Chapter 16
Aurora
A twinge of sadness settled in the depth of my heart as I stared into the open field that sat below my window.
Like a magnet, I felt an invisible force of attraction towards the field that made me crave it badly.
Bored to death by sitting at home for days, I longed to spend my time in the field, running and enjoying the wind tossing my fur about with my tongue sticking out of my mouth in happiness.
I missed the feeling of my paws hitting the wet soil firmly before taking off and covering the length and breadth of the field without getting exhausted.
But I could only imagine it happening.
I wasn’t sure I was going to be allowed in the field again.
Dad made sure of it.
The day we raced into the night together was the last time we’d ever go into the field.
And with each passing day, I was already losing my mind. I longed to be anywhere except my room.
Dad made sure he provided all I needed and successfully shut me out of the pack with hefty guards guiding my room day and night.
The maids weren’t spared either, they were made to serve me in my room without engaging in any conversation with me.
Apart from the maids, no one made contact with me. Not even my parents.
When I asked after them, I was always given an excuse that they were busy with the affairs of the pack.
Were they too busy for their only daughter?
Or were they trying to get rid of me?
Did I do something wrong?
Were they tired of me and thought the best way to deal with it was to provide all I needed and abandon me?
I couldn’t stop the questions as they came in thousands. It only opened a path for fear in my heart.
What if they didn’t want me anymore?
In the blink of an eye, fear spread through my body system like a virus, contaminating my thoughts and leaving impurities in my head.
I struggled to remember the behaviour I might have exhibited that warranted their cold treatment but I couldn’t get a finger on any.
I have always been a good girl before I knew them as my parents and after.
But the night we ran in the field was the genesis of the appalling situation.
Despite thinking it through severally, I couldn’t state what I did wrong.
I was certain I didn’t offend them in any way.
But I was worried about their absence for days, it took courage to fight off the negative thoughts that stayed in my head.
My breath hitched when something popped into my head.
The mind-link. The mind-link my Dad received could have been the reason for their strange reactions. I could remember vividly that he was in a good mood before it changed rapidly.
He even offered to tell me a story.
But what could be the message he received?
Worry and fear clouded me as more frightening thoughts streamed into my head.
I needed to leave this room before I went crazy.
A sigh left my lips as I stood up and went to the door, turning the knobs but I hissed in annoyance when I found out that my door was locked from the outside…as usual.
Judging from the scents that slipped into my room from the other side of the door, I could tell there were four guards, manning my room as usual like their lives depended on it.
Among the guards were skilled fighters, trackers, and warriors.
I slipped further into confusion as another series of questions began forming in my mind.
Why was my father imposing heavy-duty guards to secure me?
Why was everyone now secretive in the pack?
I could sense danger ahead.
Something wasn’t right. But I couldn’t get a hang of it.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.
I was left in the dark, no one spilled a word to me. The guards were useless as they wouldn’t tell me anything when I tried to engage them in a conversation.
All those aside, I needed to go out of my room, I needed to see my parents and I needed to shift.
I would slowly go crazy if I spent more days abandoned inside my room.
Maybe I should escape.
I didn’t know how I would dodge the guards, but I’d escape somehow.
I knocked on the door, startling the guards as the sounds of their weapons rang in the air before they were calm.
“Open the door,” I yelled, banging the door hard, but none of them said a word.
“What the fuck is wrong with all of you. I am fucking tired of being restricted to my room for a week. I want to come out!”
The Knocks grew louder, but relief washed through me when the door flew open.
Happiness swelled in my heart and I almost did a quick dance but the presence of a maid stopped me from leaving my room.
“Eve!” I gasped in bewilderment, watching her with widened eyes.
“I’m sorry but you cannot go out,” she informed, keeping a straight face.
Confusion washed through me at her unwelcoming voice.
“Here is your food. When you are done, I’ll come pack it,” she instructed, turning to leave.
“Are we fighting, Eve?” I asked, studying her body language.
Hee actions screamed sadness and anger.
“Of course, we are not.” She laughed it off, placing the food on my glass table.
“Why the sudden change of attitude? And why can’t I get my food by myself?”
I was met with silence as her eyes conveyed unspoken words to me.
“This confinement is driving me crazy. Please, enlighten me. Please, Eve,” I pleaded, clasping my palms together desperately.
“We were instructed not to say this.” She looked away, taking in a tense breath.
“By whom? Why?”
“Your parents… because they don’t want you to be troubled.”
My brows creased in confusion as I stared at her. “To be troubled?”
“Look…” Her voice trailed as she looked away from me. Guilt forming on her face.
“The pack is under attack. It’s the worst attack this pack has recorded and so far, more than a hundred people died in the space of one week. Houses were destroyed as some were set ablaze by the unknown attackers while livestock were killed.” She stopped to catch her breath while my jaws dropped to the ground in shock.
“Your parents kept this away from you because they didn’t want to bother you. They are working tirelessly to end the attacks. They don’t want you out of your room, that is the reason we were sent to assist you. Outside your door are more than ten guards keeping an eye on you day and night.”
“Oh my goodness!” I exclaimed, covering my mouth with my palm.
That explained the emergency message my dad responded to that night.
“Hundreds of skilled warriors were deployed to fight against the attackers but only a few returned alive. All of them were injured. The pack is no longer safe. We are planning something but you have to promise me to stay in your room. I don’t want you to get killed.”
Her words hit me hard like a pile of bricks, weakening me to my bones as I didn’t know how to react.
I was dumbfounded by her words as tears burned my eyes.
While I was enjoying the comfort of my room while my people were murdered mercilessly by some terrorist.
Her hand gripped my face hard as her gaze was pinned on mine.
“Until everything is taken care of, you are forbidden from leaving your room. And If our plan doesn’t work, your father’s pack might be hijacked by some power-hungry bastards, and everyone would be killed or enslaved.”