Chapter 83
Chapter 83
“Lillian!” I waved at Tegan and the warriors he’d brought to stand down, and rushed to meet her. “Where has she gone p>
She gave me a tight hug.
“We’ve been so worried about you.” She said with feeling into my shoulder as we embraced, “Zara and your step -mother kept bringing her news that you were being abused in Nightwolf. I told her that Zara lies, but she couldn’t get their words out of her head p>
She sniffled and wiped a tear from her eye, “She just kept saying that she had to go see someone to make it right. That she was going to find a way to free you p>
“Oh Lillian.” I stared at her in consternation, “I’m fine in Nightwolf. They don’t treat me badly. Gideon and I are just… still getting to know each other p>
She brightened up at that, “I was hoping that was the case. I know that you’ll put up with pretty much anything for your family though, and your mother… well she still believes in hierarchy. If the Luna told her something, she took it more to heart than she should p>
I could believe that. For all that this pack had done to her, my mother had never truly contemplated leaving before.
But where would she have gone?
I asked Lillian and she pulled out a tattered piece of paper, “She said, if you came looking for her, to give you this p>
I studied the paper, it was a crudely drawn map. I didn’t recognize it.
“Did she say what was there?” I pointed at where a location on the map had been circled, somewhere deep in t forests to the north.
“She said there was someone who had helped her before. Forgive me, Avery, but she said it was someone who had helped her with you. I don’t know what she meant by that p>
I frowned and bit my lip.
“If she comes back, I need you to tell her that we came for her, and send me word immediately. Zara can’t be trusted. She’s tried to harm me and intercepted my letters p>
Lillian nodded, she was all to familiar with the ways Zara had tried to make my life miserable.
“She’s worse than ever, Avery. I thought she would be happier after she married Ryan, but something is wrong between them and she’s furious about it. She takes it out on everyone else p>
That was interesting. Zara had always become more vicious when she felt like she was the victim, but what was Ryan doing that would make her act that way? She must have found out about the ways he’d approached me.
I, myself had been shocked and dismayed by his weakness of character. He was a long ways from the earnest, sweet intentioned boy I had originally fallen in love with as a teenager. Perhaps Zara was also finding that she didn’t appreciate the person she’d tied herself to.
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Chapter 83
+25 Bonus
I said my farewell and climbed back into the car. When Tegan started to drive back towards Nightwolf, I instead directed him North. We would find out what was at this mysterious location on my mother’s map.
The location was deep within the woods. As we drove, the trees seemed to close in around us, blocking out the sun. It felt like driving into a cave.
After a time, the car slowed to a crawl.
“Are we there?” I asked?
No response.
“Tegan?” I looked into the front seat where Tegan and another warrior both sat silently. Their faces were still and frozen. The car rolled to a stop.
I opened the door, concerned for the others. Behind me, the second car was also stopped, but no one was moving.
The wind picked up, swirling leaves around me in the air.
“So you’re Avery.” A voice said from behind me.
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