Cilla’s POV
When I woke up, I was bound to one of her wooden chairs and she was standing in front of me.
“You promised not to double cross me,” I said, regretting why I had chosen to trust another witch. Clearly, these creatures did not deserve any of that. They were willing to ruin anybody’s life for fun.
“And I haven’t. All I did was restrain you from making a mistake that could get us both killed. I don’t know about you but I’m not ready to die. I’m also not ready to leave this pack for reasons best known to myself. I have built a life here and I’m not going to let you come and destroy it with a snap of a finger.”
“This will not affect you in a way,” I yelled. “It’s my life I’m putting on the line here. My life is meaningless without my family. I may as well die trying to save them.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. It’s not only your life that will be endangered. Your siblings will be at risk, too. And me. The people in this pack are not foolish. I’m sure someone saw you coming into my house. What are they going to think when you leave my house and try to escape to Oakwood where your siblings are. Of course they will know that I helped you locate them. They will come for me, and i don’t want to go down because of you. You were in a terrible mood and I wanted you to calm down and think before going to do something stupid.”
I realised she was right. I had been about to storm out of her house and try something stupid like running into the forest without knowing what the security system was like. The pack did not have a wall fence, but somehow none of the other slaves had managed to escape despite being treated like donkeys. There had to be something preventing them from leaving like an invisible barrier or a pack of warriors watching from somewhere.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I now realise that I would have tried something stupid if I had left this house. It’s just that knowing that my brothers are in terrible hands kind of scares me. It was easier when I didn’t know how they were doing. A part of me always believed that they had ended up in good hands and were living happily.”
“I’m sorry too. I did not think of the consequences of what I was doing. I shouldn’t have told you how they were doing. Now I know that you won’t have peace until you get them back which may take a very long time. I’m so sorry for ruining it for you. I guess that witch who didn’t tell you anything was wiser than me.”
“No, you were only trying to help. Even I did not realise the consequences of what I was asking you to do. I didn’t realise that it would affect me so much. I had not worried about them in a while, but now I don’t think I will stop thinking about them. I have to do something. Please help me.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t really see how I can do that without getting into trouble.”
“Can’t you just find an excuse to visit Oakwood pack and find out more? I don’t know how I can live with this and not do anything.”
“I don’t know, Cilla. It’s really risky. I pledged allegiance to this pack. Doing something contradictory will not bode well for me.”
“You said you don’t care about the rules.”
“Yes, but that’s only when the breaking of the rule does not lead to me dying. Cilla, you will just have to be strong. Your brothers have been okay without you. I think they can handle more. Nothing bad will happen to them.”
“You don’t know that. I had a terrible dream. Rose was going to drown herself, and Ren was trying to stop her. It was that dream that made me seek Jamila’s help. Now it makes sense. They’re not really happy. What if she really tries to kill herself? Raven, you need to help me. Go there and just observe. If you get to talk to them, tell them that to be patient a little longer. I will go and rescue them.”
Raven sighed. “Okay, I see you will not let this slide. I will see what to do. I’ll think of a way of going there. Their witch is my friend so I will send her a message today. I want you to go back to the pack house and act normal. Keep in mind that the four of us will be in danger if you do something stupid. In fact, the three of you will be in more danger than me. I can find a way to explain this and get pardoned. As for you, things may not be so easy.”
“Okay, I promise to be careful.”
“I will let you go now. Mirabel must be about to send someone to hunt you down.”
“Right.”
Raven undid the ropes and I stood up. “Thank you so much for helping me. I really appreciate it. Not knowing were my siblings were was killing me.”
Raven smiled weakly. “It was my pleasure. I hope we shall be friends. Living in this pack is hell when you don’t have one of those.”
I smiled. “Of course we shall. You’re the first friend I have made since I came here. Everyone else looks at me with some sort of frostiness.”
“I think they’re jealous. You look so good and have managed to work with those annoying twins for more than a weak. No one has lasted that long in a while. If the twins don’t kill them, they leave them so frustrated and exhausted that they can’t do their work efficiently and Mirabel has to get someone else. The last one nearly ran mad and tried to kill one of them, Malia, I think. I don’t know how she allowed you to control them but that’s really fortunate. Those devils would have driven you crazy by now.”
“I guess the mother grew weary of their antics,” I commented. Mirabel must have got tired of all the drama that her daughters were causing.
“Yeah, which is good. They were so annoying. Everyone used to hate them. Imagine if they grew up like that. If they were doing terrible things as children, what could be expected of them as adults?”
“They would be terrible. Who knows if they’re even going to change? Maybe they’re just pretending.”
“That’s possible. Those brats are capable of anything.”
I remembered how they made me fall. They were little monsters who could grow to become big monsters.
“Yeah. Anyway, I have to go and see what those monsters are up to. I will see you later, Raven.”
“Will you be popping by for that delicious wine?”
“You bet.”
I walked out of the house and closed the door behind me. When I had left her small compound, I went into tree area and hurried up the beaten path. I could smell a certain presence but I didn’t try to locate it. I just wanted to get out of there.