I left before anyone and didn’t bother to wait to see or hear what would happen next. I wasn’t feeling so good about the actions I displayed there. It was as though I was a coward who was afraid of fighting her enemies, her innermost fears. I wasn’t just proud of myself and what I had done.
I just didn’t know what to do. I just felt like doing something different. I decided to walk around the packhouse and get myself distracted since I couldn’t get my mind off what had happened. I pushed through the fields and found some group of men having their morning training. I was surprised to see it. I never knew there was martial art training done in the packhouse. It was my first time seeing such a thing here. On a closer look, I saw Cynthia leading the training of about a dozen men and a few young women on hand-to-hand combat.
I was amazed.
I waited until the training was over. I walked up to Cynthia to speak to her. “I didn’t know you were good at fighting,” I said. “That was a great skill you have there. I was pretty amazed at the fine technique you displayed,”
She laughed. “I am honoured, Luna,” she said. “I am glad you liked it. What brought you here? Never seen you in this side of the pack?”
I looked around the area, vaguely scanning the place. “I never knew here existed.” I smiled at the brush of the cool and fine breeze caressing my face. “If I knew there was such thing as this, I wouldn’t mind enrolling as your student.”
She giggled. “Not my place to teach you,” she answered with a mouthful of a beautiful set of teeth. “The Alpha is good too and it would be more exciting if he would be your teacher.”
“You sure?”
She nodded with a smile. We both kept silent for a few more seconds.
“Hope I am not distracting the session? Sorry, I just felt like walking around, talking about things that don’t matter.”
“No, no,” she said, shaking her head. “You don’t need to worry about anything. The training for today is over. We will start tomorrow.”
“Alright,” I said. “You are going in I guess?”
“Yes.”
“Can I walk with you?”
“Of course, you don’t need to ask.” She picked what looked like a golf bag but was a little smaller in length. She flung it over her back and began to walk.
“I have a question I would like to ask you and I would want you to answer honestly.”
“That wouldn’t be a problem,” she replied.
“What do you hate about me?”
“Hmm,” she said, frowning. “What do you mean?” she asked looking confused.
“I mean is there anything about me that you don’t really like but had failed to tell me or something like that.”
She stopped for a second or maybe two but continued moving. “Yes,” she said. “just one.” She smiled.
“Wow. Shoot,” I said.
“You sure you are going to like this?”
“Why not?”
She smiled, pouting her lips. “Okay, you eh-m.”
For five or more straight seconds, she hasn’t said anything yet. I was becoming impatient already. “Oh, please. How long will you keep me waiting?”
“Okay. I must say that I am not just quite comfortable walking with you,” she said.
That sounded weird. “What? Why?”
“Because you are so beautiful, Luna that I can’t be compared.”
I laughed. “Girl, that was so funny and the funniest thing is that it ain’t true.”
“What isn’t true?”
“How can I be more pretty than you? Oh c’mon, I will take it that you want to tease me.”
“No,” she said. “I am not.”
“Of course, you are,” I said. “You and Princess are the most beautiful creatures I have ever seen. Nothing ever comes close and not even me.” We crossed the poolside which marked our exit from the field.
Cynthia smiled. “That’s a compliment.”
“A well-deserved one,” I said.
She laughed. “Stop acting funny, Luna,” she said. “You are making me blush.”
“And so are you.”
“Have you had anything this morning? Food?”
“Nope,” I said. “Why do you ask?”
“I am starving and I want to get something to eat.”
“Sounds good.”
Let’s go to the kitchen then.”
I followed her until we arrived at the kitchen. But here, I saw what changed my mood.
Bridget.
She works here.
I had almost forgotten that she worked there. “I need o go now,” I told Cynthia.
“Why?” she asked interestingly. “I thought we just arrived.”
“Yes,” I said. I looked at Bridget, she was in the midst of other young girls. They were busy cutting what seemed like slices of bacon and carrots. She looked at me, smiled, stood up from her chair, and started pacing up slowly to meet us. “I just don’t feel hungry.” I was still looking at Bridget even as I speak.
“I wouldn’t have come here if you weren’t hungry too. Why did you suddenly change your mind?” Cynthia asked me. I did not answer her. I still kept my gaze on Bridget.
“Luna, Cynthia,” Bridget said as she finally came close. “What had brought you all here this morning?”
“Bridgy,” Cynthia smiled at her. “Been a while.”
“Mhh hmm,” Bridget responded. She didn’t look at Cynthia but focused all her gaze on me. “Our dearest Luna, here you are.”
I ignored her and I wasn’t comfortable. Her presence rekindled fear inside me. It was the same fear I felt this morning when I was talking with my father, Cecily, and my Alpha. I didn’t understand why I felt that way. Seeing her alone had just changed my mood. It was as though she had something against me that she was hiding. Cynthia gave an unprovoked laugh. “The Luna is not herself. So pay no mind to her taciturnity,” she said.
Bridget chortled. “I didn’t know you have become Luna’s mouthpiece,” she said. “Allow her to express herself. She ain’t a kid.” Her face became void of any happy expression. She quickly assumed a scornful face and aimed her gaze at me. She looked scary.
Yes. Scary.
But I dared not remove my gaze from her. By so doing, it would seem I was afraid of her and it would pass a very wrong impression. I hate to give her the feeling that I was afraid of her.
I walked closer to her, just a breath distance apart. I lifted my hand and placed it on her collar. I removed a particle of carrot hung there and smiled. “Being confined here was the best decision the Alpha made for you,” I said. “I never knew the kitchen role suits you quite well.” I removed a hankie from her breast pocket and wiped away the particle on my hand. I inserted it back hankie into her pocket. “But in case it gets boring here, you can tell the Alpha to change you. There is a vacancy in my lodge and you would do well working for me.” I smiled.
She studied me with a concerned expression for almost ten or more seconds without saying a word. I thought that what I said had affected her negatively that she didn’t know what to say. I thought wrong. She surprised me. She started laughing. She laughed so hard that it drew the attention of other workers around us. Since her action made me uncomfortable, I turned around and started walking away from her. Cynthia followed me immediately without delay. “I am cooking a good soup for you, a delicious one, Luna,” she said. “Sooner, it will be served hot.”
I wasn’t looking at her when she spoke those last words but they did touch me. A lot. She had just threatened me even though she was laughing when she spoke those words. But I knew I had been threatened. I wondered what soup she was really cooking for me. Had I asked that properly? She was cooking the soup already. So the best question which I think I should be asking was: when will the soup be served and how will it be served?
“I will see you later,” I told Cynthia.
“Sure?”
“Yes. Speak to you later.”
I dismissed her and hurried to my room. On the bed, I rummaged across my mind. I wondered what she meant by those words she had spoken to me. I placed my pillow below my head and adjusted it until I was comfortable. I tried to shift my mental gaze. I closed it and suddenly remembered I had left my phone in the room. I stood up and searched for it around the place I left it.
“There it is,” I said to myself loudly. I picked it up and began searching for missed calls I may have had while away. I found none. Weird.
I was startled when Drake entered without knocking. “Here you are,” he said. He had a brown envelope he had crooked under his arm. “I have been searching for you.”
“What for?’
“Your father told me to give you this,” he said.
I looked at the envelope wearily and looked back at Drake, confused. “It’s not going to bite you, drama Queen,” he said. “Open it.”
I gulped down. I looked at the brown big envelope again and then took it from him. I opened it and found some plain documents. There were plenty of them that I could not count while in that obnoxious mood. “What’s this?” I asked. I wanted to make my work easier.
“It’s the documents to all your father’s wealth, the pack, the business, all of them. He wants you to have them.”
It may seem awkward but I said, “Why?”
“Why?”
“Mhh hmm.” I nodded. His expression seemed surprised.
“I don’t think I would be in the best position to answer that question. Or don’t you think so?” he asked.
That was true. “He should keep them,” I said. “I don’t think I need all these things.”
“You don’t think?” he said.
“Yes.”
“So you want me to return them to your father?”
“If you have to. If you can’t, you can keep them.”
He gave a muffled short laugh. “Can you listen to yourself?” he said. “What’s even wrong with you? Why would I need it in the first place? Am I your father’s heir?”
“I don’t know.”
He paused, looking at me. “Fine. You know what I think. I think you need it but you just don’t want it. I just confirmed your father had been right. You are just afraid of responsibilities and nothing else,” Drake said. There was a note of anger in his voice, never spoken to me that way. “Do you know what it took him to bring this here? Do you know the risks involved? What exactly are you thinking?” he said. He turned quickly and headed for the door.
Drake was right. I was certainly not in a good mood. And I didn’t know if I was thinking straight. I quickly ran after him and caught him right before he could leave the door. I crossed my hands around him and hugged him. “Please, I am sorry,” I said. “I am so sorry. . . I must confess, that I am not in a good mood today. I shouldn’t have said what I said, okay?”He kept quiet and didn’t say a word. I placed my head on his back and relaxed it.
“Okay,” he said. “I heard you.”
“Hmm?” I said. His words weren’t convincing enough. I released my hands around him. “Turn around,” I demanded. I kept both hands crossed on my chest. “Turn around Alpha.”
He slowly turned, refusing to look at me. “Now I want you to say this word,” I said. “I, Alpha Drake have forgiven you.”
He smiled. “I am not going to say that.”
“Why?”
“Because it is not funny.”
“And who says that I am joking?” I stretched my hands, both palms out.
“You are forgiven, okay?” he said and quickly kissed me on the forehead. “Have something to do now. Catch you later.” He dismissed himself and ran away.
I smiled as he left. I went back to the bed smiling. I felt like rolling myself over the bed. He just changed my mood. My phone biped. I picked it up and saw a message notification. I opened it and saw a new anonymous message.
The message said: Just come to the gate ASAP, you need to see this.
“Oh-oh,” I muttered to myself. Drake must want to surprise me, I thought. I knew he wasn’t going for any business when he left my room. I scooped up the files on the bed, arranged them properly, and kept them inside the envelope. I opened my wardrobe and kept it there. I happily ran to the gate but when I got there, I saw nothing. He could be hiding, I thought. Our main gate was opened and it was really weird to find the gate opened without any security at the entrance. I decided to go into the security house to check if the Alpha had instructed his men to hide him there. I knocked and the door swayed open. I found four heavy men lying dead on the ground, blood carpeting the whole room. I fell back, wincing. I was shocked. I wondered who could have done such a thing. Immediately, I stood up and wanted to run but something hit me on my head. I fell.
“Not so soon, sweetheart,” Bridget said with a rifle properly placed in her hand. She laughed horribly and mockingly at me. “Where do you think you are going, baby girl?”
I sat on the floor looking at her. “What do you think that you are doing?”
“Good question,” she said. “What exactly does it look like I am doing? I am planning to kill you, dumbass.” She laughed again.
I sighed. Her voice suggested that she meant what she said. “Why are you doing this? And how exactly did you know that I will be here?”
She shook her head disgustingly. “I thought you were wise,” she said. “Of course, I tapped your phone. Told you I was cooking something for you. I am not sure if you know how happy I am right now for finally seeing this moment?” she said.
“My phone?” I bloated. “How? When?”
“Maybe when you went on honeymoon with the Alpha. You left your phone carelessly so I did what had to be done.”
“So you have been entering my room while I was away?”
She laughed. She finally pointed the scary rifle at me. “This is for my mother, the woman whom you killed, and also for the Alpha whom you took away from me,” she said. She laughed again. I knew that if I didn’t have help, she was going to shoot to kill me. Her laugh was ugly, very ugly and rude too. She was far gone, beyond the point of what my useless apologies could do.
I thought of a smart move to make. The problem was I was too far from her. In order words, it would be very difficult to have anything achieved. The option left was to beg her. But I would rather have her shoot me than beg her to show me mercy. I knew she wouldn’t take my apology so there was no need of trying.
“GO TO HELL, BRIDGET,” I said.
“Alright,” she said, “tell mama I said hi.” She laughed again and released a bullet. I felt the impact of the bullet around my chest. I remembered it to be very painful but I only felt it for a few more seconds before everything died away from my vision. My vision faded and everything went black.