REIKA

TWENTY-SEVEN

"Mom?"

Arjun's voice woke me up. His small hands were touching my face. "Mom? Are you awake? Mom?"

I sat up, groaning and with a huge headache pounding in my head. I couldn't recognize the room, but I could see from the nearby window that it was already dark outside.

For how long was I out?

"Where are we?" I asked in a raspy voice. The walls were made of logs, and this place looked rustic and old. Looking down on myself, I saw how I was covered in what seemed to be a handmade old quilt. After cracking my neck, I rubbed my eyes. There was a lamp illuminating the small room, but its light was yellowish and dimmed.

"Grandma's cabin in the woods," Arjun answered my question as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What?" I focused my eyes on him and he leaned forward to hug me, wrapping his short arms around my neck.

"Oh, dear, I think she is up." I heard my grandma Sage's voice followed by steps. In walked her, John and a woman I haven't seen before in my life. An albino. She was about my parents' age, with long white hair and pale blue eyes. The woman looked at me worryingly.

I knew who she was.

"What am I doing here?" I asked, confused, looking at Grandma Sage, but his mom answered instead.

"He doesn't trust the guards. Alban trusts no one, not with what he loves the most, so he took you where he knew you wouldn't be found."

"Where is he?" I moved the quilt from my body and tried to stand, just to feel too dizzy to do so. Sitting back on the bed, I held my head in my hands and cursed him. My heart accelerated in my chest and I clenched my fist. That fucking traitor!

"We don't know. It's been over ten hours, sweetheart. We haven't heard from any of them yet and we have orders to not call or make contact with them until they contact us in the link first." Grandma Sage explained, and I couldn't quite wrap my head around it.

What the fuck?

"Where is Dad? Mom?"

"They are all together. Alban left you here and went there to meet them. As we understand, Arden is with them as well, alongside many warriors." Grandma informed me.

If he doesn't get killed by my father, my brother, or the psychos, I would do the job myself once he comes back. How dare he drug me and drop me in the middle of the fucking nowhere?

—Jules!

I called for my wolf, hoping to get answers. He knew what I wanted before I said it.

—I can't contact them. I think he blocked me out. Mom too. The only one who answered was Dad, and he screamed at me not to contact anyone from the pack before pushing me out of the link and blocking me out as well.

—Oma?

—I don't know if we should.

—Fuck!

"I'll go make her some tea." John shyly patted Grandma's Sage's shoulder before he left the room.

"Come, Arjun, Mommy is gonna need some space. Come along!" Alban's mother's sweet voice suggested while she extended her hand towards Arjun. He took it and they walked together out of the room, closing the door behind them. They resembled each other. Same white hair and kind eyes.

"So here is where you guys were last time. His actual grandma's house in the woods?" I questioned my grandmother as soon as she sat next to me on the bed. She nodded. Now I know why she hid it. Back then, I would have flipped.