Luca:
Ever since I spoke, Iris had gripped tightly with her glares.
It felt as if she had discovered my truth, as if she knew my secrets, and that thought terrified for reasons I could not explain.
I an, if I managed to leave this place sohow, it should not matter what Iris thought about .
So why was I afraid to do it? I did not want to take a step that would hurt others.
Ever since I saw my two children, my selfishness had disappeared.
I just wanted to choose a better life for them, no matter what it took. I wanted to find them and be with them.
Their innocent faces filled my mind. Five years, five long years, maybe even more.
All they had ever seen was hatred. They were always told to stay quiet, not move, not speak, or they would be punished.
Seeing the fear on their faces made my chest tighten. They were my children.
Even if they were not, whoever’s children they were, they were suffering terribly.
After speaking to Iris, I went inside. My father and her father were already pacing anxiously.
The mont they saw , they stopped pacing.
"So you told her what you told us?" my father demanded, stepping toward before I could speak.
Iris’s father stood there, staring at .
"Yes, I told her," I answered.
Both of them gasped. The shock was visible on their faces.
I told them I had said I wanted to go back, and they reacted with such anger that the tension in the room shifted.
"What are you doing, boy? Why are you digging your own grave? Why do you want to lose her trust?" Iris’s father pressed, his voice rising.
This was not the first ti people had looked at with disappointnt. I had never done anything that made anyone proud of .
"I don’t want to lie," I replied. "I’m telling the truth. I can’t stay here anymore. I have to go back. I have no choice," I added.
As soon as I said that, I turned and started walking toward my room. My father jumped in front of and blocked my path.
"Why? What is there for you now?" he demanded.
The way he asked made it feel like an accusation. As if I had been in contact with those people all this ti.
I took a deep breath and lowered my head. I did not want to fight, but I could not explain the truth either.
"You won’t understand, even if I try to explain," I muttered, forcing him to stop with a look. It reminded how quickly he always judged .
"Oh, so I’ve never understood you before?" my father snapped.
"Enough. He is clearly distressed," Iris’s father cut in, stepping between us.
"Son, I don’t know what you’re going through, but please talk to us," he urged. "Whatever is forcing you to go back, we will help you."
For a mont, I felt like I could confide in them. Then I realized I was taking a dangerous risk.
First, I had to secure my children. After that, everything else could wait.
"What happened?" Iris’s father asked, snapping his fingers in front of my face.
"I want to rest for a while, if that’s allowed," I replied.
My father’s face hardened at my reaction. Before he could say anything, Iris’s father held him back.
I walked to my room and shut the door behind . As soon as I was inside, I started forming a plan.
I had to separate the children from Lara first. If I made a move without the children in my hands, too much could go wrong before we reached them.
I had no hope for Lara. I had seen how she treated those children.
I tossed and turned in bed the entire night. I did not even know where I would take the children.
All I knew was that I had used the money I had to book a cabin for a few days. It was the only thing I could arrange on short notice.
Before the sun had fully risen the next morning, I left for the journey. I could not bear to see my children stay with that woman for even a second longer.
They were sick. And she was busy following the Alpha King around, acting like his shadow just to impress him.
She had even gotten pregnant for that reason.
Eventually, I reached the motel. It was early morning.
When I saw the two people who were supposed to be taking care of my children walking out of the place, I froze in shock. Both of them had cigarettes in their hands.
They laughed loudly as they walked away.
I stood there, stunned. Did that an they just left my children alone like that?
If they had walked out, then who was inside with the children?
As far as I rembered, the children were ill.
Then again, their carelessness worked in my favor.
I sneaked into the motel. It was so poorly secured that no one cared.
I pulled my hoodie over my head, walked up to the room, and picked the lock. My hands did not shake, but my chest felt tight.
When I stepped inside, I saw the two children asleep on the bed, still burning with fever. Their bodies looked frail, as if they had not eaten properly in a long ti.
My eyes filled with tears as I lifted one onto each shoulder. At that mont, I felt sothing shift inside .
Even if they were not my children, I would never let them out of my sight. I would never treat them badly.
They deserved happiness. Just like Colin and Amy.
But because they were not the Alpha King’s children, they had been cast aside.
When I was walking out, I had barely reached the road when I heard soone shout after .
"Hey, wait. What are you doing with those children?" he yelled.
I turned around and recognized him. It was the man who had stepped out earlier for a walk, or maybe a cigarette break.
I knew I did not have ti to explain, and he had already seen . So I bolted straight into the woods.
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