CHAPTER 71: CHAPTER 71

The sound of metal clashing with the floor became louder than before. I shuddered at where I sat. Beads of sweat formed around my forehead and I couldn’t even wipe them off because my hands were bound. I glanced nervously at my father who looked in the most helpless state I had ever seen.

I shut both eyes and had a wild guess that they were bringing swords to cut off our necks. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t save myself and I couldn’t save my family either.

I swallowed hard as my throat ached. I craved even a drop of water but there was none available. I felt extremely parched like I could die from dehydration.

I glanced at Sasha once again, she was still unconscious. I knew she hated me but I had never reciprocated the hate. After things got explained, I even felt guilty that I probably deserved her hatred towards me.

It made me feel like mother had a greater reason for causing a rift between me and Sasha and it was related to this.

The fire torch that illuminated the room started to die down as it cast shadows of us on the walls. I managed to turn behind to look at Alice. Her eyes were moist like she wanted to shed tears.

She noticed when I looked at her, proving what she told me at Trevor’s place that she had heightened senses. She sniffed and stared at me with desolate eyes.

"Maria, I never thought my sister would betray me this much."

She sniffed again and lowered her gaze. A drop of tear escaped from her eye and landed on the floor.

She spoke, and her voice cracked this time around. "I know you want to hear the truth and I’m going to tell you everything."

The dim room fell into silence for a while. I glanced at my father who remained mute, and Alice, who just darted her eyes nervously around the room like what she wanted to tell me was too heavy for her to describe.

"I’m listening." I broke the awkward silence. Alice focused on me and took a deep breath. She sighed once more and tried moving her hands but winced in pain as the handcuffs stung.

"Laura..." I muttered, wanting to say something but ended up pausing. It felt foreign that I was referring to the woman I once knew as my mother by her name. I had never called her Laura but after what she had done I still couldn’t keep calling her my mother.

That title betrayed me and I wanted to know more about what led to her sudden actions. Has she been holding hatred for the household ever since? Or could there be a greater twist that she wasn’t even a part of the household.

I recalled how she held me when I recovered from the coma. Her eyes were always filled with tears whenever she found out I was in a crisis. Her sudden change baffled me.

"Why does she hate us so much?" I asked Alice.

Alice shut her eyes for a moment before staring at me. "You already know she’s my sister and I am your mother. Sasha is her child so I doubt if she will kill Sasha."

She sat upright and continued. "Laura had the gift of being a seer and for a reason she wanted to keep it hidden from everyone. I got the gifts of heightened senses."

I cut through Alice’s words. "Why did she want to hide it from others? Is it because it could cause people to run mad?"

Alice chuckled. "There is no such thing as a seer running mad. You may only be confused during the first few visions. That’s just a made up story of hers to make you give up on the gift you had."

Father shook his head and sighed repeatedly. It was obvious that he had never seen the side of his mate.

Alice continued, "I don’t know exactly what she wants to do and I never even knew that there was a forger. I only agreed to handing you over to her so that she can raise you as her own child while I focused on something."

I narrowed my eyes in mild confusion.

"What exactly did you want to do? Roam in the rogue territory and leave your biological child in the hands of a monster?"

"I’m cursed, Maria, just like your mate and Triton are cursed. I can smell curses on people and I’ve also been destined to die on the next blood moon." She paused and drew imaginary circles on the floor.

She muttered weakly. "The next blood moon you’ll be losing me and your mate."

I tried to speak, but the words lodged in my throat. I looked at my father, whose eyes were weary. He looked like he could faint any second from now. Sasha was still laying limp on the floor.

"Mother," I called out to Alice, referring to her with the title I reserved for Laura. "Why are you cursed? I know all curses have reasons.

Just then, Azazel, who had gone out, returned. We all went quiet. He advanced towards Alice and grabbed her by the shoulders. He pulled her from the floor roughly.

"Where are you taking her to?" I screamed at the top of my voice, but he kicked me with his boots.

"Shut up or you’ll be next."

"Leave her alone." I kept screaming, but my shouts fell on deaf ears. Alice was whisked out of the room while struggling to free herself. He simply dragged her like she had no weight.

"Father, where are they taking her?" my voice broke down as I asked. I couldn’t afford to lose the woman I just realized was my mother.

He shook his head. "I don’t know, child, we could be next."

"We wouldn’t." I countered in a trembling voice.

I could already see the tremor in Father’s limbs. Beneath his calm demeanor, he was trembling.

He leaned further into the wall. "Maria, before I die, I need to tell you something."