“He said there is this dark magic he could use to revive someone who died,” Ryan said, almost looking crazed with the idea. His eyes danced with this weird light, as if he could imagine Calpin succeeding in keeping his promise.
His whole body was exuding this crazed vibe when he explained Calpin would go through with his promise to him if he just listened to him and did a few immoral things.
Abby felt her whole body shudder with disgust looking at her father losing grip over reality. “I just need to give you to him, and he will revive your mother. How wonderful it will be if Riley comes back?” “Father, you are insane!” Abby admonished him, but the man couldn’t come out of his delusions at all. “He killed hundreds of people to get to me the last time, how could you think it will be over once he gets his hands on me?”
“And he wants to use what? Dark magic? Did you forget that mother’s sole purpose in life was to stop him from wreaking havoc in this world?” She sounded exasperated now, and fearing she would really throw a fireball at him, she immediately snuffed the flame dancing around her palm and hugged the book tightly.
“Did you know he sent hundreds of rogues to attack the palace last month? Can you imagine what would have happened to the entire kingdom if he succeeded and killed the royal family?”
She couldn’t understand how he could ignore the massacres Calpin always induced in whichever place he targeted for such a promise full of sinisterness
“You know nothing! Riley comes first, I don’t care about anything else!!!” Ryan was shouting back now. “You don’t know the hell I went through without her for the past ten years!! I can’t take it anymore, I want her and that is all that matters!”
Ryan started pulling at the bars, as if he wanted to break them to get to his daughter. “We can all be together again. Live happily, don’t you want that?”
The more he talked, the more deranged he looked, until it made Abby turn away from him and leave this place. “Father, your thoughts are purely selfish and unreasonable. Mother wouldn’t want you to turn into who you are now.”
“She will not hold a grudge when she realizes I only did it for her. And for you two sisters. She will love me all the same.” Ryan sounded quite confident, but Abby was done with him.
It was clear he was misled until he couldn’t tell reality from dreams, or nightmares? Bringing back people who had already died? If that wasn’t a nightmare, Abby didn’t know what else was. “You are beyond redemption!” She threw at him before turning around to walk away from him, but the man seemed to have remembered something as he shouted for her to stop. “Abby, Abby! Don’t leave yet! Where is Hanna? Can you bring her to me?!” He shouted after her, but the girl didn’t respond to him. “I need to see my older daughter! Bring her to me, Abby!!!”
“Father, do you even realize how pathetic you sound now? Bringing back mother, reunion of our family? You are just delusional!”
“What do you mean? You don’t want it? You don’t want her to come back?” Ryan’s face looked really savage now. “You don’t want to see her again? You monster!! You are a monster!!”
But all that reached his ears was the rattling of the chains that bound his limbs, restricting him from having too much movement. His voice echoed quite loud, along this dark corridor, where he was the only prisoner.
On the other hand, Abby couldn’t bother to talk sense into Ryan anymore when she realized there was no turning back for him from this. Like she said, he was beyond redemption.
“Okay, calm down and walk me through this again.” Mirella looked at Abby, who was a panting mess.
She looked behind her, but Alyssa just shook her head, indicating she had no idea why Abby was this agitated until she stumbled over her words this badly. “Queen Abby went to her old house, but then she ran to the dungeon. I tried to follow her in, but the guards outside told me she went looking for Mr. Ryan…” Alyssa didn’t need to finish her sentence for Mirella to understand that the maid stopped her pursuit short and waited for her master to come out. “Okay, Abby. Did you quarrel with Ryan?” Mirella looked worried, because it was an open secret how Ryan treated Abby in this pack before Micah found her. In fact, Abby also told her a little, and she understood the rest of the story, when she asked the witch to communicate with the pack members during the investigation. However, Abby’s words, after she finally calmed down enough to speak coherently, made literal chills run down her spine. “Is there any dark magic to revive the dead?” “Where did you hear that? Ryan said that? Did Calpin intend to revive someone?” Mirella flooded her with questions and Abby gritted her teeth when she spoke again. “Is there something like it or not?”
“Yes, there is. But it’s ancient sorcery. A very dangerous dark magic! If you ask me, it is the most sinister witchcraft out there!”
“Oh my god! This is pure absurdity!” Abby felt her soul leave her body hearing the witch confirm it. Now she understood why Ryan fell prey to Calpin’s schemes. He was using her father’s love toward her mother for his own gain.
“Come with me, we need to talk to Micah about this!”
Even though Mirella didn’t know what was going on, she let the girl pull her away. She would know once Abby met Micah anyway.
“We need to stop Calpin at any cost!” Abby told Micah after Mirella explained how dangerous the dark sorcery of reviving someone from death was.
His queen just told him about her conversation with Ryan and he couldn’t help but agree it was beyond absurd. But this also solidified his stance to capture that dark magic user as soon as possible.
“Okay, little one, you are too agitated now.” Micah pulled her to her feet before leading her to the guest bedroom. “Why don’t you rest while I rearrange my thoughts about this?”
“Yes, Abby. You have been running here and there all day long, you should pay attention to your health too.”
With Mirella’s support, Micah coaxed Abby to sleep before he called for an urgent meeting with his gamma and the others.
“We are going to ambush the rogue’s base you found recently,” Micah declared even before they could take their seats at this long table in the strategy room of the Silver Moon pack. “Finally!” Dax whooped immediately, while Mirella and Alpha Samuel just bowed down before the king’s decision.
In the next few days, Micah immersed himself in the preparations for the upcoming battle, because he wanted to be done with it as soon as possible.
“You are overworking yourself again. Do you need to attack them so soon?” Abby asked Micah the following night when the king returned to the guest bedroom really late.
“It’s something inevitable, so
attacking this week or next week
makes the same difference.” Micah looked resolute, but then frowned “You are still awake. Do you need someone to constantly blow in your ear that you are carrying a child now?”
“Don’t be unhappy, I took a really long nap before dinner since I know how you would be before a battle.”
Abby meant the time before the ceremony and the king couldn’t find fault with her when she just wanted to find a chance to talk to him.
“Coming back to our conversation, a week is really short for all the preparations.” Abby pointed out.
But Micah was confident about his plan and warriors. The only problem was. “Little one, I don’t want you to participate in the battle this time.”
He pulled her into his arms, so that her back was flushed against his front, as he caressed her still flat stomach. How could Abby not understand what he meant?
He didn’t want any harm to befall her or her baby because of this battle.
“But what if there is a magic user among them? Even if Calpin didn’t wander around with the rogues, there is still a possibility he had one or two lackeys working for him.”
Micah knew what she was talking about, because that was how Mirella found the rogues hideout in the first place. She followed traces of dark magic and luck knocked on their imaginary door.
“We still have Mirella, and I sent someone to keep an eye on that place, it should be fine.” Micah kissed his mark on her neck. “If you come along, I’ll be distracted.”
In what sense? Abby wanted to chuckle, but she dropped the matter when she thought it wasn’t worth it to risk her and her unborn child’s safety. “Okay, I’ll listen to you this time.”
“Then do you want to stay here or go back to the palace?” Micah asked her, and from his tone, it was evident he wanted her to stay in the Silver Moon pack.
But Abby didn’t want it. “I want to go back to the palace!”
The king immediately turned her around in his arms to look at her closely. “Are you sure? The palace is now full of people gossiping about you.”
Abby noticed the way the muscles in his hands bunched up when he bought up the rumors. This was the second time they talked about the rumors, because her mate didn’t care enough to let those hurt his precious mate.
“Don’t you think it is better for you to wait here for me until after the battle?” Micah was frowning now because his little one was smiling at him. “What?”
“I don’t think it is better at all.”
“Why?”
“People are talking whatever they want about me, so I need to be the one to reverse the situation.” Abby told him slowly. “I can’t always depend on you to save the situation.”
There were rumors of her carrying another man’s child circulating left and right all around the kingdom. And they started in the palace.
“But you can just do that, little one.” Micah kissed her forehead. “I can fight for both of us.”
“No, I want to fight for both of us this time.” Abby reassured him. “If I can’t even deal with some baseless rumors, I won’t be able to hold onto my position for long.”
“But…”
This time it was Abby who stopped him from saying anything by sealing their lips together. “No, Micah. We need to uproot this problem from the cause, and your father needs to understand I won’t let him ruin my happiness.”
Micah understood where she was coming from, but she was too sensitive and softhearted. If she went back alone, it would be like letting a naive lamb wander into a den of beasts. And the girl could see he was skeptical.
“Staying back here would only make me look ever weaker in his eyes, I
and Micah could only give up persuading her, even though pondered whether it was a good idea to let her fight with her father
don’t want it.” Abby looked te
and the other cunning royals.
“Can you promise me you won’t stress yourself out for the sake of unrelated people?” Micah looked into her eyes, wanting her to understand that nothing else was important when it came to her and their child.
“We are talking about your father, Micah.” Abby mock gasped when he talked like that.
“Yeah, unrelated!” Micah dismissed. “Promise me first!”
“Okay, I promise!”
“Always have someone follow you around and I’ll write to Alan immediately.”
Abby knew she couldn’t change his mind about this, so she didn’t make a fuss about his arrangements.
As such, it was settled that Abby would go back to the palace while Micah would stay behind to take care of the rogues base.