Three.

FLASHBACK.

"Altalune, why don't you play a game with your brother?" My mother asked as we sat in the undersized hut. The dim orange glow from the rusty lantern barely made any difference from utter darkness. Our shadows were morphed into the clay walls, creating rather monstrous silhouettes of us.

She held Harding closer to her chest, he was as sweaty and as tired as both of us; if not more. He was too young to experience this. Way too young.

"No, Mother." My response was brief but coated with annoyance. I wasn't having any of my mother's lectures or patience. I shifted my gaze to Harding and flashed him a small smile that he returned, waving his little arm.

The wind whistled, shaking the branches of old trees and filling our ears with its vile screams. Any unusual rustling of dry leaves meant an increase in fear; the day wasn't completely dark yet—so much to our relief.

"Alta-"

"I do not want to have this conversation with you, Mother. I'd love to be left alone." I spat again, cutting off her words as she simmered in silence. I was mad that she was comfortable in such a disparaging environment. I was mad that she was patient.

We hid in an abandoned hut on the outskirts of SilverBow pack after word reached us that Alpha Lowe was out and ravaging more families of Blackbloods that he found. All these to null the prophecy. Today made it the twenty-seventh day of being cramped up in a hut made for one person.

"I'm sorry..." She breathed slowly. "I know this would get better soon. When all this is over, you will have a good life, I promise you." Mother wiped her dark hair off her face and caressed Harding's chin. It earned her a giggle from him, while I, on the other hand, snapped.

"You've been saying that since I was three, now I'm thirteen. When does this get better? When do we stop hiding!?"

"Keep your voice down...they might be close," she warned, motioning for me to sit but I refused to. I was frustrated, and I'd lost half my mind trying to understand why we had to live this way because of a prophecy that wasn't even confirmed!

"Well, let them! I am tired of living like a thief, Mother! I am tired. Should we continue to cower in fear then they'd end all of us! We were quiet when we lost Father! When we lost everything! If we don't fight, h-how then, how?!"

"Enough, Alta, enough! They could be nearer. Sit down!"

"No, mother. Maybe if I keep shouting you would realize how much of a coward you've been, how much of a coward we've all be-"

The rest of my sentence came out as a shriek after my mother slapped her across the face. I held my chin with tears welling up in my eyes. Like silence was a lethal weapon that stung the most unimaginable places, it hovered over us, taunting us and seconds ticked by like hours.

"You know nothing of my pain, child. No child of mine would ever fault me for trying to protect them!" Contrary to the anger in her voice, her face seemed to say the exact opposite, and for a brief moment, I could see the pain she tried to hide.

My feelings became a chain around my neck, and It had more control over me than I imagine. The chain got tighter making it a chore to breathe as time slowly waltzed by, and the room became a spiraling blur.

I could only think of one thing, leaving. Just for a brief moment to my safe spot. Maybe I'd see him again, and maybe he'd make me feel better. He didn't seem to be as dangerous as the others.

"I'd be back and I won't get caught!" Before she could protest, I raced out of the room into the cold, thick forest.

"Altalune! Altalune!"

#

"Altalune!" Tala's voice pulled me out of the trap in my head. We'd been traveling with the guards from Riverside to SilverBow.

The development still seemed like a fragment of my imagination and up until the morning, I hadn't realized how true it was. Was this fate? All my life, I'd prepped myself for the day I stepped foot in SilverBow. I have created scenarios in which I slit the throat of everyone who had caused me so much pain. Having it happen in reality seemed a little unreal.

"You're doing that thing again... where you get lost in your head and you don't even hear what I'm saying," Tala said, intertwining her arm with mine as we walked through thick greens and hovering trees. The guards before us rode on a carriage but refused to help with our luggage. I wasn't surprised, or disappointed. I expected less from these people.

"I'm sorry...I was just..." My voice trailed off because I didn't know what to say.

"It's okay, I get it. It's SilverBow and I know what it means to you. You'd be fine, Alta. You're the strongest person I know.... mentally and physically, but that doesn't matter right now because I will protect you. Tala is here to protect you, hm?" She jokingly flexed her muscles and it cracked me up.

She was three years younger and the exact opposite of what I was. Fair hair and brown eyes, with a face so beautiful she could be a goddess. Tala was perfection. I smiled and nodded slightly.

"Walk faster, peasants!" One of the guards spat and my anger rose right over the chart.

"Isn't that your mother's last nam-" Tala immediately placed her palm over my mouth and my intended derogatory statement turned into muffles.

"We... didn't mean that, sorry," Tala said to the guard, offering a wry chuckle before her gaze fell back to me, I was still struggling to get my message across, loud and clear.

"Altalune!" She whispered, "That guard looks terrifying, can't you see?"

I wriggled free from her grip, "All I see is that he is built like a gnome carrying around enough belly for four people, and I meant that just so you know..."

"No, you didn't," she argued, chuckling, "we're going to die in SilverBow because of you."

No, people were going to die in SilverBow but Tala wasn't included.

We arrived. We arrived!?

The guards led us past the pack where the normal day-to-day business activities went on, and soon, we were before a building that was without a doubt, the SilverBow manor. My muscles were tense and I began to panic, drawing in oxygen seemed like hard work. It was almost as though there was no opening for air inside of me.

The crest— I recognized it. A cloud of nervousness rolled down my stomach upon setting my eyes on it, and everything I thought to be defense threatened to come crashing down. My heart began to beat like a band of drums, threatening to tear its way out of my chest.

I felt Tala's hand snake around mine, and she offered a small reassuring smile. I faked one in return. Being in the enemy's lair wasn't an event that I had mastered, I was growing dizzy by the second.

The guard that accompanies us spoke to the guards by the manor's thick, gigantic gates and after a small moment, they swung open, producing a creaking sound that crawled into my skin in the most discomforting way. I tapped my fingers aggressively against my leg and drew in deep breaths. The air was heavy in there, or maybe I was the only one.

We walked in, and the main door opened accordingly. We were welcomed into the manor. For a brief second, I was enthralled by the looks of things in there. It was as though this were a completely different universe. Tala gasped.

The mansion's grand foyer had towering columns, a crystal chandelier, and oil paintings lining the walls. The place we were, which I took to be the formal living room was decorated in an opulent style, with armchairs and plush velvet sofas dynamically arranged. A crystal chandelier hung in the center of the room, casting a warm glow over the marble floor and reflecting off the grand surface of the grand staircase just a few steps away from us.

My gaze drifted from the marble fireplace to the grand piano that sat by the corner of the room, so inviting if I knew how it worked. The room was filled with natural light, steaming from the tall window that overlooked the manicured gardens outside.

I walked a little further and caught a glimpse of the elegant dining room with a long wooden table, ornate candelabras, and burgundy walls. Before I could see more, the guard harshly called me back and I returned to my place, making eye contact with Tala who was completely enthralled by the sight of things.

A young lady in uniform approached us and bowed slightly. I immediately concluded that she was a maid since a couple of others in the same uniform loitered around, busy with one thing or the other. Tala bowed in return but I saw no point in it. The maid tensed as she looked up at me.

Tala nudged me and I softened my gaze, I hadn't realized I was glaring at the poor girl.

"She'd be with you shortly," the maid said and scurried away.

She? Who's she?

Wait- no way!

Before I could play the game of agreement and disagreement in my head, a familiar voice halted the motion of things.

We all looked up at the woman who descended from the stairs and my head snapped with recognition. Her hair-

Those eyes...

As she approached, she paused, taking a deep breath to steady herself. With a regal bearing and confidence, her footfall echoed softly on the marble steps, each step deliberate and graceful. I seethed.

Her movement was fluid and controlled, as though she glided rather than walked. Her clothes draped elegantly around her as her eyes gazed confidently ahead.

The same blonde whom I'd spent my entire life waiting for appeared right in front of me. My blood burned with anger as she drew near.

But the thing was...my mouth hung open as my eyes fell to her torso.

She was...pregnant?