Chapter 66
“I have to take dad for brain scans next week I am hoping the Alpha will come over like he said. He said he would watch them for me,” she sighs
“Brock, what did you have to give to do that?” I ask, and she blushes, not looking happy about that. I click my tongue, already knowing the answer
“No one else?” I asked her, and I could only imagine what she had to do for her to get him over to watch all these kids.
“We can try to help find you some help?” Kyson offers, and she looks at him hopefully.
“Please. No one is willing to help, and I have my exams coming back up.”
“You’re back studying accounting?” I ask her.
“Trying when I get a chance,” she says. I smile sadly before I place my cup in the sink and nod, knowing we will have to leave soon.
“You mind if I look around?” I ask her, and she shakes her head.
“Of course not, but upstairs is a little messy,” she says. Walking back to the main hall and into the living room, I see the kids huddled around the tiny box TV in the corner.
“How many kids are here now?” I ask her.
*111, Katrina answers. I sigh, looking around. The place is falling apart, and suddenly wish I could take them with me. Katrina couldn’t look after them by herself, and this place was falling apart. I swallow, taking the set of steps upstairs, while Katrina tries to settle the kids that were becoming rowdy with afternoon tea approaching.
I look in all the rooms to see they are dusty; the beds are not made, and clothes piled on the floors. “What are you doing?” Kyson asks me, following me around.
“You don’t have to follow.” I tell him. I don’t know why I came up here, yet I swallowed as I stopped at the stairs leading to the attic, dread filling me. That was mine and Abbie’s room. How often were we forced to crawl those stairs after our lashings or our chores? It felt like a lifetime ago, yet also yesterday, everything is still so fresh.
Kyson touches my arm, and I jump, stuck in my memories. “Are you alright?” he asks before turning to Liam and Trey. He nods toward the stairs and they go back down them. “I’m fine,” I tell him, blinking back tears. He looked like he wanted to say something, but I grip the broken banister and force myself to climb the steps. The door handle jiggles in my hand as I push it open.
“Why did you want to come up here?” Kyson asks, looking around at the small space. It was the same, everything left untouched. One filthy mattress we shared, one tiny dirt-covered window, and a bedside dresser. That was it. I went to the bedside dresser and opened the top drawer. I found a spaghetti necklace that one of the kids made for us and an old tunic. I hold it up and look at it. We hated these dresses and the stupid peasant skirts she would make us wear.
“Azalea?” Kyson whispers behind me.
“It’s mine and Abbie’s room” I tell him. My voice sounded distant to even my own ears.
Anger boils in my veins as I peer around the small tight space she kept us in. The other side was used for storage and had a cupboard that Mrs Daley would lock us in.
“Azalea, are you alright?” Kyson asks, and I glance at him. He is turning the wooden chair that sat in the corner. Suppressed memories come back about why that chair was up here. We had broken one similar, trying to get the Christmas stuff out of storage. Mrs. Daley made us hold the damn thing above our heads, saying we needed to know the weight of the burden she carried having to look after us.
Most would think it’s just a chair, but both of us holding two legs each above our heads for hours, we learned even the lightest things become heavy after hours. Each time we would drop it, she would hit the back of our legs with her cane.
Seeing Kyson move it, the sound of it screeching along the floor made rage burn through me. I growl, snatching the chair from him, and Kyson jumps, startled, as I toss it at the shitty little window. Glass rains down everywhere as I stalked toward the chair. Yet my focus was solely on destroying the damn thing, like if I destroyed it, it would erase the memory. Erase Abbie’s cries as her knees buckled from the cane. I picked it back up and started smashing it into the floor. Breaking it to pieces, the wood splintering off with each crash on the floor that shook under my feet until Kyson grabs my arms.
“Hey, shh, shh” he says, glancing down at the chair leg in my hand. He grabs it. “Give it to me, Love,” he says softly before he takes it from me. My hands shook as I caught my breath and Kyson cups my face in his hands, forcing me to look at him. His eyes watching my face as tried to regather myself. Yet this place, it was like I never left it. Some part of me would always be trapped in this place.
“I hate this place! Hate her! I hate what she did to us!” I cried, bursting into tears. I hated this place, hated everything about it, hated that one place could haunt and stain so much of my heart of and soul, like it was screaming out to me telling me it would always hold me here and I would never escape it. The floodgates opened like I had been holding everything in for too long.
“She ruined us.” I sobbed.
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Chapter 66
“No, love. She ruined nothing. And you’re safe now. She is dead, she can’t hurt you no more, this place is just a place,” he says, hugging me. I bury my face in his chest, feeling like an idiot. It was just a chair. I broke a perfectly good chair. I inhale his scent, letting it calm me before ! chuckle, knowing how many whippings I would get if Mrs. Daley heard me crying. Kyson probably thinks I lost my damn mind, and even ! questioned that possibility. I sniffle, feeling stupid and childish.
“You okay?” he asks and I nod, wiping my face and glancing around the small space and the broken chair. I needed to leave. I couldn’t stay in here any longer. It hurt too much, and I wanted out, suddenly feeling claustrophobic. I rushed down the steps needing air, feeling like the walls were closing in around me and that I was going to wake up at any moment and everything had been a dream, and I was really stuck here still. Kyson chases after me, and I rush through the kitchen and burst into the living room, headed for the front door. But the faces of the children had my feet halting. Trey and Liam looked over at us, alarmed, and Kyson nearly ran into the back of me as I halted.
Little eyes peered back at me, and Katrina stared also startled. “Azalea, dear, are you okay?” she asks, but I shake my head. I was not okay, but as I glanced around this dump, I was no longer trapped here. But all these children were. I look at Kyson in desperation. He seems to get what I wasn’t asking out loud.
“No!” he exclaims, his eyes going wide. I tilt my head to the side, but he folds his arms across his chest and shakes his head.
“I’m not asking!” I tell him, and his lips part and he glances around at the children.
“No! What am I going to do with all these kids?” he hisses at me, but I ignore him and turn to Katrina.
“Ring the bus depot and find a driver,” I tell her, and she seems confused.
“You want a bus?” she asks.
“Yes. Maybe two. I am taking them with me,” I tell her, and she gasps, rushing over to me.
“You want to take all the children?” she asked, glancing at Kyson behind me, who was fuming.
“Yes. So ring the bus depot. I want a bus here now,” I tell her, turning to face Kyson. He growls but nods to her, and she rushes off.
“Are you insane?” he asks, and I look at the children.
“Either I stay, or they come,” I tell him.
“What are we going to do with all of them?” he asks.
“Some of the Lycan families might take them in” Trey offers, and I nod.
“And where do you think I am going to put them?”
“The castle is big enough,” I tell him.
“Azalea!” he growls.
“No! You said I am running things here, and I say they are coming. Now get on board my King, or get out of my way,” I tell him. He growls.
“Yes, I said that, but I didn’t think you were going to bring an entire orphanage back with us!”
“Fine. You tell them then. Say no to them, Kyson,” I tell him, motioning toward the kids. He swallows and glances at their little faces and I smirk, knowing very well he wouldn’t or could utter those words. He presses his lips in a tight line.
“Fine!” he growls, and Liam chuckles.
“Come on, kids. Uncle Liam is helping you bust out of this crap box! Come on, let’s go!” Liam says, waving to all the kids to follow him. They glance around at each other and look at Kyson, unsure. He sighs and shakes his head.
“Go on then. Follow Uncle Liam!” he says, motioning them to follow him. The kids don’t need to be told twice and rush after an excitable Liam and Trey. I laughed, following them.
“Where to my Queen?” Liam calls.
“The town square. There is a bus stop.’ I tell him. Katrina races out on the phone, telling the driver to come to the town square.
“You’re lucky I love you.” Kyson growls, grabbing my hand. I laughed before racing after the kids and tugging Kyson along with me.
When we arrived back at the town square, I could see the Alpha still loading the trailer. Alpha Brock glanced over, noticing the children. He snarls and stomps over to them.
“What are you all doing here?” he snarls, and Liam growls at him, making him jump, having not seen him. Alpha Brock backs up with his hands up while the minute’s all stand frozen in fear. It angered me that they feared him.
“Seeing as you are still stacking boxes, I am assuming you didn’t make the 18 minutes time frame?” I ask him, walking through the crowd of children.
Chapter 66
we got delayed,” he mutters. “See, the last box. Everything is there,” he says, pointing to his father, who was
He backs up further, “No. Um placing a tarp over the trailer
“That wasn’t what I asked. I asked if you did it in 18 minutes?” his lips part, and he glances at his father when one of the guards steps forward.
“That is the last box, my Queen. But no, they didn’t get it done in the timeframe,” he answers, and I nod, turning to look at Alpha Brock.
“Hmm… On the stage, both of you!” I ordered, my voice coming out strong along with my aura, which I was finding more effortless and easier to use. They both rushed up the steps and stood at the top of them.
“My King. is this really necessary? We did what she asked.” Alpha Dean says.
“But you didn’t. Your Queen gave you 18 minutes, and you didn’t complete the task in that time frame.” Kyson answers him as I wander over to the fruit stall that was just closing its shutters.
“How much for all of it?” I ask the elderly woman. She jumps, not seeing me come up behind her.
“You!” she sneers, pointing her withered old finger at me.
*Excuse me?” I ask her.
“You! The rogue girl!”
“My name is Azalea Landeena! You will address me as so unless you want to join your Alpha!” I snarled. She stutters out an apology.
“Now I asked you a question. How much for the lot of it?”
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