Chapter 62

“And what’s that?” I asked curiously.

What could he offer that would be great enough to entice anyone to surrender their newfound treasure?

“Half of everything I own will be given to the one who brings the necklace within a week. The announcement will be made tonight.”

“Rowan, you would do that for me?”

“Yes, my love. I meant it when I said that you’re the light of my life. I would rather die than watch you die. You are my life.”

“Rowan…”

“Yes, Jade. I live for you and I’ll be damned if I let one stupid necklace steal you away from me. You’re mine forever.”

Whatever I had to say was swallowed up in tears. My love embraced me and consoled me as I wept. I was overwhelmed with love and gratitude for him.

How could he offer to share everything that was his with someone who may not be worthy of it just because of me?

After he sent the word out, there were murmurs of disagreement across the pack. I wasn’t surprised, in fact, I had expected it.

Then there was the issue of his dead mother whom he killed to defend me. That did not go down well with his siblings, especially his sisters.

“We have heard so many stories about you, Luna Jade,” said Reese. “But we never imagined that a time would come when our lives would be in danger just so you can live.”

“I’m so sorry,” I apologized to her solemnly.

“What good is your apology?” Rita fired at me. “Our mother is dead because of you!”

“How did you manage to manipulate our brother to the point of killing his own mother?” Reese asked me. “Did you bewitch him?”

“No, I don’t have such powers,” replied.

“I don’t believe you,” said her sister. “Especially now with this necklace business. Rowan is about to give away half of his kingdom just to find it!”

“Do you realize that our inheritance is also at stake now? Your daughter might be left with nothing when all of this is over.”

I understood their anger and it hurt me to see how much emotional pain my situation was causing them. It wasn’t fair!

“I am so sorry,” I said sadly.

“Save it!” Reese barked at me. “What more do you want from us?”

“Come on, sister. Let’s leave before she orders Rowan to kill us too.”

They swept out of the room angrily, leaving me behind to weep in my bed. The sacrifice Rowan was making to keep me alive was just too much. I wasn’t sure if I was worth that much trouble.

I struggled to drag myself out of bed. I didn’t need to think too much about what to do next. My circumstances have determined that for me. I only hope that the ones who truly love me will forgive me for what I’m about to do.

“I wish I could have ended this,” I said aloud as I crawled towards one of the large windows in the room.

I was in so much pain but I did not stop moving forward. When I reached the nearest window, I climbed on it and sat on the edge to catch my breath.

“Here goes,” I whispered to myself.

I swung my right leg over the sill and then followed it with the left one. It was a chilly morning and the wind was biting my face.

“What a perfect day to die,” I said and sucked in my last breath.

“Jade!”

I turned around to look at who had called me and my hand slipped from the edge of the window. Suddenly, I was free falling from the third floor of the Highlands palace.

Even a cat could not survive this fall. It was finally over for me.

***

“Wake up, sleepyhead.”

I blinked and then opened my eyes. It was a sunny summer morning and I was lying down in the meadow. This was the same place Damian and I always came to whenever we needed some peace and quiet away from his brothers.

He was smiling at me and chewing absently on a blade of grass.

“Damian?”

“Yes, that’s my name,” he chuckled. “You had a really long nap. I think we better go back home before my brothers send a search party to find us.”

I tried to sit up and noticed an obstruction in my middle. I looked down and was confronted with a huge bump.

“I’m pregnant?”

Damian laughed. “Did you hit your head on the ground when you lay down? Why are you acting weird?”

I had never been this confused in my life. What was going on?

“Come on, let’s go,” he said and held out his hand to me.

I let him help me to my feet. It took me a moment to get used to the weight of my large belly in front of me.

Damian folded the quilt I’d been lying on and tucked it under his arm and then he took my hand and we began our stroll home. I didn’t know how to ask him what was happening without sounding crazy.

Wasn’t he and his brother dead? Which baby was I pregnant with now? Was it Domarius or Nyla? Did I travel back in time? Was I dead?

“You’re unusually quiet this afternoon,” he commented. “Are you all right?”

“I don’t know,” I replied honestly. “I’m confused.”

“Must be the sun. I think we stayed out too long. Dominic would have my head for letting you stay out in the sun for hours.”

“I don’t think it’s the sun. I feel… lost.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Lost?”

“Yes. I feel as if I’m in the wrong place.”

Damian stopped walking. He placed his palm on my forehead to check my temperature. “Are you coming down with something?”

I shook my head impatiently and knocked his palm off my head. “I’m not sick! What’s going on? Why am I here?”

He looked puzzled. “Jade, what is it?”

“Am I dead?”

“Dead? What are you talking about? You’re here talking to me. How can you be dead? What’s the matter with you?”

“There has to be an explanation for this. Why am I here, Damian? You’re dead. You and your brothers are all dead. Even this baby is dead. Where is this place?”

He was staring at me with an open mouth as if I had two heads on my neck.

“I have to get you home quickly. This is more serious than I thought.”

“There they are! I was starting to worry that you two have gotten lost out there,” said Darius, coming from the direction of the cottage he shared with his brothers.

“Something’s wrong with Jade,” said Damian. “We have to get her inside quickly and call Nana to have a look at her.”

“Nana is alive too?” I asked.

The brothers exchanged looks and stared at me strangely.

“Take her inside. I’ll go get Nana right away,” said Darius and he sprinted away.

Damian hustled me into the cottage quickly. I was too confused to even argue.

“That took forever,” said Dominic who met us at the entrance. “What’s the matter with you, Jade? Why do you look dazed?”

“I think she’s coming down with something,” Damina answered on my behalf. “I’ve sent Darius to get Nana.”

“Is the baby ok?” Dominic asked, stepping out of the way for us to enter the cottage.

“I hope so,” said Damian. “Come on, darling. Sit down. There you go…”

He gingerly lowered me on the couch and added some pillows behind me for comfort.

“I’ll bring some water for you to drink,” said Dominic, rushing to the kitchen.

When he returned, I rejected the cup of water he offered me. “What is going on here?” I asked them with a frown. “Is this the afterlife? Am I dead too?”

“You see?” Damian said to Dominic. “She’s been talking strangely since she woke from her nap.”

“Did you have a nightmare?” Dominic asked me tenderly.

“No!” I shouted at him. I was losing my patience. “I did not have a nightmare. In fact, this is the nightmare. What is going on? How did I get here? Why am I pregnant again?”

“Again?”

“The last thing I remembered was falling off the palace window. I knew it was going to be a bad fall but I didn’t expect to be sent back in time or to another dimension.”

“What are you talking about?” Dominic asked me. He was mystified.

Darius and Nana came into the cottage just then. She looked just the way she did that year when I was newly pregnant with Domarius.

“Darling, what is it?” she asked, walking towards me in her usual waddle style.

I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Nana, what I am about to say might sound very crazy to you but I assure you that I am not crazy.”

“Ok,” she said, encouraging me to continue.

“The truth is, I believe that something happened to me in the real world that brought me here. I have lived this life before but not exactly like this.”

There was silence inside the cottage as everyone watched me warily. I could tell that they did not believe my claim of not being crazy.

“In the real world, you all are dead including this baby in my womb.”

“This is the real world,” said Darius. “I don’t know what happened to you out there but what you’re saying is nonsense. If we’re all dead, why are we still here talking to you?”

“That’s the part I don’t understand,” I admitted.

“Let’s not dismiss what she’s saying,” said Nana. “I’m sure there’s a perfectly logical explanation for this.”

“Perhaps we should involve the pack doctor in this matter,” said Dominic. “This situation is clearly beyond our understanding.”

“I don’t think this is a medical issue,” said Damian. “She doesn’t look sick.”

“I’m still here and I speak for myself. I don’t have a medical issue. Something strange is happening here and it’s not my fault!”

“Calm down, dear,” said Nana soothingly. “You may be right but you have to understand that this is strange for us too.”

The baby in my womb kicked me and I nearly jumped out of my skin. Everyone quickly surrounded me to see if I was ok.

“I’m fine,” I said, waving them away. “The baby kicked.”

“I thought you said the baby is dead,” said Darius dryly.

“He died when he was three years old!” I snapped at him.

“Did you see that in your dream?” Dominic asked. He looked panicked.

“Ugh!” I groaned. I was getting tired of this madness.

“Everyone, calm down,” said Nana soothingly. “I’m sure we will all figure this out eventually. Jade, you may be right about having lived this life before.”

“What?” asked Damian.

She silenced him with a look. Back to me, she said, “Perhaps fate is giving you an opportunity to relive your past life and correct the mistakes you made then.”

It sounded like a wild prospect but it was the only explanation that made sense to me right now.

“Maybe,” I said softly.

“Yes, maybe,” she agreed. “And maybe if you do things differently this time around, your future might turn out differently than it did the first time.”

“This is nuts,” Darius groaned.

I ignored him. “You might be on to something here, Nana. Maybe fate is giving me a second chance.”

“So, the baby will live this time around?” Dominic asked.

I shrugged. “We’ll see.”

“I don’t like that answer,” said Damian.

“Let’s take this new phase one moment at a time, shall we?” Nana said firmly.

“Sounds like a good idea,” said Dominic.

“Now that we have that awkward business straightened out, shall we have some lunch?” asked Nana.

I could see that she was doing her best to lighten the heavy mood in the cottage. Damian and Darius didn’t seem satisfied with Nana’s explanation.

“Since you’ve done this before, why don’t you tell us what we had for lunch on this day,” said Darius the cynic.

“Stop it,” Damian cautioned him.

“We’re having some pot roast with steamed vegetables and a side of buttered rolls,” said Dominic.

“Now, this is the part I miss the most about not being with you guys anymore,” I said with a delighted grin.

The brothers exchanged looks but said nothing. I chuckled internally. I found their discomfort amusing.

It would be fun to see how things would turn out this time around. Maybe this was a dream or another version of the chasm. Whichever the case was, it would be interesting to see how this ‘other life’ plays out.