The carriage was deafeningly quiet. All that could be heard were the creaks of the wooden wheels and the sound of the four horses plodding forward. Outside, one of the horses puffed. The carriage's right-hand wheels dug and pulled out of another deep puddle, prompting the driver to snap the reins outside then the continued on its journey.
The sunlight that escaped through the trees' leaves was filtered to a soft yellow that drifted through the carriage's windows, which were barred and draped with dirty cheesecloth, masking the carriage's four prisoners from view from the outside.
Francine was fast sleeping, propped up against the wall. Harper had pulled the curtain away from the window just far enough to lean against the carriage wall and watch the world go by. She saw the forests transform into the village, the village transform into the fields, and the fields transform into the dense growth of the forest. That was a few hours ago. She was now watching as the route twisted and turned, snaking its way into the woodland. She wondered how much longer their trip would be, as they had been in the carriage for far too long already, going onwards to some unknown destination.
Alex examined the shackles around his feet, perplexed as to how the rusted metal was able to restrain his wolf. When he remembered Nara and her men had grabbed them, he and Lucas were unable to shift as well. Then he remembered waking up in the cave and discovering he was alone. He was frightened as hell at that point. Not because he was alone, but because he thought the Red Lycan and his rogues had captured Harper. When he tried to shift, he couldn't.
But how did he manage to shift while fighting the Red Lycan's rogues?
When Nara's men arrived while he was looking for Harper, he attempted to shift yet again, but failed. So he fought them with his bare fists, he didn't go down without a fight, but then Nara promised him they'd help him look for Harper. He didn't realize it was a ruse at the time. They were just allowing him to lead them to where Harper might be in order to capture another prisoner.
*She tricked me*, he thought bitterly, his rage growing the moment his gaze landed on Lucas. He clenched his teeth at the thought of his punches.
Lucas could feel Alex's angry stare searing into his skin, but for the time being, he chose to ignore it and look about, judging whether or not they might escape. He hissed gently, knowing full well that he wouldn't get very far with the shackles on their feet and hands, and that they couldn't defend themselves against Nara's men in their human forms. So he began to accept their fate for now, blaming Alex for being so foolish as to believe there were good People in Moorland.
*What does he know about this world? He was too arrogant to learn anything about Nebiru or Moorland*, he reasoned.
Alex glanced at him for a time, taking him in.
"What are you looking at?" he asked, meeting his gaze.
Alex scowled for a moment, as if he was processing what he had asked.
Then he simply smiled. "Just wondering why your memories haven't returned yet.”
“You say it as though you're certain it's only temporary.”
Lucas shrugged his shoulders and said, "Because that's what Aleister said when he assured your father.”
“Aleister assured my father?”
Harper sat up immediately in her corner. “Are you trying to tell us that his father is aware of what happened to him?”
Lucas replied flatly, "More than that."
Alex shifted in his seat and rushed near Lucas to strike.
“Alex!” Harper stepped fast between the men. “Let him talk.”
“Can't you see what's going on here? He knows I have no means of knowing if he's telling us the truth or not, Harper, because I don't remember a fucking thing about my past.”
“Alex, could you please...”
“How much do you know about him?”
Lucas reminded Alex, "I'm her fucking mate."
Alex snarled, "According to you."
Harper let out a deep sigh. “Alex… Lord Aleister—they said he's my mate. And I truly wish there was a way for me to find out whether it's true or not, but there isn't. I'm just a human being. All I really have with him is our past. That’s how I bonded with him. Unlike you, I don't have a kind of bond that literally runs through my veins to tell me that he is, in fact, my mate. And I've known Lucas longer than I've known you－”
“And if it weren't for my fucking friendship with you,” Lucas interjected, pointing to Alex, “We could have lived happily ever after. I should have chosen to fight for her.”
Alex clenched his teeth. “You should have, but you didn't. You chose to abandon her. "
“I did not abandon her.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I was trying to save your ass and Francine.”
Alex grunted. “Well, if Harper was actually your mate and she meant the world to you, you shouldn't have hesitated to choose to be with her over saving my ass and my mate.”
“Why, you ungrateful ass－”
“Enough, please!” Harper said loudly and looked at Alex, “Right now, it doesn’t really matter what Lucas should have done.”
“But it matters whether he’s telling the truth or not,” Alex reasoned.
Harper nodded. “I understand. But, for the time being, Alex, we don't have much of a choice. “We have to listen to him,” she said as she turned to face Lucas. “He may have abandoned me, but I know he will not lie to my face...again.”
"Harper, I wish I could go back in time and－”
"Me too, Lucas, but the point is, we can never go back." So, the only thing you can do now is tell the truth. Everything you've uncovered about what happened and what they did to Alex. You said Lord Aleister assured Alex's father that his memory loss was only temporary?”
Lucas glanced at Alex for a time, and a genuine regret touched his face. He inhaled deeply and exhaled loudly. “When Collette knew about Francine being Alex’s mate, she told Ramon. I wish there was a better way to put it, but everything was arranged by Alex's father, Lord Aleister, and Draven. And no matter what the moon goddess had in mind when she chose Francine as your mate, allowing you two to be together was too dangerous. Francine was bethroted to Draven, and Ramon couldn't accept a vampire into his family.”
“Collette? Ramon?” Alex whispered, his face perplexed as ever. A slight pain began to crawl into his skull gradually.
“Collette’s your old sister,” Harper answered. “And, Ramon is your father.”
“Lord Aleister orchestrated the kidnapping. And he exploited the treaty to prevent you from asking for assistance, and Ramon used it as an excuse for your own family to stand down. They erased your memories in the hopes that you would forget about Francine and your bond.”
Harper exclaimed and glanced at Alex with a pained expression on her face.
"How did you know all of these?” Alex asked so softly that it almost sounded like a whisper.
“Because your father mistook me for a treaty loyalist, and they needed me to catch you. They said the council wanted to speak with you and talk you out of pursuing Francine so you wouldn't die. I mistakenly believed that, and it nearly cost you and Francine your lives. But then I found out the truth from Viessa about their plot to wiped out your memories. As well as Francine’s. I couldn’t have it. It was just so wrong and extreme.”
Alex glared at Lucas and gritted his teeth. “You were a part of it all.”
“Yes. But only because I wasn't aware of full scope of their plans. And the moment I found out, I helped you in your escape. I informed Collette and your mother of your father's plan. We arranged your escape. I was able to get you out after using all of my resources and the connections I'd made over the years. You and Francine were supposed to fly under the radar. I knew they'd figure out I'd helped you soon enough, so I planned on telling Harper everything and then disappearing with you,” Lucas paused and looked over to Harper. “That's what I was working on while you were at the cottage taking care of Alex. I should have known better.”
“Lucas…” Harper opened her mouth but no words came out.
“But what happened?” Alex asked, his voice tense.
“Your sister happened,” Lucas answered him. “I trusted her blindly and told her and your mother about my plan. She later informed your father. They came after me as soon as they found out. Tortured me into telling me where you were.”
“Oh, Lucas…” Harper gasped.
“How did you get out?” Alex asked.
“Draven had Francine locked up. Mira helped Francine escape, then they came to me after that. Mira helped us in our escape to Moorland. Did you know that she was a mage?”
Alex just looked at him. Not sure whether he was waiting for him to really give him an answer despite the fact that he had no memories of his past.
“Forget it,” Lucas added. “Well, she was a mage and she was one of your crazy ex-girlfriends, So I didn't want to trust her. Yet, I foolihsly fell into her trap. And Francine and I are trapped in here ever since.”
Harper turned around and peered out the barred window of the carriage. After Lucas’ revelation. She and Alex fell silent follwing Lucas' revelation.
After a long moment, Francine opened her eyes a little, as they entered another forest, the trees concealing the sunlight and giving the impression that night had fallen.
“Where are we?” She rolled over and felt around blindly across the floor, wincing as she hit the floor a lot harder than she would've liked.
“Francine,” Harper swiftly pulled Francine up and back to her seat. “Are you all right?”
“She’s really weak. She needs to feed really soon,” Lucas replied. “Or she’ll die.”
Francine took a deep breath and blinked as the world returned to focus.
She figured right away that they were in a prison carriage, judging by how it was bolted shut and the wooden walls wouldn't budge, as well as the bars on the windows that were obviously only there to supply them with the air they needed to breathe and not die.
“Alex,” Francine said quietly, but Alex merely gazed at her.
“She's your fucking mate, Alex,” Lucas said. “Don't stare at her as if you don't care. She is in this situation because you didn't give a damn about the treaty and just did what your dick wanted.”
“Don't you dare tell me what to do!” Alex yanked on the shackles, ready to charge at Lucas.
“Then don't be such a jerk!” Lucas retorted angrily.
“Enough already, you two!” Harper shoved each of them back into their seats. "Instead of being at each other's throats, why don't you both use your remaining strengths to figure out how we can escape before we arrive at The Casa and before Nara sells us to whatever fucking the guy she was talking us about? And how are we going to keep Francine alive?"
Lucas and Alex sat quietly in their seats, as if they were taking her words seriously.
It was strange that not long ago, all she wanted to do was find Lucas and bring him home, with or without Alex, and here she was with Lucas and all she could think about and feel was uncertainty.
Looking back on her past, she realized she should have stayed in her world, where there were more clueless humans like her and where she stood a better chance of survival. No Red Lycans and dangerous rogues, no scary forests, and no bandits like Nara and other terrible people she knew she would meet soon.
She returned her gaze to the window when her head began to pound and the familiar pain on her ankle returned. She brushed it off and kept herself from looking as if she was in pain. She brushed it off and kept herself from looking as if she was in pain.
Yelling for help wasn't an option for them, especially since Lucas and Alex's arms and feet were chained together. Even if they tried to flee, they had no idea where to go. When she looked outside, all she saw were flat green plains with a few trees and a dirt road.
The silence within the carriage lasted for hours, until Harper fell asleep as well. And it was only when the cart drew to a halt that she awoke. Someone from outside and lifted the iron-barred door open.
“Welcome to Velaris,” Nara remarked with a smile.