Chapter 33

The sounds of the spoons clacking the curves if our bowls were what accompanied the lonely silence to interflow with. It was around nine in the night, having dinner with Sheryl within the four walls on the land unknown to me, no one was around and my mind couldn't find anything amusing to hang on to.

"Heaven?" Sheryl asked from another side of the long rectangles dining table.

My eyes crawled up to hers from my untouched bowl.

"This will pass," she consoled.

I nodded with no hope, my hand guiding my spoon around the food but to where it should go.

Right now, I was pitying myself like the one whose soul was sucked out mercilessly, one would even like to die if they lived the sayings in my shoes.

"Heaven?" She called again. "Did you see the news?"

I shook my head, I wasn't ready to see myself, how would I be curious to see what the news said.

She gulped, her shaky hand reaching for a glass of water. "Alpha Lucas knows you are with me and publicly announced to meet us somewhere privately tomorrow with him, he wants.... you back and gave an address—"

"Publicly?"

"Hmm," she mumbled dolorously. "He wants us to meet there sharp at eight in the morning, I know the place and it's by a river. He said he would give me my children if I hand you to him.".

"But I don't want to go to him," I blurted, and didn't remorse a bit if what I said.

"I know," her voice croaked. "Even I don't you to be anywhere near him, but—"

"But you want them back, I understand," I completed. "I'll go."

"Huh?" She looked like deer caught in the headlights.

"You don't have to—"

"I want answers, he might not know about what you told me. He would stick to his good self, he'll respect my decision for a show even if it goes against his principles, if he tries to mess with me I'll show him how wrong he was to even think of it," I said, getting up and going to my designed room with an empty stomach, which loathed itself to even deserve a spoon full of food.

Sleeping was one hard thing to latch with no anxiety. This had happened before and it was happening again, the only matter was that I was a teenager before and an adult now with the same teenage mind.

Collecting the true intentions of people wasn't anyone's piece of cake, for me it was as tough as climbing Mount Everest, examples were my mother and my mate. Lol, both starts with m and their names start with L, Lucas and Laura. My life sucks, it sucked for both I and dad.

Nightmares had knocked the windows of my eyes, haunting me with their obsidian shapeless form when my mother left us and dad death followed soon. The lifeless red eyes of a father with tears falling down, staring at me never brought sleep to me and the same thing was happening right now.

I couldn't sleep, fed up with crying. I stared at the dark night through the windows, curtains dancing on the tips of cold wind.

Clicking noise of the wall clock was enough to pull me in a trance, I didn't comprehend when I slept and woke up to look at the same window, sunless morning.

Sheryl had helped me up by making breakfast and furnishing good cosy woollen grandma-like jackets to avoid the cold.

I wrapped a shawl around my body in an Indian style, pushing strands of my hair behind my ear while steeping between the pebbles to avoid any imbalance. The sounds of the water running and hitting that the rocks between brought another wave cold shiver, it was early in the morning what can you expect?

Sheryl was with me too, due to her age she was a bit slow and careful on her way.

Other sets of footsteps caught my eyes, I carried my gaze up to the men at a distance heading towards us.

My eyes connected with the honeys which brightened at my view.

"Heaven?"

I stopped with a good distance between us. Jace and a few other members were with him too, even though we weren't alone, the men who accompanied Sheryl were hidden somewhere around too. Of course, Sheryl couldn't bring me all the way to her hideout with no help.

My eyes escorted to Ava and Michael, their hands tied, blood on their lips and nose along with some bruises. They weren't in their best condition, Ava wasn't my favourite person but my heart twisted at her condition.

"Are you alright?" He asked, inching forward whilst raising his hand for me to take. The worry in his eyes churned to the light of relief.

"Do not step forward," I commanded to which he ceased at the spot.

He narrowed his brows. "What happened?"

"Cut the crap and let Ava and Michael come here."

Sheryl pressed her hand on my shoulder, silent support of being with me.

He glanced at them then came to look back at me with a puzzled look. "What are—"

"Shut it, Lucas," I snapped. "It won't work on me anymore."

"What are you talking about?" He asked.

"It is true?" I zeroed my concentration on him, noticing every contour of his face. "You using me?"

"Using you?"

"Just tell me, are you using me for your project? Sheryl told me everything. Is it true that you have been playing with my emotions to mess with me?* Deep down I wanted him to call all this bullshit and say they were wrong.

I noticed Jace's frown, but it was nothing compared to the puzzle of Lucas' look, he was stunned. He blinked a couple of times, the air between us silent for a moment with no resonance.

"Sheryl told you about this?" He carefully inquired, casting a look at the middle-aged woman beside me.

"Just tell me," I whispered. "The truth."

He sighed, his honey going hard like a stone as he curtly assessed with that look. "What will you do if it's true?"

The beat of my heart ran on a marathon, fighting it's way out through my chest. The water-filled the open page of my eyes, ready to leak again.

"Is it true?" It was more like a whimper.

It didn't change the outline of his face, it remained solemn.

"I guess it can't be helped," he huffed.

"It's true," he conceded. "I accept the mate bond was there but you were only a piece of my plan. I did feel bad using you this way but I'm sorry who has to come to me. I'm glad I don't have to put on an act anymore, so why don't you behave like a good girl and come to me."

"In your dreams," I balled my hands. "How dare you play with my emotions. Do you know how happy I was when I actually found a genuine person to lean my head-on? You stomped my trust like a used cigarette."

"How could you even think I would like you?" he mocked. "I curse my life because of you. What can a human leader do for my pack? Huh? You can't even stand straight in front of them and you think I would forget my whole world and lie in your arms and love you to bring anything in your hands. Do you think you can brim me with your love? I stayed virgin all because it will strengthen my power when I do it with you. You are a fool, Heaven. An actual FOOL, you hear me."

A fool.

That was what I was for him.

A worthless fool.

A sob broke it's way out as my brain staggered to arrange the sane signals in my skull, failing to do its job, my body felt weak as my foot slipped clumsily.

Sheryl on time caught my arm, yells rushed through my eardrums as I felt the colour drain from my face, watching fall dots cover my eyes.

"Stay awake, Heaven!"

***

I opened my eyes again, my head laying on a soft white pillow which matched with blankets draped over my skinny form.

The room was unfamiliar with the light green walls along the IV and oxygen mask connected to my body. It gave away the fact that I was in the hospital—more like an undeveloped clinic with dark colour stains decorating the ceiling and the walls.

Sheryl was the first person which caught my vision. She was weeping on the stool beside me in her hands. I wondered what had happened, the function of my brain weak and begged for some rest.

Movements from my body called on her instincts as she looked at me and leaned forward to touch my arm.

"Where is he?* I whispered in the mask.

"Huh?" She bent forward to hear clearly.

"Where is Lucas?"

"He left," she said coughing a bit. "I-I told him to meet us again tomorrow and I forced him to go away."

"Why?" I frowned.

"We don't want him and his tails trailing behind us, do we?" She rubbed the tears under her eyes, they were red and puffy just like how I felt mine were. "My men made sure of it. We'll go and meet him tomorrow, alright?"

"What about Ava and Michael?"

She looked down at her hand, sadness outlining her aura. "He will give them back when you safely go back to them."

"You should've—"

"Don't say," she said. "He won't hurt them further. I can guarantee you. My children are strong, they will manage. You, my dear, are vulnerable and as a mother, I should do anything to save my children."

A tear trailed down the side of my face, hiding away in my hair. At this rate I felt that I would run out of salty liquid to cry any, my life was crazy behind ups and downs, you would've no idea when you start liking a person and when you find they betrayed you.

But when I look at her, I see the old Sheryl surfacing.

I see the glimpse of a mother in her.

But the question is—

Where is my life heading now?