Lyra's POV
That night I walked faster than usual, head turning at the faintest sound. I was on edge every time I thought of Alpha Kael.
He was on to me.
His eyes were coated with suspicion and doubt fluctuating throughout the night.
By the time I reached my rented apartment, I collapsed on the floor like a train wreck, a silent sob was further cushioned behind my palms as I covered my face.
Kenny and Marigold must be asleep, I couldn't wake them.
SuddenlyI heard soft padded steps approaching me, quickly I wiped my tears off with the back of my hand.
"Marigold, you're awake?" I said almost cheerfully, burying any residue of sadness before my eyes met hers.
"I am ma'am," she responded, wrapping her shawl over my shoulders, "tired?"
"I'm exhausted," I confessed.
Body, mind, heart …. Every fiber just wanted to remain on the floor, maybe then some of my drained energy would return to me.
"How's Kenny?" I asked, already heading towards the bedroom.
"A fussy one he is, I don't know why but it was harder to put him to sleep tonight…I finally managed half an hour ago," she said just as I reached his wooden cradle.
I stared at him, carefully measuring each breath I took so that I would not end up accidentally waking him.
He looks so much like that man.
So much that it hurts.
"T-thank you for everything you do, M-marigold, I know what I pay you isn't even worth half your effort," I hugged her shawl.
She scrunched her face.
"Madam Lyra, I've always told you to stop saying silly things like that…you and Kenny, you're the closest thing I have to a family,"
Unshed tears burnt in the corner of my eyes, Marigold had no idea who I really was. What I'd done in the past.
She accepted me wholeheartedly, and I couldn't bring myself to tell her anything about my wretched pass lest one day she is confused for an accomplice.
I gripped the cradle with a kind of determination I hadn't felt since the morning I stole that medallion.
"Marigold, if things ever go south…you know where I keep the secret stash of cash, take it, grab Kenny and–"
"What do you mean by that, Madam?" She said her voice split in the middle between concern and anger. "You're almost making it sound like something is going to happen to you,"
"Something might," I said honestly. I do know that the thing that might happen was that one of the most feared alpha in the territories would find out that I was a presumptuous thief and punish me.
If I chose to pack our things tonight it would be as good as placing a target on our backs because he was already suspicious of me.
I already knew what my eventual fate was since I couldn't seem to bear to be separated from the medallion.
Even if I somehow mustered the strength to do it one day, he would probably still find me and make me pay for stealing from him.
I didn't really care if anything happened to me.
But Kenny…Marigold…
I had to protect them.
"Nothing will happen to you madam Lyra and even if something does…" I came over, placing my hands on her shoulders before she could say anything and she paused, both of us spoke to each other in whispers in order not to wake Kenny.
"Promise me Marigold…"
"I can't promise such a thing madam lyra I–"
"Promise me!" I raised my voice as high as a whisper could allow, my head falling as my fingers rested on her shoulders. "I'm begging you Marigold, please…"
Her expression softened completely, "Then promise me something too,"
'Anything," I said immediately brightening up.
Her smile was there too but not as genuine.
"Promise me you'll fight, promise me you won't give up until you know there's absolutely no other way out…"
The tears came silently and Marigold pulled me to her shoulder as I wept.
I had left Mystic hollows for something shy of a year now, my family and the pack members didn't care. I'm almost sure of it.
Now this was a woman I had only known for a couple of months, looking gutted at the thought that anything could happen to me, accepting me without even knowing what skeletons I had in my closet.
I stayed there a little longer, crying until I was too tired from sleep to keep standing.
"Uehh! Uehh!!" I was woken by Kenny's cries, I slipped off the bed and made a bee line over to his cradle.
"Morning my precious–" I stopped abruptly, a flash of recognition slapping me across the face when I saw my baby.
It was his baby too.
It was as though he looked more like Alpha Kael than he did yesterday.
I reached down, pulling him up from the cradle, swaying him from side to side until he calmed down.
I reached my finger out to him and he squeezed it. I knew it was just a subconscious thing for babies but it felt reassuring during a morning that already had the weight of the world on my shoulders.
Of course these precious moments with him were loved but short, soon I had to hand him over to Marigold and immediately begin preparing for work.
By the time I had some breakfast inside me, I felt like I was ready to take on the world.
Or at least not collapse during the morning shift.
I arrived at clawfire, coming in through the back as I always did.
"Don't ever come in through the front, it'll look bad for business," that was all and the only explanation madam Beatrice ever gave me.
I guess it was just another way to stress that in her eyes, I was an outsider.
Honestly, she puts so much effort in making me feel excluded. Maybe she could take some of that and…
"Morning?" My heart nearly jumped out of my mouth when I saw who greeted me.