Ashley’s POV
As we hurried down the narrow path that my mother led, I could not help but think about Caleb who I was sure would not survive. I thought about what Pandora would think and if she would ever be able to forgive me for all that had happened.
“Wipe that look off your face. By the time you see the life that waits for us, you will know that we have indeed made the right choice.” My mom scolded with a fanatic smile on her face.
It made me question if I was slowly becoming like her or if this was just me exhibiting my true nature.
“I just feel all of this is extreme,” I admitted and the look on her face immediately changed.
“What do you mean by that? Are you now calling me crazy?” She asked me, pushing a finger into my face.
“It’s just that all of this seems pretty unnecessary. We didn’t have to shed any blood for it.” I snapped at her.
“This person took your brother away from you and ruined your entire family, the only crime that was committed was us just having to accommodate an ungrateful woman.” She snarled at me angrily.
“Zach has been trying his best to get us a hiding place where we would be free and you are worried about some lover that didn’t trust you.” She added.
“I don’t even know him. If he was really my father, where did he go all these years and why have you been acting really crazy?” I yelled at her and watched the shock on her face expand to something more. It was furious.
“You ungrateful child. You think it was that easy to have your brother and you for another man. It was hard to take care of that because the man whom you both thought was your father ended up not being the one because he was impotent.” She revealed shamelessly and I shrank back in horror.
This was not exactly the way I was planning to find out that my father was some impotent man who had to rely on the services of men like Zach to have me.
“I still don’t feel okay with this. My chest hurts and you know how badly I want to be with Rolan. I don’t want to go with you and Zach.” I admitted and she laughed.
“Alright Ashely, you can go. I hope you know that as soon as you step your foot back there, they will treat you like the enemy that you have now become to them. They would not hesitate to make you pay for the death of Caleb and soon, you will yearn for this freedom that I have offered you and you won’t be able to get it anymore.” She said, her voice hard and icy.
“Fine.” I agreed reluctantly knowing that there was some truth in what she had said. I would miss Caleb, miss his calm and gentle ways terribly. In my world of darkness, he was the little light that refused to be extinguished, always finding a way to come back for me.
“Over here.” We heard someone whisper and saw that my father had arrived. He didn’t look too pleased to see us and it looked like he would choose to be somewhere else if he had the choice to make.
“Oh, my love.” My mom exclaimed and leaped into his hands, fondling his lips in such a disgusting way that I had no choice but to look away. They kept at it for a few minutes, making annoying noises that I feared that I would throw up.
“Can we leave please?” I huffed and they paused for a minute to give me a cold glare.
“I told you that we should not have taken her,” Zach sighed and my mum ruffled his hair.
“You know there is no way that I would leave our baby behind. She is only grumpy from just losing her mate. I can assure you that she is now focused and ready for whatever we want her to do. She is a good girl.” My mom said, even though it felt like they were talking about something else entirely.
I pretended not to have heard anything and began to stomp my feet down where I had seen Zach appear. They seemed to consider me for a minute before they fell in step behind me.
We soon arrived at an open clearing, it was obvious that it had just been freshly taken care of. There were bags arranged neatly on top of the other making it look like we still had a long trip ahead of us.
At that moment, I wished more than anything that I could turn back the hands of time and meet my mom from when she found me again.
I was struggling to walk and I felt tired after slipping on a rock at the bottom of the heel. The fall sent me rolling forward and it took a while before a tree broke my fall, giving me a nasty gash on my arm.
“Are you okay?” I heard my mom ask but I scoffed, uninterested in speaking to her since she had clearly chosen her lover’s side.
“Are you not the one that your mother is speaking to?” Zach’s angry voice followed my silence but I refused to reply.
Tearing the sleeve of my shirt, I wrapped it tightly around the wound to stop the bleeding knowing that I won’t be getting so much help from my supposed parents.
“She is rude. You should have left her there. She obviously does not want to be here and I do not want anyone that would sabotage my plans. If we get caught, I can assure you that they will make sure that we never see the light of day again. Remember this is to get Rolan, make him pay for all that he has done to you.” I heard Zach whispered to my mom while she looked at him, dazed.