Fire cracker…
“I thought you might be hungry,” he said, placing the tray on the table beside me. His gaze softened when he saw Luke, who was still sitting beside me, wide-eyed and confused. Lucas knelt down beside him, brushing a hand through his hair.
“Hey, buddy,” he said gently. “Are you hungry?”
Luke looked up at me, unsure, and I nodded slightly, letting him know it was okay. He hesitated for a moment, then nodded at Lucas, who smiled and handed him a small plate of fruit and bread.
I watched the interaction, my heart sinking. Lucas and Simon weren’t monsters. As much as I hated to admit it, they weren’t wrong about everything. The boys *were* part of their world, whether I liked it or not. But that didn’t change the fact that I didn’t trust them to do what was best for my children. They were ruthless, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that they would use the boys as pawns in their political game.
Lucas stood up and faced me, his expression more serious now. “We’re not asking you to hand over the boys forever, Ashley. We’re asking you to give them a chance to see what their future could be. Let them come to the mansion for a few months, meet the council, learn about their heritage. After that, if they still don’t want to be part of the royal family, we won’t force them. But they deserve to know the truth.”
I stared at him, my mind racing. Could I trust them to keep their word? Could I really let my boys go with them, even for a short time? I glanced down at Luke, who was now quietly nibbling on a piece of bread, completely unaware of the storm raging around him. The thought of him and Simeon in the clutches of Lucas and Simon made my stomach turn.
“No,” I said finally, shaking my head. “I can’t. I won’t risk it.”
Lucas sighed, but there was no anger in his eyes-just disappointment. He exchanged a look with Simon, who stood up and walked toward the door.
“We’re not giving up, Ashley,” Simon said as he opened the door to leave. Lucas, on the other hand, reached into his pocket and carefully brought out something that I eventually identified as my phone. I stretched out my hand to take it with so much relief, and he handed it over quietly before walking over to join Simon at the door. “We’ll be back. And sooner or later, you’ll realize this is inevitable,” Simon said finally.
With that, they both left the room, leaving me alone with my son. My heart pounded in my chest, and I instinctively pulled Luke closer to me. I could feel the weight of their words settling over me like a dark cloud.
I knew they weren’t done. This was only the beginning.
—
Later in the afternoon, as I lay in bed, unable to sleep, I wrestled with my emotions. Part of me wanted to fight, to resist their attempts to pull my sons into their world. But another part of me knew that Simon and Lucas wouldn’t stop until they got what they wanted. And maybe, just maybe, my sons did deserve to know where they came from.
But at what cost?
As I watched the boys playing with the toys their fathers had ordered for them, I couldn’t help but wonder: Was I truly protecting my children, or was I holding them back from their destiny? The line between the two had begun to blur.
I felt confused but, at the same time, very determined. I wouldn’t let Lucas and Simon dictate my life-or my sons’ lives. If they wanted a fight, I would give them one. But I would do it on my terms.
I reached for my phone, which I had carefully placed on the bedside table, and dialed George’s number. He had been my rock for so long, and I knew I needed his support now more than ever. As the phone rang, I steeled myself for the conversation ahead.
“George, we need to talk,” I said the moment he answered.
“What’s going on?” he asked, concern lacing his voice.
“They’ve taken it a step further,” I explained, quickly relaying the events of the previous night. “I don’t know how much longer I can keep them at bay.”
There was silence on the other end for a moment before George spoke again, his tone firm and reassuring.
“Wait a minute, so you’re telling me that they actually came to the house and took all three of you?”
“Yes! I’m honestly really worried because they don’t seem to understand that I would never agree.”
George sighed heavily, his voice tense over the phone. “Just calm down for now. We’ll figure this out, Ashley. You’re not alone in this.”
His words were comforting, but as I hung up the phone, I knew there wasn’t much he could actually do. He had always given his best for me and the boys, but this time, I wasn’t sure it would be enough. The battle for my sons had only just begun, and I had no idea how far Lucas and Simon would go to claim them.
But one thing was certain: I would fight for my boys with everything I had.
And I would not back down.
As Luke and Simeon continued playing, the room gradually filled with noise as they both giggled and shouted at the top of their lungs.
“Boys! Will you two please stop yelling?”
“Sorry, Mama,” they both chorused, and I sighed in response. If we were back at our own house, I wouldn’t necessarily have to shush them. However, given that we were in the mansion, I was trying to avoid disturbing the other residents.
I couldn’t tell whether Veronica knew about my presence or that of my children. In fact, I didn’t even know if she had any idea that Lucas and Simon both had children with me. However, in case she knew nothing about this, I planned to keep it that way for as long as possible, or at least until I managed to get myself and my children out of this place.
The boys continued playing, and I tried to shut my eyes for a while when the doorknob suddenly rattled. It wiggled a few times, followed by a knock on the door. Luke and Simeon were startled and ran toward me on the bed. From the looks of it, the room had been locked from the outside, likely by either Lucas or Simon.
At first, I assumed it was one of them at the door, but then I reconsidered. If it were either Lucas or Simon, they would have unlocked the door as they had locked it. If one of them had locked the room, the other would have said something to get inside.
The knocking continued for a while before silence finally fell. I thought the person had given up and left. But as soon as I released Luke and Simeon’s mouths, which I had covered to keep them from making noise, the door was forced open.
“Oh, who’s that?” I mustered the courage to ask as I flinched from the door being roughly handled.
Very slowly, Veronica walked in, and when she first saw me, her face held so much shock it was as if she had seen a ghost. But this shock quickly turned into confusion, and she looked over at Luke and Simeon. I protectively held on to both my children as her prying eyes settled on them for a moment before returning to me, now filled with anger.
“YOU! How the heck are you in this house?” she shouted, her claws out as she charged toward me. Instinctively, I also readied myself for a strike, waiting for her to get close enough.
Fueled by rage, she was so focused on me that she didn’t take the time to assess the situation, and I used that to my advantage. Just as she reached me, I pushed Luke and Simeon aside and grabbed her with one hand. With the other, I struck her in the side with my claws, aiming where I knew it would hurt the most.
She screamed in pain, and I looked at my hand, now stained with her blood.
“You wretch! How dare you?!” she yelled. Her voice scared my little pups, and they ran out, bumping into an approaching Simon, who was shocked to witness the scene unfolding.
“VERONICA!” Simon thundered, and both Veronica and I paused, halting our confrontation.
“Oh yes, Simon, I’m so glad you’re here right now,” she began, getting to her feet and walking over to him. I glanced toward the door and noticed that Luke and Simeon were no longer there. This worried me. I tried to leave to find them, but the witch held me back.
“You know, I’m sure you’re just as shocked, angry, and bewildered by the audacity this woman has. After all she did years ago, she still has the nerve to come into this house! It’s almost intriguing,” she spat, turning to me before continuing. “Don’t you have any shame? After all the humiliation when you were thrown out six years ago, you still came back for more. You’re not satisfied, huh?”
I scoffed at her irony, shaking my head at her ignorance.
“I can see you’re clueless and embarrassing yourself, so I don’t have time for this. If you know what’s best for you, you’ll let me leave to find my sons,” I said, attempting to walk away. She grabbed my wrist, holding me back.
“And who cares what happens to those unfortunate things you call sons? I am the queen, and if I’m speaking to you, you’ll stay whether you like it or not!” she hissed. I glanced at Simon, who remained silent, observing everything with a cold, unreadable expression. I couldn’t help but scoff at the absurdity of the situation. Veronica’s arrogance was appalling, and I couldn’t believe she still had no idea what was going on.
“Oh, really? Wow, I didn’t realize you were the queen. After all, the royal family’s standards for selecting a queen don’t seem to include loud and uncultured individuals,” I retorted, pushing her pointing finger away from my face.
“You-!” she started, her face flushing with anger, but I cut her off.
“Relax, Queen. At first, I was going to give you a fitting response for that nonsense you just spewed about my children. However, I feel a bit sad for you now, seeing how ignorant you are about so many things.”
Her expression faltered slightly, and she narrowed her eyes at me. “And what is that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, come on, Veronica. Surely you must have noticed. Did your ‘husbands’ not tell you everything?” I teased, letting out a small, mocking laugh as I saw her face twist in confusion. She turned to Simon, but his face remained cold and impassive, which only made her more agitated.
“Will you just get to the point before I deal with you right here and now!” she snapped, growing more furious by the second.
“I’m afraid you won’t be able to do much, no matter how hard you try,” I said, with an exaggerated emphasis on the word “queen.”
“What do you mean?” she demanded, her voice trembling now with a mix of anger and apprehension.
“Well, you see, those ‘unfortunate little things’ you mentioned earlier-those are my sons. My pride and joy,” I said, smiling as I let the words sink in.
“And so?” she spat, still not understanding where I was going with this.
“Well, surely you’re aware that it takes one male and one female wolf to make baby pups. My children didn’t just magically appear in my belly, Veronica.”
Her eyes widened slightly, but she still tried to maintain her composure. “What are you trying to say? I’m sure you were off somewhere, sleeping with rogue wolves-”
I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at her desperation. “Oh, come now, Veronica. Why would you call the kings of the entire lycanthrope community rogue wolves? You shouldn’t insult your husbands, not after calling their sons names too.”
“What?” she yelled, her face now a mask of disbelief and fear. She turned to Simon, her voice trembling as she asked, “Simon, is this true?”