“SecretsandLies”—Ruelle
“What is going on?” I asked the woman who had abducted me and my baby. The woman I was now certain was Nico’s mother.
“You should not ask questions,” she said as she sat a plate of food in front of me. “It’s not much, but you need to eat for the baby.”
We were in what looked like a conference room or classroom, sitting at the large table. She brought me a sandwich and some fruit with a bottle of water.
Before she could back away, I grabbed her wrist. Her startled gaze lifted to mine.
“I’m not stupid. I’m not going to try to hurt you, but I want some answers.” The Jasmine of a year ago would’ve been cowering by this time, likely nearly comatose. Though she may be lurking in the shadows of my mind, I was no longer that person. Irefusedto be that person again. “You’re Nico’s mother.” It was a statement, not a question.
Fear mixed with sadness shimmered in her eyes for a moment before she softly whispered, “I don’t deserve to be called that.”
“How can you take his child from him?” I asked, not letting up.
“You think I wanted to?” Tears filled her eyes.
“Well, you did,” I said, giving her an “are you serious” look.
She sighed as she cast a brief glance over her shoulder toward the door. “If Alpha hears you, he will kill you. He is angry at me for bringing you.”
“Who the hell is Alpha? Why are we here?” I quietly demanded.
“Because the pack has been keeping tabs on my son. Mostly to threaten me, to ensure I stayed in line.” When she said “son,” her voice wavered. “And Alpha is my husband.”
My mouth fell open as I stared. Words escaped me. It wasn’t until Ehria leaned forward to grab at the food on the plate that I was pulled out of my shock.
“Nico’s father is here?” I asked.
Her eyes went wide. “No! Alpha isnotNico’s father!”
I paused. “I’m so confused. Can you not talk in riddles and please tell me what the hell is going on? If you kidnapped me and my daughter, why are you locked in here with me now?”
“Alpha is deciding what to do with me,” she said as her eyes dropped. “It’s a long story.”
“Well, it would appear I have time,” I sarcastically replied. “We’re just chilling here having a good ol’ time.”
She gave a wry grin as she tucked a silver-streaked lock of hair behind her ear. Though she showed some age, she was stunning, nonetheless. “I can see why my son loves you. He would never have a good relationship with a woman who was weak.”
Little did she know, that was exactly how I used to feel. If it hadn’t been for Nico and our child, I may never have found the inner strength to work on my self-empowerment and worth. Again, I prayed he would find us soon. My heart was crying for him.
Ehria began to arch her back and fuss. She was getting hungry and tired. Likely, she also sensed my mood.
“Do you need to feed her?” Nico’s mother asked.
“Yes. You can fill me in while I do that,” I said as I freed my slightly engorged breast and placed my daughter to it. She quickly latched on. As she ate, she seemed intent on our conversation.
“When I was a baby, my parents betrothed me to Amos—Alpha. He was fifteen years older than me, but our parents wanted the match. Mine because Amos was heir to the line of Alphas if he proved himself, his because my family traces back to Genghis Khan on my mother’s side. We are a powerful family, but there hasn’t been a male in our line for generations. My father thought if he aligned me with the Alphas, we would create strong sons. What they didn’t expect was that I would sneak out as a teenager and fall in love with a human. Well, sort of.”
“Sort of? And God, that’s archaic.”
“Who are you telling? Nico’s father was named Nikolai Trinidad. He had the same gift as Nico does—he was human but, well, then some. Anyway, when we met there was… magic in the air.” Her eyes seemed to be distant as she spoke, and a soft smile curved her lips. “He was stunned when he met me because he couldn’t read me. I now believe it was because of my heritage. Regardless, he was the most beautiful man I’d ever met, yet fierce and bold. Back then, we were allowed to go to school in the town. I’d met him after school one day. It is because of me and Nikolai that the children are no longer allowed to leave the property.” She appeared sad.
“What happened to his father?” I asked softly as my daughter curled her small hand around my thumb.
“We would meet in secret as often as we could. At first we simply talked. Then talking led to… more.” Her cheeks flushed a becoming pink, and her smile returned. “We had been together for nearly a year. We planned that when I was eighteen, we would run away together. Except I fell pregnant a few months shy of that. I was so afraid. But he promised to keep me safe. One night after my family slept, I left. It was so dark that night. How I evaded the patrol as I snuck through the trees, I’ll never know. Nikolai was waiting at the road as he promised. We left and went to Montana thinking we’d be safe and after I turned eighteen, I could contact my parents and tell them where I was.”
“Obviously, that didn’t work?” I asked with a raised brow.