of them, then." I said, curious to know what the flavours would be like.
'Oh no, Maya. You would be wanting to pull another Edna then." Tommy said and piqued my interest immediately.
'Okay, then." I said, clapping my hands. 'Can someone tell me how and what happened to Edna at the time?"
'She had eaten some Jerk chicken and Sichuan hot pot." Shalom said with bright eyes.
'At the same time?" I asked with a gasp, knowing that my eyes would be wide as saucers. 'Are they as peppery as chilli?"
'Girl!" Shalom shouted.
'It is even way hotter!" Tommy said, waving his arms around the air.
Asher just continued to play, his fingers in my hair as he hummed a low tune.
'And then we dared her to do it. She said she would and she did. Then as a prank we put some diluted hot sauce in mug and toms her that it was juice." Tommy said and began to laugh.
'Edna did not even realise that what she was drinking was in fact, hot sauce and not a cool drink until she had swallowed like, three times. She practically lost her sanity for a few moments there." Shalom said, clapping her hands in hysterics.
I looked up at Asher and our eyes met, and he smiled at me and shook his head afterwards. Then I looked up and saw Edna watching us with a sad look on her face.
Immediately, I felt ashamed. Like a pup that was caught doing something that she should not have done.
Apparently, Asher saw Edna too and then he squeezed my hand. His way of telling me that everything would be fine.
'The first time that I shifted when I was in Italy, I almost got caught. In fact, not just the first time, multiple times that that had happened, but luckily..." Shalom and Tommy continued to speak and then I looked at Edna who still sat in the same position with a sad frown on her face while she fiddled with her fingers.
She is missing her mate, poor were wolf. If only I could say or do something to help her— or to cheer her up, at least.
'Edna?" I called out to her. She raised her head up as if she had just got snapped back to reality before she blinked twice at me.
'Yes, Maya?" She did not sound very happy, and I completely understood why. I would be in a sour mood too if I was not able to see or touch or talk to Asher everyday.
'Would you like some cherry mangoes?" I asked her, as I knew that cherry mangoes made her happy.
She shrugged, and then nodded. 'Thank you." She said with a weak smile. I was about to stand up when Daniel did.
'It is alright, do not bother, I would get them for her." Daniel said as he walked away, patting Maya's head as he walked past her.
Edna sighed. 'Stop feeling sorry for me. I am fine, I assure you. I'd be alright in a few, okay?"
That was when I looked up and realised that she was referring to me. I did not know what to say so I turned to look at Asher instead. He sighed and I sat up, away from him so that he could talk to Edna.
'Edna." Asher said in a gentle tone.
'Don't start, Asher. I am okay, I said so already." Edna said and leaned back, closing her eyes.
'Edna." Asher said in a warning tone. 'Tell me why you are acting like a moody child."
'Asher." I whispered and hit his hand and he looked at me with apologetic eyes.
Edna scoffed. 'I am not acting like a moody child. You just have no idea of what it is that is going on."
'See?" Asher said. 'No we are getting somewhere. I would have had an idea of what was going on if you had just decided to open up, you know?"
Edna huffed and crossed her arms over each other. 'Fine. It is about Killian."
Daniel came with the mangoes, already sliced and handed them over to Edna, and Tommy and Shalom stopped their chattering.
'What happened? Is he alright?" Shalom asked.
'That is the exact problem!" Edna said throwing her arms all about. 'I do not know how he is— if he is alright or afraid because he is on a tree and has no way to get out!"
What a weird thing to say in such a situation. I thought.
'Edna." I said. 'This is safe space, but I am sure that you already know that. Tell us what happened."
Then Edna came in my direction and plopped herself down on the large sofa. Then she wrapped me in a hug and began to sob.
'Killian and I had texted days ago, non stop even. Then I told him that I loved him." She said.
'Oh wow, that's a great thing, then." I said with a shrug, unable to understand what made her so sad.
'Yeah, it's cool." Tommy added.
'No, it is not great or cool! Ever since then he had been ghosting me, and he never replied or called or anything!" Edna said in a louder voice.
'So I am mad, because I am actually hoping that he's ignoring me because he's scared or something, and not that he can't see my text because he is in trouble." She shrugged.
I hugged her. 'Calm down, baby girl."
She sobbed. 'I told him that I loved him. He left me hanging for days in return for that. Just why?"
'Actually, I have been trying to reach Killian too for a while now. For days, actually, but he had never tried to answer my calls. You know," Asher said.
'Did you ever consider the fact that he could be extremely busy?" He continued. 'You do know that he is working as a spy and it could be very dangerous. Your text and call overload might not be helping him out at the moment when all he needs to do is to hide. You might just be adding to his workload, and that is not even including how his life could be in danger because if he picks your call, or texts you and he is noticed, they might demand for him to give himself up to be searched." Asher explained and Edna sat up, widening her eyes.
'I- I had never thought of it that way. Oh goddess, now I feel like a terrible, selfish person." She wailed.
'I think it is okay to be selfish in a situation that concerns your mate, actually." Shalom said. 'Nothing wrong in anything that you did, sister, I assure you."
'It is okay, I guess and I understand your constant need to be with him. Just try to make sure to remember that he is a spy." I shrugged and hugged her.
'Yeah, thank you Maya. Alpha Rick is really such a bitch though. After everything he had done, he still has the audacity to keep my mate with him and make him work too much!" Edna said and we all laughed.
'No, but really though, I meant what I said." Edna said with the most serious look on her face and we all laughed, with the inclusion of her.
Edna, Daniel and I were setting the table for lunch, when suddenly we heard a loud, piercing scream and then soon after, a crash followed.
We abandoned whatever it was that we were doing and then we ran into the kitchen, including Tommy, Shalom and Asher.
Edna stood, staring at her phone with her mouth opened and eyes widened in— horror?
The plate of food she had once held in her hand was on the floor, its contents scattered all over the ground. But what had happened to Edna?
'Are you alright? What happened, love?" Shalom asked as she held Edna's face, looking for signs of worry or anything out of place on her face.
'Ki- Ki- It is Killian! He is in trouble with alpha Rick and the Blood moon pack!" She screamed.
Every one of us looked at each other, hoping that we had heard wrong.
'Wait, what? What exactly do you mean by that?" Asher said as he stepped forward. Edna shook her head and did not say anything. Then she handed her phone over to Asher to look at.
Killian was tried up and he was being whipped. They had stripped off his shirt, and the marks left by the whip striking into his flesh were huge and horror inducing.
'What the—" Tommy cursed under his breath as he saw the video. 'What happened?" He asked, looking at everyone.
But by the look on his face, we were sure that Tommy knew what had happened, but maybe he was hoping that he was not true. We all did.
'He stole right? Or maybe beat up someone? That was what had happened, right?" He asked again and Shalom shouted.
'Shut the fuck up, Tommy! We all know what exactly had happened, so do not ask stupid questions!"
Then Edna fell the ground with a very loud wail and my heart broke for her. Shalom, Tommy and I rushed to her side to hold her and try to comfort her.
All of a sudden, Asher's phone began to ring. He cursed.
'It is Rick. Alpha of the Blood moon pack, Rick." He said to us.
'Put the phone on loudspeaker." Shalom said and Asher nodded and picked the call, putting it on loud speaker.
'Hello, Alpha Asher, how are you doing?" Alpha Rick's voice came in, smooth and evil.
'Alpha Rick." Asher said in a hard voice.
'Yes, yes. We have so much to catch up on. How about we come over for tea? Or you can come over, if you wish to. Any way is fine by me." He said in an airy tone.
'Why are you calling me, alpha Rick?" Asher spat bitterly.
'So two alphas cannot call to check up on each other anymore? To ask how the other is doing?" He asked.
'Cut the crap, Rick and tell me what it is that you want." Asher said, sounding bored.
'Oh, do you have seen the little video then. I really do not want anything. Not too much, at least." He said.
'Are you going to ever spit it out?"
'I want Maya in exchange. You have five hours." Alpha Rick cut the call.