6

Rossi Giraldo.

I swear I wanted to think about the positive part of this whole problem, knowing that it was better and healthier for Thomas to grow up in an environment where his natural instincts were considered normal, so even though it was still hard for me to fully process everything that happened with his body and his behavior during his development, he knew that an environment for him was somewhere where there were people similar to him.

After all, he was my son, I couldn’t abandon him, I was unconditionally tied to him, because after all he was innocent, he wasn’t to blame for everything that had happened or for how he really was, and I had no fault either. The guilt of having become pregnant, precisely because everything happened against my will.

“Where we go?” he asked, as I buttoned up the little overalls he was wearing.

“To a better place, honey. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything and make sure you’re okay.” I answered, trying to hide the worry and all that anxiety that I carried with me.

Yes, it really was difficult. Although the advantage was notable, in the same way the uncertainty corroded me inside, because in any case I was not sure that this gangster was telling the truth; I thought that there was a chance that he had been lying to me and that in the end he was trying to drag me into some event that would not end well for me.

But it is that I had no other option but to accept, that man, although it meant my worst nightmare, seemed to be my only alternative. Because he really seemed willing to get in my way somehow. And I, having a son, knew that the best thing for me was to accept the conditions of that alpha who is a tough man from the mafia.

“I’m hungry, mommy,” Thomas tells me.

“On the way during our trip I will buy something for you to eat.” Promised.

“But the food they sell around doesn’t satisfy me completely, mommy.” He answered with a tone of pleading complaint. “I always leave hungry.”

“Okay,” I placed my hands on the sides of his shoulders and looked into his eyes. “Let’s make a Deal. If you eat what I ask you, during our trip, then when we reach our destination I will take care of getting raw meat of some animal for you to eat. Okay?”

“What kind of meat?” He continues asking, with a sweet and innocent tone of voice.

“Um.” I looked to the side, thinking of the most convenient answer, and looked at him again. “Beef, bull meat. The kind they sell at the butcher shop. I promise I’ll get a good, fairly fresh portion, from an animal that hasn’t been dead long and is still dripping with blood.”

He looked to the side under his breath, as if considering whether to accept or protest. Thomas was innocent and at times somewhat shy, a child of not many words, but in the midst of his partial ignorance, my son was also rebellious, somewhat untamable, a bit callous and uncaring. Maybe it was an instinct inherited from his father or maybe it was something typical of werewolves.

“Why can’t I be free to kill some animal? I want to eat from a live animal.” His slightly pleading little eyes looked up at me.

I swallowed.

“Someday you will be able to do it, I promise you. Meanwhile it is better to behave in front of common people. Because they wouldn’t understand the kind of person you are, honey. For now it is better that no one knows that you like to do this kind of thing.”

This time he decided not to investigate the subject further, so I combed his straight hair and with my bags packed, I left there with my firstborn. Outside, a black car with an armored appearance was waiting for us. Normally I was used to those types of vehicles, because after all, I was an expensive prostitute. But I’ve never felt such anxiety as at that moment, when I was apparently going off with strangers of my own free will.

But not. Well, the unfortunate truth that filled me with a silent impotence. It’s that anyone with the kind of abnormality and influence that Dorian had, could easily blackmail me with any matter that concerned my son. After all, all I had was Thomas, there was no mother or father for me, I was someone’s protector, but no one was my protector, so I was always aware that I had to be strong and put up with anything.

The road seemed eternal to me, more worrying for me because once inside the car, Dorian’s men covered our eyes with dark blindfolds so that we would not look at the road during the journey. I had to lie when explaining to my little son the reason for all this, I said that it was a game with a surprise ending.

Thomas was often cruel to some animals because he saw them as food, but on the other hand he also tended to be too naive, perhaps to the normal and appropriate degree for a child his age. The important thing is that he always trusted me.

“Still a long way?” he said during the trip.

“I don’t know, honey. I am also playing this game. Trust me, everything will be fine.”

“Will we win this game?”

“We have to do everything right, that way we could win. One of the rules is to obey your mother at all times.”

“Can you see where we’re going right now?”

Also at that moment I had to lie to him, I didn’t want him to be afraid, because I was also blindfolded and feeling kidnapped, because whatever it was and even if Dorian embellished the situation with nice and appropriate words, this was nothing more than a kidnapping. For blackmail.

“Yes darling.”

“And how is the place where we are going?”

I only knew that we were in a black car, a Hummer with an almost military appearance, but I didn’t know anything else, nor what direction we were heading, nor exactly how much time we had on the road.

I wrapped my arms around his small waist, Thomas was sitting on my legs and his back leaned against my abdomen.

“We are going on a gray road, there are big green trees flanking the road. I see some birds flying overhead, the sky is very blue, and there are other cars passing by from time to time. There is nothing surprising.”

“The trips are amazing and fun, mommy. Because you hardly ever take me on trips.”

He reminded me of that without the intention of hurting me or bringing that detail up to my face, because it was true, normally I preferred to always keep my son at home, since having him in public places was a constant risk. The last few times I’ve urged him to interact with other kids his age, it’s ended in an accident with Thomas clearly at fault.

“Then let’s enjoy this trip.” I motivated him, despite the fact that my mind was a jumble of contradictions before that phrase of encouragement previously said.

I only know that we got out of the car, with the help of a pair of hands that guided us all the time. One of them suggested that they help me with my son, but my eyes were still blindfolded and that way less than ever I wanted them to take my son away from me.

The loud sound of propellers reached our ears, even the strands of my hair shook.

It was a helicopter, no doubt. They put earmuffs on us and we were in the heights for about two hours. I also did not know in which direction we were going or even what the environment around us was like at that moment.

I tried to stay calm, but my son had a fairly developed sense of hearing just the same, because as he came down from there and up the stairs of what I assumed was a private jet, he brought up the topic of conversation.

“Your heart is beating so fast, mommy. Like a drum.”

“Yes, it’s the thrill of the game.”

“Are you afraid?”

“Fear?” I couldn’t help but stutter. “No, honey. I’m not afraid. Possibly we are already about to win ”.

“It’s just that I know how your heart beats when you’re afraid, mommy.”

“Okay, yes. I’m a bit scared. And it’s fear that we can’t win the game.”

“I want to know what the prize will be.” He said with a little spark of emotion.

“If we ask them to tell us right now what the surprise is, then there will be no surprise anymore.”

“This is boring.” he complained in a mildly whimsical voice.

“The suspense is not boring. In fact, I have something for you that you might find exciting.”

“What is that thing that I might find exciting?”

“Do you still remember that time when you asked me about your father?”

There was a silent pause between the two of us, now it wasn’t as loud as when we’d been in the helicopter.

“Yeah. You told me that when I was older you would explain to me who my father is.”

“Would it be alright if I start telling you about your father?”

“I just want to know where he is, and what he is like. And why did he leave?

“Well. There are things that you could know right now and others that you will know at the most appropriate moment.”

“You never tell me exactly when the right time will be. I feel like you’re cheating on me.”

“Anything I do is for your own good, and you must trust that. At the moment I am your only friend, so you must be on my side, because we are a team, we will always be a team.

“Alright.”

“So?”

“I want to know.”

“How do you imagine that he is your father?”

There was another silent pause, waiting for an answer from him was something that gave me a slight anxiety.

“Big, strong. Handsome. And also like me.”

“Like you?”

“That he likes— you know— eat—”

“Probably yes.”

“Yeah?”

“Maybe. But, since it’s been a while, I’m not sure what his current way is like. So you have to be cautious.”

“Do you know where he is?”

“We’ve already arrived at the place, ma’am.” I hear the voice of one of the people who had been silently escorting us, it was a man.

My heart stopped for a moment before resuming its pace at a much faster rate than before. It was a long trip, it was rather strange that Thomas did not ask for water, food or to go to the bathroom. But now we had arrived.

Anxiety was taking me by the neck.