Chapter 3 - Found

* * * Eve’s POV * * *

“My name is Eve. I’m six years old. My mother was an Omega. I’m an orphan …” I’m rocking against the bark of the willow tree. “My name is Eve. I’m six years old. My mother was an Omega. I’m an orphan,” I repeat over and over again.

Footsteps.

People are coming.

“My name is Eve. I’m six years old. My mother was an Omega. I’m an orphan,” my little voice says again.

“Hey up, can you hear that?” A man’s voice questions.

“Quiet man. There may still be some of those psychopathic pup-nappers around here. Are you trying to get us killed?” Another man says.

“Stop, I hear a child.”

“Then use your nose and find her. Imagine if we are the ones to find the child of prophecy, we will be heavily rewarded and live like kings.”

“Arthur, this is an innocent child we’re talking about, stop thinking of yourself.”

“Just find the child.”

I hear the footsteps get louder and push my back against the tree trunk, trying to be invisible. I’m hidden inside the trunk of an old tree. It’s a small gap. I’m alone. I scream loudly when a dirty and bloodied face fills the exit hole.

“Shhhh, it’s ok, little one. I’m not going to hurt you. Please let me help you. Are you hurt? Do you need a Doctor?” The man asks me kindly, I look in his eyes and see that they are kind.

I stop screaming.

“That’s a good girl. My name is Walter, I will take you to a very nice Nurse who will make sure you’re ok. Is that ok? Can you come out?” He says softly.

I nod and climb out of the tree trunk. He’s a very tall man. I have to look right up to the sky to see him.

He notices my bent and stretched neck and drops to his knees. “I’m not going to hurt you. You don’t have any shoes on, the ground is rough. Can I carry you to the Nurse?” He asks.

I nod.

He picks me up and gently carries me through the woods. “Can you tell me your name?”

“My name is Eve. I’m six years old. My mother was an Omega. I’m an orphan,” my little voice squeaks.

I’m terrified.

I don’t know where I am.

“It’s ok little one. We’re going to look after you.”

I relax in the kind man’s arms as he carries me through the woods. The man with him looks mean, his eyes are not kind.

“We must take her to Alpha Charles,” the not kind man, Arthur, says.

“I don’t know what he plans to do. Something doesn’t sit right. Why are we raging this war when he doesn’t even know what the child looks like? All he knows is that the child is female and nine years old. How does he know the child has been abducted if he doesn’t know who the child is?” The kind man, called Walter says.

“Hush now, if he hears that kind of talk, we will be killed, or worse, exiled. Turned rogue. He is the Alpha; he knows things we don’t. But I don’t know how we will look after all these children. Marcus said that twelve have been found. This one here, makes thirteen. I don’t like thirteen. But we must do as we are told,” the not kind man frets.

My eyes feel heavy as the kind man carries me; I force them to stay open. I don’t feel safe. I can’t sleep.

“Alpha Charles is growing impatient, let’s get a move on,” the kind man says.

“I can’t see anyone else out here, let’s go back to the group with the child. One of the thirteen has to be the child that he is looking for.”

“Alpha, we have found another child. There’s no one else alive out here,” the nice man says.

“Is it male or female?” Their Alpha asks.

“Female, Alpha, sir.”

“Stick her with the other females,” he orders.

“What of the boys?” The nice man asks.

“Kill them, they are of no use to me,” the mean Alpha instructs.

“Sir, they are children!”

“Don’t question me. Throw the girl in with the others and kill the boys. I’ve had enough and want to go home,” the Alpha uses his in-charge voice.

“Yes, Alpha,” the nice man says, showing his throat.

“What of the girls? What do we do with them?” Asks the not nice man.

“We keep them and see if they can tell us who the gifted child is. If they don’t talk, we wait until they have their wolves. If they aren’t the gifted wolf, or matched with mates within Mountain View, we will either sell them, kill them or use them as a pack whore,” the nasty Alpha says.

“Please don’t worry child. I will look after you as best I can,” the nice man whispers to me as he carries me to where his Alpha has instructed.