After some more begging and doubtful assurances, Anthony made up his mind and succumbed to his queen’s wishes. He had no idea on what the king would say to him when he knows this but for some reason, he understood the queen. He has been a witness himself of the sad and long nights the queen had to endure because of her pregnancy. She couldn’t go wherever she wants, couldn’t even eat whatever she craved. Everything was delineated.“We’ll leave an hour before midnight, my queen. I’ll pick you up from your room. Don’t forget to wear the hoodie. The one you used before.”Harper’s eyes twinkled with the great news. Alas, she has an accomplice to actualize her plans!“Thank you, Anthony. I will forever look at this as an eternal debt.”She stood up and shook Anthony’s hand. After some more clarifications on their agreement, Anthony left the queen’s room and went back to his daily task. At the back of his mind was worry that somehow, someone from the camp may see them and tell the king. Bu
Fear was contagious. With her hand holding Grandma Laura, Harper felt like the fear she saw on the old woman’s eyes was also transferred to her system through the touch of their fingertips.“What do you want me to do, Grandma?” – Her voice was shaking“I know what I said is hard… but you must understand, it has to be. If you don’t get out of this situation, you cannot get out of it anymore. I don’t want to see you hurt.”Harper bit her lower lip. A habit she does when she’s trying her best not to cry. “It’s… it is too much Grandma. Why do I have to run away? Just because he’s the son of Alpha Draco doesn’t mean he would become exactly like him. It just doesn’t make sense.”“Doesn’t it?”Laura let go of her granddaughter’s hand. Being her guardian for the last 22 years, she could say she’s the one who knows her the most. She’s the one who’s seen her development through the years. By that, she has to say that this hesitance was only coming from one root: Harper’s in love with the Lycan
She’s never seen a night as dark as this. The trees appear like ghostly shadows over faint moonlight. The wind was nowhere, making the stillness create an eerie experience for someone who fears for her life. The pregnancy was making Harper move with difficulty and more care. She concealed her bump under the hood, with her back pack slipped on both her shoulders. It felt twice the struggle, but she’s determined to leave. Alora has gone back to the camp shortly after Harper left. She had to stop and got rid of the mud on her sandals’ soles because it’s making it extra heavy. That caused her delay. When she came back to the camp, Alora noticed that the light on the wolf queen’s room was on. From the windows, she peaked inside on whether Harper was still awake or not. What she saw was an open cabinet where the queen’s things were, only that this time, it’s empty. Then by that, she knew her plans were starting to unfold. Finally.“What are you doing here, miss Alora?”Or so she thought
Mrs. Keevah paid for the bottled water and a tissue-wrapped tuna sandwich at the counter. Harper was observing her every move while sitting on a chair not so far from the cashier. Her right hand was under her bosom, cradling the baby inside. So far, nothing suspicious has happened about this woman yet. She seems… well-meaning. It’s hard to think and believe that kindness still exists in this cruel world but maybe, this once, Harper met someone who has no ill intent towards her. Maybe.“Here. Eat up. They have the best tuna sandwiches here.” – she said and winkedHarper hesitated to pick up the sandwich. It was right there in front of her, right next to a chilled bottled water. “Thanks, Mrs. Keevah.”“Don’t mention it. I’m just glad to help.”Mrs. Keevah smiled. Harper noticed she was losing one canine. The woman sat across hers. Weirdly, she didn’t buy anything for herself and only observed Harper as she indulged on the sandwich.“You didn’t buy anything for yourself.”“Nah, it’s fi
Five minutes from now, Damon and Asher would reach the camp and the enthusiasm was getting ahead of the Lycan king. It has only been 24 hours but he longed to see the pregnant queen and kiss her belly. A tradition for him. “Thank you for keeping me company, Asher. I feel like I haven’t thanked you enough.”Asher was only two steps behind of the king, still trying to catch up mobile signal so he can notify Alora that they’re close to the camp. He was waving his phone all around, catching up any signal so he could send a message. He has been failing to find one since they entered the forest.“Don’t mention it my king. It’s what I came here for.”The king nodded. Finally, he saw the roofs of the houses of the camp, with the common room towering over the rest. A smiled flashed on his face. He brought some wild, glowing flowers from the Woodfawn as a present to the queen. She’s a fan of flowers and the rarity of this one would surely make her blush. “We’re almost there. Come on.”He quic
“I need you to get out of my sight, Anthony. For now.”Anthony didn’t know what the king meant with “for now” but he gave a bow and excused himself from his presence. When he was on the door, he sighed. At least the hard part of coming clean is over now. He stepped out of the common room and saw that Alora was still outside, sitting on one of the cut tree trunks. “Is he angry? “ – she askedAnthony shrugged, not feeling to start any sort of conversation with anyone. What he knows is that all his life, he has been loyal to the Lycan king, and his father before him. The look of disappointment on Damon’s eyes was too much to bear for him. He felt like he’s failed as a soldier.Alora glanced at the common room’s door. She’s certain the king was alone inside his room, perhaps contemplating on what’s the next step he should do. Alora lifted her skirt and walked back to the door. The king was clueless of her denial from last night. Perhaps she can be of any assistance now. She raised her
Harper woke up with the sound of crackling fire and sizzling pans. She has no watch nearby but the blinding sunlight from the windows told her it wasn’t long before high noon. To add, the sounds of cars hurrying to their destinations weren’t much of a lullaby either. “Good, you’re awake.”A voice of a woman woke her up, together with the gentle pat of her hair. Harper opened her eyes to see Mrs. Keevah smiling down at her. Her hair was pulled up on a bun and she was wearing a red apron. That’s why the pans were noisy, she thought. “Was I sleeping long?” – she asked, looking at the window and the bright sun outside.“It’s fine. You needed rest. I apologize for bringing you to the market.”Harper frowned, recollecting what has happened before she fell asleep. It didn’t take her long to realize that she was indeed sick. She remembered she was waiting for Mrs. Keevah in a chair outside the wet market but her pregnancy got in the way. She felt extra sensitive with the smell and she could
Alora doubled her pace to keep up with Damon. The two were wearing a hoodie at noon time, and the humidity made it times worse. Alora could feel her sweat underneath the hoodie and her dress. To travel in the middle of the day was something different than how it was the night before. When traversing this path at night was scary and terrifying, doing it in midday felt uncomfortable. The brightness of the sun makes their discovery easy and possible.Damon was quiet since they left the camp. He was only walking fast and advancing twice than her. She, on the other hand, was trying to keep up. Her phone within her grasp, she knows this is going to be a serious talk with Laura. Only that she’s only there to listen. “My king, aren’t we there yet?”She was growing impatient. Why does the path appear longer than the night before?“Almost there. I thought you went here last night?”“I did… but as what I said, I only followed the two of them. I haven’t been good in directions all my life.”“I