Ashley’s POV
“I am going back. It’s been over six hours, yet we haven’t gotten to the crossroad that he has mentioned. Are you sure that we have not lost our way?” I asked the couple walking in front of me while I wrestled with my mom’s bags and mind.
Strongly refusing to help Zach with his bag had caused a little fight that took intervention from my mom to quell the situation.
“We will soon be there. Zach has assured you that so many times, you know at this point, I think you are just out to annoy him. It’s pissing me off, and you should learn to know your place now. If for anything, you are the one indebted to us.” She snapped at me but they did not stop.
She had blisters on her legs and when she had asked for an act of romance for him to carry her on his back, he had glared at her so crazily that I was even scared for her. He looked at her like she was the worst thing that he had ever set his eyes on.
“But everything he has said to assure me does not make sense. My legs are swollen and blistered, we are literally going around in circles and if he is too proud to admit that he made a mistake, then I can no longer follow you too.” I responded calmly, I needed my escape, and they would not give it to me if I asked calmly.
I thought about Wilson and how disappointed he would have been if he had found out about me following Mom to do something that was not right. I knew that he had wanted the best for me, which was the reason he had agreed to speak to Rolan in the first place.
My heart broke, and my wolf howled at what I had done to my mate. I wanted to go back and make it alright and even if I had to take a very serious punishment, I would do it to atone for my sins.
“You talk too much. That is one of your problems. It is what makes you so annoying to be around that I had to let another man father you, so I could have some peace and quiet. All you have done is pick out faults and complain about everything on the face of the earth. Can’t you just shut up and do as you are told? It seems you want me to hurt you some more before you obviously don’t know when to stop.” He threatened but this time, I was not scared as I was prepared for whatever he was going to dish out.
What he was not going to be prepared for was the knife that I had clicked open and was waiting for him to get close enough so I could slash his throat.
“Leave her alone. You know she is just a child and does not understand these things.” It was the only thing my mom had said, and I realized that she only used me as a passageway to get out of the facility.
The only reason she had me here was because she trusted that Pandora and Rolan would not use extreme measures to find me and take me back for punishment.
She was using me as a cover for her and her lover while they went somewhere to live their lives, leaving me to slave after them for the rest of my life.
“Mom?” I called out to her and she stopped.
“Yes, my darling.” She responded in the sweetest tone, one that made me doubt if everything that she had put me through these past few days had really been her or done to me by someone else.
“Why are you really doing this? I have always been a good daughter to you, why would you choose to put me through so much pain and misery because of your selfish interests.” I asked her, tears gathering in my eyes.
“Don’t ask her stupid questions. I’m sure that the reason she no longer has the fire that I used to know her with is because of you and your dumb elder brother.” Zach commented before he let out an eerie laugh, reverberating around the heat and annoying the hell out of me.
“I think you should let me talk to my mom about this. I didn’t call your name in what I said, so why don’t you sit back for this one? I know you want to be the man and parade yourself as one even though you have no idea where we currently are. If we die in this forest, I hope you realize that it was just your ego that was in the way. You keep trying to take the lead in everything, even in the things you clearly have no idea what it is all about.” I snapped at him, and he growled at me, he was going to come to me, probably to hit me, and I was ready.
At the last moment, my mom stepped in between us and pulled him back. She gave me one last look before pulling him away and speaking to him in hushed tones for some minutes. I could not hear or make out what she was telling him, so I just concluded that she was going to lie to him about himself so he could feel better.
When she was done, she walked up to me and without another word, slapped me across the face. I was shocked as that was the first time that my mom had ever hit me since I was born. My heart broke and I threw her bag down.
“You should not speak to your father that way, ever again. You can go if you want, I can see now that you are an ungrateful brat who does not have any regard for her life or her older ones. Get out of here before I kill you.” She snarled at me.
I didn’t say anything, I just ran. I ran until all I could hear was the thumping of my heart against my rib cage.