Lycan’s Realm.
Aniya couldn't tell how much time had gone by but she knew it wasn't much. A couple of days maybe, but that was as all that there was to it.
However, that didn't make her feel at ease at all. Arlo was doing so much better now and for that she was happy, but that still didn't get rid of her fears. Aniya knew that she was not accepted here, and she was constantly afraid of her food getting poisoned or someone attacking her and Arlo in their sleep; not that she got much sleep to begin with. She also hadn't seen Ikrus since her first day here.
She didn't know how to feel about that. He was the only one she knew here, besides Oana - her new friend, at least that was what she called herself.
She heaved a sigh as she paced around the room, patting Arlo's back to sleep.
Aniya missed her family.
She wanted to leave, this place wasn't for her nor was it for Arlo. She needed to get them out of here as soon as possible. There were no real plans in her head and she couldn't tell how far from home they were.
All she knew was that she had to run.
She sighed once again and turned to the door, her breath shaky with the thoughts that ran wild in her head, her lips were filled with blisters of how much she was biting them these days.
“Arlo…” she breathed. “Please, don't cry.”
Her eyes filled with tears as she watched the door once again.
It was opened.
Ever since she had been here, the door had never been opened like that. It was a small gap but it was enough.
Her heart raced as she moved closer to the door, hoping to find no one there while half expecting someone to be guarding it.
There was no one… and that was when her thinking stopped.
She rushed down the hallway, her mind in absolute chaos. Her steps were quick, her throat tight while sweat pulled in her armpits. She went down a stairway, then another. Suddenly, she met more and more people, their faces blurry to her, falling into the background of her mind, as her heart hammered even more in her chest.
There were murmurs.
They became more and soon enough she realized that they cleared a path for her, like she was a plague that they were scared of. She heard their horrific noises and soon enough, Arlo was crying.
Her feet hit the soil and she moved forward, her heart still racing, her senses still locked away with only one thing in the forefront of her mind; escape.
In her haste, she stumbled into someone and the person tossed her back with a force that sent her falling to the ground. Quickly, her arms went around Arlo to protect him, while the woman hurled an angry word at her in that language she didn't understand. Someone threw a fruit at her, another threw something else and soon they were stoning her with different vegetables and fruits, spitting out words that were certainly insults.
Arlo was crying now and her body wasn't doing enough to protect him.
How could she bring him into this?! How dare she not be a good mother to be able to protect him from this?!
“Please, stop. My baby! Please stop!” She begged but they didn't stop… not until there was a growl that stilled them with fear and sent some of them staggering back in terror.
Someone pulled her roughly away from the ground, taking Arlo from her while he carried in his other hand. The strange feeling that spread through her veins made her know who the person was without even sparing him a glance.
Tears ran down her cheeks while he carried her away, as she stared ahead at the faces of the people who had stoned her, their eyes were filled with disgust while they stared at her face - her scars.
From the corner of her eyes, she could see some guards dragging some of them away.
Their noises filled the air but everything sounded like a blur to Aniya.
It was like she was realizing just how far she was from home for the first time.
She was alone.
She had no one by her side, except this strange man who certainly had for her, evil purpose.
More tears rolled down her cheeks.
She had to be strong, if not for her, at least for her son.
For Arlo.
____
____
Ikrus tossed her roughly to the bed. She reached out for Arlo but he held onto the crying child.
Fear rushed through her lungs immediately.
Would he not give him to her? Was he going to take her son away?
“My son—”
“You will not do that again!” His voice boomed and she stilled in fear until she gulped, her outreached hands trembling. “Please, my son—”
This time, he handed Arlo to her and she pressed him against her chest quickly, trying to pat him to silence, while she picked some tomato peels off him.
“Look at what you have done to your child.” The words rolled off his thick tongue sounding difficult.
“Please, take us back. I’ll do anything, give you anything—” she begged with trembling lips.
“You will keep quiet about that,” he gritted. Even the dim light of the room could not hide the anger that sharpened his face.
Something about his anger made her angry.
“You can't expect me to stay here like a piece of furniture. Quiet and put, no! You haven't said a word to me, you haven't explained anything! Why have you brought me here? Why won't you let me go?”
He fists dipped into either side of the bed, restricting her.
“You are my mate.” There was almost something tender in that declaration yet rough, a kind of softness in those black eyes too but it could just be the trick of the light.
“By Ignas, not this stupid thing again—”
Anger again.
He moved closer to her, his face hovering over hers as he bit out each word.
“I pulled the Ringer out of you instead of killing you, you think there is no significance to that.” His hand slipped into her hair and he gripped it in his fist. “Killing you would have been much easier.”
“Then kill me!” She snapped. “Kill me but let my son go. Being dead would be better than this.” His chest was rising and falling to contain his rage. “Kill me, you manipulative beast! You—”
An angry growl rumbled through his chest. Next, he dug his face into the crook of her neck, his canines meeting her skin and stealing her words away, replacing it with fear that made her body go still.
By Ignas, this beast would actually kill her!