Chapter 131
I was raised by a frustrated woman along with five other girls.
We were raised in a Pack called the Red–Eyes. It was far away from civilization and far away from the rest of the world. Surrounded by towering mountains and dense forest, it was almost untouched. Red–Eyes Pack only had relations with a few other packs surrounding us. Rigls in the middle of the pack, we were raised to be a lot of things.
Except for being a mate.
Instead, each year, one girl is given out in marriage to a man and this year, it was my turn. We were told the idea of finding your mate was outdated and unrealistic. It is better to find happiness in whoever you’re betrothed to.
“I know you’re probably very excited.”
My sister, Ella, whispered into my ear as we walked along the road with the basket of fruit I would drop off at my betrothed’s place.
“Yes, I am I laugh through the uneasy feeling in my heart.
Something was missing! Something wasn’t right! A part of me felt indifferent about the wedding and everything in general. Ever since I was a child, I’d looked forward to getting matched with someone from the pack. Id always looked into the crowd and wondered who I would be spending the rest of my life with. Il end up giggling with excitement because I couldn’t wait to experience life with this person.
One time, a girl had been betrothed to an older man and I prayed that it wouldn’t be the same case for me.
When I was finally betrothed to Luke, the Park’s chief only son, I wasn’t as excited as I’d thought I would be. It wasn’t as though I didn’t have feelings for Luke. I’d been in love with him ince I was a child and he was very important to me.
It was as though a part of me was missing and I couldn’t find it anywhere. Ella believed it was because Luke and I used to be at each other’s throats when we were kids and that we’d learn to love each other as we grow in our union.
“Anabelle tried talking down on you yesterday. She said you didn’t deserve Luke,”
I groaned. I’d have enough of Anabelle already in the pack. Is that why you got into a fight with her?”
I asked.
“She kept saying trash,”
I cocked my eyebrow at her. “Do you believe her words? Do you believe I don’t deserve Luke?”
She shook her head. “No, he’s the one who’s lucky to have you as his betrothed,”
“Good! Ignore them.”
“Fine!,”
Just as we reached the commers I’d take to Luke’s house, Ella stopped me.
“You love him, right?”
I shook my head. “I like him. I respect him. I adore him, I cherish him, my heart knows he’s mine and I believe one day, it’ll grow to love”
“That’s good enough for me,” she grinned. “Now, I have to get this to Mother. We don’t want to piss her off today of all days,”
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I agreed. Mother was what we called the woman who raised the live of us.
“I promise to get you out of that house once I move in with Luker
She smiled and nodded. Tll look forward to it. Tomorrow night is your big day. Don’t stay out too late,”
She warned.
“Yes, Mom.”
I answered. That earned me a dark glare from her. I laughed.
We were the same age but I was given a birthday month earlier than her so that explained why I was getting engaged before
her.
As I walked into Luke’s apartment, I was welcomed with an eerie, dark silence. It was disturbing because it was unusual. The door was opened wide and the only sound that greeted me was the low, haunting creak of the wooden floor as I walked.
“Luke,” I called out but I got
ot no response. I moved towards his room.
I threw the door of his room open and I found him lying there in his own blood, a knife stuck deep into his chest.
The basket of fruit in my hand dropped and I ran to his side. He was struggling to breathe. I knelt down beside him.
“Luke, look at me,”
His eyelids fluttered open slightly and I sucked in a deep breath. He was still alive. Even though I was panicking, I’d been taught how to manage situations like this,
“Luke,”
Slowly, he moved his hand up and caressed my chin. “Har- rriete.”
“Luke, I need to call for help, please please don’t close your eyes, please,
I tried to apply pressure on the spot. Just as my eyes moved to the knife, and recognition set in, heavy footsteps descended into the room. I was not able to look up to recognize the faces yet when I heard a loud scream
It was Luke’s Mom. She rushed to his side and pushed me away from him.
“What did you do to him? What did you do to my precious son? She yelled in my face.
I became dumbstruck. I didn’t do anything
“I didn’t…”
“LIAR.” She screamed, almost bursting my eardrumns.
“You stabbed him with your knife. Just then, the pack’s doctor rushed in and took charge.
That was when it dawned on me that it was really my silver knife, the same one, Mother had gifted to me two years ago along with the four other girls. It had my name on it and the last time I saw that knife was three months ago.
You would pay for this,” the Pack’s Chief threatened.
I bumped my head against a stool as I struggled to get up from my seat. “I didn’t do it. I didn’t hurt him. I came in and I met
him like that,”
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Chapter 131
“Arrest her. Throw her in the dungeons and let her suffer till her bones wither,”
The Chief commanded.
Before I could blink, I was grabbed by the security and dragged out of the house. Ella was already by the door waiting.
“Ella” I cried out to her.
“Harriette,” she tried touching me but she was pushed away.
Right within a few seconds, I was thrown into the scary, gloomy dungeons.
I was there for three days.
On the second day, Ella was allowed to visit me. She told me Mother didn’t want me back in the house even if I was released. As for Luke, he was still in a coma. The knife was laced with wolfbane poison and it hit his femoral artery. The doctors don’t believe he would make it out alive.
My heart broke for my lover. My heart ached for the man I love and I hated myself more for not being able to help him.
By the third day, Mother came to visit me even though she had threatened not to. Mother wasn’t someone who would go against her word, I knew that visit was for a reason.
“You fool! I raised you all these years only for you to end up in a dungeon,” She spat as she stood outside the gate.
I lowered my eyes. We weren’t allowed to look her in the eyes. It was an abomination. One time a girl tried staring at her as she talked, Mother dug her long nails into her eyes, drawing blood before she let her go.
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“I’m sorry but I swear that I knew nothing about it,”
“Shut that filthy mouth of yours,” She commanded and I swallowed hard.
Suddenly, I heard her opening the big padlock attached to the gates. She walked in and threw both the key and the padlock/ at my feet.
“How desperate are you to save Luke?” She asked out of nowhere
Mother had never been interested in any of us or our affairs. She usually kept mute and watched you till you fell off a bridge or ended up in a bitter marriage.
“Very desperate, mother. He’s my future and I don’t see any future without him,” I answered.
It was true. We were taught that our future was dependent on our ability to be betrothed. Reproducing was our main. purpose in life and if I didn’t get to fulfill that one thing, life wasn’t worth living. Also, I loved Luke more than my life. I’d loved him for years.
“Good! Luke’s life is in your hands now, Harriette. Only you can save him,” SHe answered.
Curiously, I asked. “How?”
“You need to bring us something very important that belongs to a man. We need this thing to save Luke’s life and the only way you can get it is if you kill this man,”
My heart thumped loudly. Although we’ve been trained to assassinate, I’ve never had the opportunity to put my lessons into practice. I had my fear but nothing triumphs saving Luke’s life.
Mother moved closer to me and yelled.
“Do you have the guts to kill this man? Will you take this opportunity and save Luke’s life?”
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With a snap, I lifted my head to stare into her eyes.
“Who is he? Give me his name and I’ll bring you even his heart,
She smirked.
