~Celine~
“… and you think this is going to work?” I asked, looking at Ashley fearfully.
“It should. At least, we have to try.” She answered, and I heaved a sigh and nodded.
“And what about Charles? Are you going to tell him about it now?” I asked, and she nodded.
“We have to tell him. But I’d prefer you told him yourself.”
“What? Why?”
“Charles believes you hate him, Celine. Why would he want to risk his life for someone that hates him? You two have to develop a relationship with each other. I mean… you’re siblings.” She answered, and I gulped hard.
“I don’t hate him, Ashley. I just didn’t expect to find out I had a younger brother in such a way. I wasn’t prepared.”
“I know, Celine. Charles is a very understanding man. I bet he’d understand if you talk to him.” She convinced me, and I nodded.
If I had to be close to my stepbrother to get Kilhan out of here, I’d gladly do it.
“I’ll talk to him,” I uttered firmly.
I grabbed Kendrick from inside his cradle and placed him on my chest. Ashley and I headed out of the room and we were different ways as soon as we hit the hallway.
I headed to Charles’ room even though I was pretty nervous about it. I wasn’t even sure how to start a conversation with him after what happened in the kitchen.
Getting to his door, I carried Kendrick carefully with one arm, so I could knock on his door.
“Who is it?” I heard him ask from inside his room.
“It’s me, Celine,” I responded, and surprisingly, he went awkwardly silent.
I began to think that he hated that I was the one at his door, when all of a sudden, I heard him turn the door knob. I looked at his face as the door opened and I realized the nervousness written all over him.
“I... I’m so sorry for opening late. My room was a mess.” He stuttered with a nervous smile, and I nodded, letting out a faint smile too.
“Please come in.” He added, opening the door even wider and stepping aside. I let out a smile and nodded, walking into his room.
As I stepped in, I could perceive the just-sprayed smell of his air freshener.
“How is he?” He asked from behind him, and I turned to look at him.
“Oh, Kendrick? He’s fine. Just playing.” I answered, taking a glance at Kendrick who was just busy chewing on his cute small hand.
“Can I hold him? I haven’t held him at all.” He uttered, his eyes glued to Kendrick’s back.
“Of course.”
I carefully lifted Kendrick from my shoulder and gave him to him. He carried him from me and when he looked at his face, he smiled widely.
“He’s so cute. Just like his parents.” He uttered, and I smiled widely.
“Thank you,” I answered.
He gestured to me to sit on the chair in his room, while he settled on his bed.
“Charles,” I called, and he looked up from Kendrick’s face and looked at me.
“Yes?” He answered.
“I’m sorry about how I reacted earlier. I didn’t mean to be rude or…”
“No, Celine. It’s okay. I understand you more than you can imagine. I mean, I would have done the same thing if I was in your shoes.” He answered with a genuine smile.
“Are you sure? You’re not mad at me?”
“No. If there is anyone to blame, it should be our parents who were in the wrong, not us. I’m not mad at you.” He answered softly, and I felt warmth in my heart.
“Maybe being close to your stepbrother isn’t so bad after all,” Kiara uttered, causing me to smile widely.
“I’m glad. I had always wanted a sibling though. I mean, not this way, but…”
“Yeah.” He chuckled. “Definitely not like this.”
“When my mother died, I believed that wasn’t going to ever happen, because I didn’t want a sibling from another woman apart from my mother. But you… I’ll get used to you. I can feel it.” I added, and we both laughed.
We went silent; while I thought about how to tell him about my plans to help Kilhan out of my father’s cell.
“Hmm, Charles,” I called while he played and laughed with Kendrick.
“Yes?” He looked at me.
“I need your help,” I uttered, and his stare grew more intense than usual.
“What? Tell me.” He uttered, making Kendrick sit on his lap as he was mumbling things to no one in particular.
“I want to help Alpha Kilhan escape,” I uttered, and his eyes slowly widened.
“What?” He asked in shock.
“Why? Why do you look so shocked?”
“You just said you want to go against your father. That’s exactly what you just said.” He responded.
“Charles, I can’t just sit here and act like the father of my son isn’t locked up somewhere nasty. His people and pack need him. I’ll do anything to get him out.”
“But you know this is dangerous, right?”
“I’m ready to do whatever it takes,” I answered firmly.
“Okay. How do you need my help?” He inquired.
“Your mother and I have talked about it. We want you to put up an act on the Blood Moon night, helping us get the attention of the guards, while we go ahead to get him out.”
He heaved a sigh and shook his head. “You make this seem so easy. What kind of act would make the guards at the cell gate leave their posts? I mean, there are other guards. How will I get their own attention?” He questioned, and I grew speechless.
“I don’t know, Charles. I just need you to help me out. What do you think we can do? Maybe your mother’s plan isn’t so good then. I’m so scared for him. Darius has collected my spare key. I don’t know what else he’s going to do to him.”
“The number one person we need to distract that day is Darius. Once he’s distracted, his men are going to be easy to distract.” He uttered.
“You think?” I inquired.
“I’ll be with Darius that night. I don’t know what I’ll be doing with him, but I’ll make sure he doesn’t even remember Kilhan. Then you and my mother can tell the guards at the cell gate that Darius needs their attention or something.
“This will move them away from the gate, then you can go in and release Kilhan.”
“But I don’t have the spare key anymore,” I muttered.
“Then we’ll just have to steal the key. There will be little to no time to break down the cell gate. You’ll need the key.”
“But I have no idea where he can keep the key.”
“I’ll help you out. But… I have a question though.”
“What?”
“Are you going to be running away with him?” He asked, and I went silent for a minute.
“What’s there to think about? Of course, you’re going to go with him. You’re going to stay back?” Kiara asked in my head.
“I think I’d love to go with him. Well, that is if he would want me with him. We haven’t talked about it.”
“You haven’t talked about what?”
“You know… if we are going to get back together.”
“You have to be sure before that day. If he wouldn’t want you with him, then I’d advise you to find a different place to run to after you let him go.”
I heaved a sigh and nodded. “I’ll make sure I’m sure before that day. Thank you.” I answered, and he bobbed and let out a faint smile.
“Go and talk to Kilhan about it. I will go to Darius now and try to figure out where he keeps his keys.” He added eagerly and wanted to give Kendrick back to me when I stopped.
“Can you please take him with you? Kilhan doesn’t know he has a kid yet.” I uttered, and I raised one of his brows.
“You should take care of that too, Sis.”
“Sis?” I uttered before I could think.
“Errmm… sorry. I meant Celine.” He stuttered shyly, causing me to chuckle.
“It’s okay, brother. I was just surprised. I like it.” I answered, smiling shyly too.
“I’ll go to Darius now.” He said, standing up from his bed. He carried Kendrick with him as we headed out of the room.
I made my way to the cell house, and when I got there and wanted to go into the gates, the guards stopped me.
“What are you doing?” I asked with a frown.
“I’m sorry, Miss Celine, but we were ordered to not let you in.” One of them answered.
“Who gave you that order?” I asked with a frown.
“Alpha Darius Gomez. I’m sorry, Miss Celine, but you won’t be allowed in here anymore.”
“What?! You can’t just stop me from going in! That’s disrespectful!”
I yelled in frustration, while they all kept mute, staring at me like I had gone crazy.
“This is the height of it, father!”
I clenched my jaws angrily and turned to leave when I heard the gate open. I took an abrupt halt and turned to look back, and to my greatest surprise, I saw my father walk out of the gate.
Something caught my attention about him, and that was his hand dripping wet with blood.
“Dad.” My breathing ceased as I stared at his blood-stained hand in terror.
“What have you done?! Who owns that blood?!” I cried in uttermost shock, but he didn’t seem moved at all.
“Get rid of his body.” He uttered.
“Get rid of his body?! Whose body?!” I yelled as I broke into tears. I wanted to move closer to the gate, but my father grabbed me and swept me off the ground, placing me on his shoulder effortlessly.
“Let me go! Let me go! What have you done to him?! Kilhan!” I yelled as I struggled to get off his shoulder, but it all seemed useless.
He wasn’t going to let go of me.
“Kilhan!!!!!” I screamed, hoping he was going to answer, but I got nothing in return.