Running From The Big Bad Wolf

33.

After getting a few hours sleep, I heard the distinct noises of Rhydian.

"Mum!" He giggled as he jumped up on the bed. I had slowly been teaching me to speak without the accent. I smiled widely at him, holding him to me.

"Hi, baby." I whispered as I got up. I felt like I haven't slept but I felt refreshed as well. Maybe because Eli is alive.

I walked out off the bedroom that held the twin beds and saw Eli at the table. He held out a take away coffee cup and handed it to me. "Thanks."

"Alright, this energy ball has been fed, played with, fed again and he keeps asking to play outside." Eli stated, messing up Rhydian's hair.

I smiles again. "He is very energetic." I agreed. That's when I noticed the other man by the front door of the hotel room. "What's he doing here?" I asked Eli. The other man looked so familiar, he looked almost like Eli.

"Sit, Caity. We need to talk."

I nodded enthusiastically. We did need to talk.

"Tell me everything. From when I last saw you to now." Eli insisted as I sipped at the coffee.

"I'm gonna need more than this cup." I half joked, giving him a small smile but continued. "Where do I start?"

"Well, this." Eli pointed to Rhydian who was playing with some toy cars on the floor by our feet, munching on a biscuit.

I sighed and shrugged. "I don't feel comfortable discussing this with him here." I whispered lowly. Eli knew who I meant.

"It's okay, Caity. Continue."

So I did in an awkward manner. I told Eli how Axel was nice and caring. And after it happened, I said no more but then I found out about Eli's death, Axel was there, comforting me. "One thing led to another and yeah." I shrugged. "That same night, I managed to get out. I went north like you said. I found the hidden box. I burnt the note, took everything else and went to Wales."

"Axel is his father?" Eli asked me and I silently nodded

"Not Axe. Dad!" Rhydian stated then continued playing cars.

Eli nodded. "Then how did you get back here?"

I pressed my lips together. "I was tricked. Eric found me."

"Wait, Eric Barlow?"

I nodded again, sipping the coffee. "Yeah. He found me. He told me Axel was on his way to get me and I needed to leave. So I thought I was doing the right thing, protecting my son. Little did I know at the time, I was walking in to his trap." Then I continued on how I was kidnapped, taken away from Rhydian and returned back to Axel.

I wiped my face from the tears before continuing. "I didn't tell Axel about Rhydian but he found out. He just didn't know Rhy was his at that point. Eric had Rhy up for ransom and I begged Axel to get him. He refused but did it anyway. Then Axel found out about Rhydian's parentage and I lied, telling Axel a different name. So for a while, Rhydian was known as Ryan."

Eli continued to nod, waiting patiently for me.

"He forced me to change Rhy's surname to Wolf for protection. Then he forced me to marry him so his surname could protect me as well." I also told him how he tricked me in to having sex again, promising me the world, being so loving and caring. "Then afterwards, I found out his true motives. He wanted another son. He wanted me pregnant, Eli, and he got it." I sobbed out.

"I met so many people in the underworld. It was torture living with Axel. He was cold and cruel and he was even pushing borderline abusive. Axel always gets what he wants, Eli. He wanted me married to him. He wanted me pregnant. If he wanted sex, he got it, or better yet, he, he, took it." I sobbed out as I felt Eli wrap his arms around me.

"It was torture living with him, Eli, it really was. I wasn't happy. But I did it day in and day out for Rhy. Not for Axel." I snarled my lip up. "I wanted out and I needed to do it before this baby came. There would have been now way I could get out with them. He gave me a choice and I chose to stay because if I didn't, I lost my kids forever. But then he told me that if I didn't fall pregnant, he would try again and again every month till I did and then I had to stay anyway." I covered my face in my hands, crying.

"It's okay, Caity. You're out now. I have you." Eli said to me.

I sniffed and nodded as I felt a tug on my leg and looked down at Rhydian.

"Up, mummy." He demanded and I picked him up, holding him to me as Rhy wiped my face clean for me. "Don't cry. I love you."

I gave Rhydian a small smile. "I love you too, baby."

"You are safe now, Caity." Eli said again and I looked up at him with a sad and small smile.

"I hope so, Eli."