Chapter 108

Helene.

"Can I come in?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure. Come in," I stuttered, moving out of the way and granting her entrance.

I was very nervous about the fact that she was here because I wasn't ready to leave this place since I had nowhere to go for the time being and I certainly didn't want to be sent back home because I wanted nothing to do with my father and that place.

"Good afternoon, Lady Aurora," Mia greeted and for a split second, I had even forgotten she was here.

My mind had been completely clouded with thoughts on why Aurora would suddenly show up here and I couldn't bring myself to think of anything else.

"Hello, Mia. I apologize for showing up like this but I'm here to have a serious conversation with Helene so I'm going to ask you to excuse us, Mia," she said, and immediately, Mia bowed in respect and left without saying anything else.

As soon as Mia left, Aurora took a seat on the wooden chair where Mia was usually, I'm never really afraid of Aurora's presence since she was always friendly with me and she didn't seem to have anything against me but the first time since I got here, I was afraid of her because she didn't feel the same to me and I could tell that she wasn't going to be very friendly with me today.

"Aren't you going to take a seat or do I have to beg you to?" she asked and I nervously sat opposite her.

"Judging by the look you have on your face right now, I'm guessing you already have an idea as to why I'm here to see you but I'm going to have to ask you to relax the expression on your face because I don't like that you look so afraid of me like I'm here to bite your head off or something," she instructed but I couldn't bring myself to relax.

"But aren't you here to bite my head off?" I asked.

She scoffed. "I'm offended, Helene. Do you think I'm that kind of person? If I wanted to bite your head off, I wouldn't have come here by myself but instead, I'd be here with guards to drag you out and transport you back home to your father. So, be grateful that I came here alone because that means that I genuinely want to hear from you," she responded and I was confused.

"You want to hear from me?" I asked, visibly confused.

"Well, yes. Hunter mentioned that you have some blablabla reasons why you don't want to go back home but I'm not one to base my decisions on sentiments and it's my job to remain objective regardless of whatever the situation is. Now, for me to make an objective decision, I need you to give me a good reason why you deserve to stay here or rather, you give me a good reason why you don't want to go back home," she requested calmly.

"And if I give you a reason why I want to stay here and not go back home, are you going to consider my reason and let me stay?" I asked.

She chuckled. "I'm pretty sure everyone else is going to call me the witch because I'm the only one that doesn't seem interested in keeping you here but I'm not about to risk hundreds of lives to protect a girl that I know nothing about. If you can give me a very valid explanation as to why you want nothing to do with your family and your explanation happens to make sense to me, then you have my word that I will let you stay," she replied and I could tell she was being honest.

As much as I felt bad that she was willing to send me back, I could also understand why she was chosen to make that decision and I couldn't bring myself to fault her or hate her for it.

"I don't like to say things and make it seem like I'm trying to gain pity or anything like that but I don't want to go home because that place is the farthest thing from home to me. And I'd have preferred not to say this out loud but since you're putting me under pressure and giving me an ultimatum, I'm just going to put it out there because I desperately want to avoid being sent back home,"

"The truth is that my father and I don't get along, we never have and we most probably never will because he's a horrible person who treats everyone around him like they're dirt, and being the kind of person that I am, I constantly antagonize his behavior and I always end up getting a beating or getting myself locked in my room for weeks. To sum it up, he's not asking me to return because he misses me and wants me back but because he wants to punish me and the most likely punishment I'm to get is probably a death penalty," I explained.

She frowned. "I get that you're looking for a way to save yourself but do you necessarily have to go this far with your examination? I mean, Alpha Mikel might not have the best reputation but he certainly wouldn't kill his daughter just because she chose to run away from home," she retorted and I wasn't surprised that she didn't believe me.

"If you know anyone that stays in the Blue Moon Pack or knows about us, ask around what the penalty for running away from the pack is and they'll all tell you the same thing; it's a death penalty, with no chances of appeal. Now, you're going to argue that I'm his daughter so he'd be more lenient with me but, my father doesn't like the fact that I was born a girl because he's a misogynist, so having to kill me isn't going to bother him as much as you think it would," I clarified.

"So what you're trying to tell me is that going back home means that you're going to get killed for running off in the first place and that is why you don't want to be sent back?" she asked.

"To be honest with you, even if there was no death penalty for escaping, I still wouldn't want to go back to that place. I have always hated how things were done back home and the only thing I've ever wanted was to be free from the ridiculous rules and regulations that my father forced down his people's throats. If you insist on sending me back, I'll find a way to escape just as long as I don't have to go back there," I told her honestly.

She sighed.

"Does Hunter know about the supposed death penalty?" she asked.

"No, he doesn't and I'd prefer it if you don't mention it to anyone else. The only reason I'm mentioning it to you is because I'm trying to give you a reason to let me stay here but I would rather not air my pack's dirty laundry to everyone because no matter how annoying they are, they're still my people and my father is still my father," I replied.

She didn't say anything for a while and she looked like she was deep in thought. I could only hope that the things that I said to her were enough to convince her to let me stay because I didn't have anything else to say in my defense.

"I'm just going to put this out there because I don't want a misunderstanding between us but just like you're trying to protect your pack's secret but keeping certain things to yourself, that is the same way I'm trying to protect my people but putting aside any form of sentiments that I have toward you and basing my decision only on objectivity,"

"If I eventually decide to let you stay here, don't for a second think I decided because I like you or I consider you as a friend because I will never make my decision based on such things. I won't bother asking you to be understanding but whatever happens, just know that I'd put you last and put my pack first. If your father goes too far with his threats, I can't guarantee that I won't knock you out and drag you back to him," she told me and I smiled.

"If all you're worried about is that I'll judge you or hate you based on your decision and things would get awkward between us, then you can be rest assured that I'm not going to react that way at all. I'm sensible enough to understand why you have to think and react this way and I'm not going to hate you for it because if I were in your shoes, I would probably also react the same way," I responded and she smirked.

"Good to know that you're smart. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back and focus on other things. Can't trust those men to do anything right," she blurted and stood up to leave.

"Also Helene, best of luck," she said suddenly and I was confused.

"For what?" I asked.

"You'll find out," she replied and before I could even question her any further, she walked away without looking back.