| Chapter 26 - Like last time |

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I left Ophelia behind and walked through the forest opposite to the place I left her behind

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I left Ophelia behind and walked through the forest opposite to the place I left her behind. They all thought I left after dinner to find some herbs in the east side of the forest. After I managed to set the house on fire, it needed renovation anyway and nobody lived in it, I waited till I could help her get away. I stayed away for 2 days; he couldn't find out that I helped her escape. He would kill me, and Nixon doesn't need that. That boy has suffered enough during his childhood.

 It killed me seeing him when his father sent him back to high school in Gallego. An important mission Ares said, I know Nixon hated it, going back to school. But when he came back home during that first spring break, he was different. He was happy, calmer and he seemed lighter.

I hoped when I came closer to our village that everything would be calm and at peace. But I wasn't expecting it to be so eerily quiet in our little town. No children playing and running around, no one chatting with their neighbors on the porch. I only met sad, scared, worried or helpless looks when I passed the houses, no one addressed me. Something twisted in my gut, a feeling that__ I shook my head, he wouldn't. Not again. 

"What is going on?" I asked no one in particular and hoped that someone would have the guts to answer me. "It's Nixon grandma," a little girl whispered. "The girl escaped 2 days ago; Nixon lost her in the forest. Alpha Ares wasn't happy," she mumbled.

I closed my eyes, of course he sent him after her, I should have known, stupid Maria "what did he do?" I asked, scared to hear the answer. She fumbled with her dress and tears flew over her face. "He is in the town square," she sniffed.

"No!" I walked as fast as I could towards the town square. Tears gathered in my eyes when I saw him. He was on his knees, facing a pole to which his hands were tied to with silver. I could see it glinting in the sun. Even I, only a witch could smell the blood. So much blood__ The ground was already seeing red from the blood he had lost, and more was dripping on the ground. Not again. Marilla would roll over in her grave, how can you do this to your own child?

Isadora sighed next to me "he's using vervain and wolfsbane to weaken him. Every 6 hours he gets 20 lashes, we all are obliged to watch. Lilibet and I tried to take care of him but when Ares noticed it, he punished our children."

"He whipped them too? Like last time?" I asked.

"No, not this time but he is holding them in his house. They only get water and bread once a day, so we stopped helping him. Viltarin has given him something to kill the pain but__" she shook her head.

"Thanks for trying, I need to get him out of here. We all need to get out of here."

"We can't Grandma Maria. The Alpha's don't know we are here. We are all rogues, we or our parents fought against them." Luella said.

"Maybe King Isaac wants to listen. Where is Ares?"

"On his throne" she rolled her eyes.

"I need to put Ares asleep so I can treat Nixon. He will need 3 days or more to heal."

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