Chapter 8

Lia's POV

I stared at the letter in shock. How on earth did he know that my child was playing outside?

My chest tightened as fear gripped me. The last time he came, he had given Merlin a terrifying sight.

What will he do this time? Take him away, but he knew he was the Alpha's child so why was he still trying to kill him?

“Why does he keep threatening Merlin?” I asked Benedicta.

She moved toward my bed and sat on it, placing her hands on the other side of the bed.

“Come and sit.”

I walked towards the bed and sat down. She gave my hands a little squeeze.

“Luca is Dean’s cousin. He is called the ruthless rogue. They were best of cousins for a long time. Dean, Lorenzo, and Luca were a perfect trio but then one morning. Dean's father sent him to his mother's park to be there and stay.”

“Why,” I ask. I mean whenever anyone commits a crime he is brought before the whole palace and the king recounts the crime the person committed.

And then he orders his death. Sadly most of the people were witches and people from opposite packs who came to seek refuge.

Anyway, Luca is his nephew he would not want any harm to come to him.

Benedicta smiled at my inquisitiveness“Well, it's simple. He must have committed an atrocity. I heard it was Dean who accuses him but we were never able to discover what the atrocity is. I wonder why he came back.”

I furrowed my eyebrows, “Does the Alpha know about this?"

She smiled with curved lips, ”I don't think so. Normally when someone tries to enter the park the Alpha will feel it and stop him and if it was someone he sent away they would bring him straight to the pack for cleansing and interrogation.“

“So you are trying to say that he has his motives for coming?”

“Yes, according to the prophecy Sabrina had. He will come back for revenge and he will destroy everything precious to Dean.” she paused for a while to let her explanation sink in through me. Then she added.

“And that includes you and your son,” she said and gave my hands a light squeeze. I knew she was trying to comfort me but it was not working.

My skin was going pale.

“Lia?” she called

“Yes,” I replied with a trembling voice. I was afraid that whatever she was about to say would confirm my worst fear.

“Pack your things we need to leave,” she said, confirming my fears.

I withdrew my hands from her. All my life I had been in the Attics park. All the memories, the good and the bad were here.

Not to mention Lexie who was my best friend.

Merlin has just started having friends it would break his heart to live here. It would be like we were starting again.

“But if someone leaves the park Dean's father would feel it. They will think we were trying to run away and worse. We cannot let them discover who you are,” I said trying to make her see reason with me as to why we can't leave.

She smiled and placed her warm palm on the side of my cheek, “Don't worry, I am fine and we will be fine. I can do some spell that would make us pass with ease but what I cannot do is bring back Merlin from the dead if he is killed.”

Her words finally brought in the fear I was withholding for a while. I imagined Luca pulling the trigger at my son or doing something worse.

I tried to wave off the images that formed through my head. Images that would mean death for me. Imagine Benedicta handing Merlin's ashes to me.

I dashed outside running to call Merlin.

“Merlin!” I shouted, or I think I screamed.

“Yes mummy!” he answered from the corner and ran towards me with his small hands filled with sand.

I opened his palm and removed the sand.“Come inside,” I ordered.

“But I want to stay with my friend,” he replied with a pleading tone.

I shot him a razor-bade glare, “Merlin, don't make me repeat myself”.

He bent his head and let go of the sand on his palm. It broke my heart to see him like this but there was nothing I could do.

He walked inside and watched me as I packed our clothes.

“Where are you going?” he asked with an angry pout.“We are leaving” I replied as I arranged the clothes and the few ones we had.

“Leaving this place,” he asked.

“Yes,” I replied without glancing at him.

I expected him to frown but to my greatest surprise, he smiled.

His voice lit up with excitement as he asked, “Does it mean I will stay with you?”

My heart dropped. That means he was always missing me. He was ready to leave everything to stay with me.

“No, we are leaving the city.”

The smile on his face dropped once.

“But why?”

I bent down towards him and cupped his face as I tried to hide the tears within mine.“We don't have a choice dear. Remember that man who held a gun to your head?” I asked.

He nodded slowly“Yes. He had golden eyes.”

I smiled sadly, “Well he wants to kill us and we have to run,” I told him even though I knew he did not understand what I just said.

“I don't want to die,” he mumbled.

I engulfed him in a hug “You won't die okay? I would not let that happen. So just bring out your favorite toys and we will leave.”

He nodded against my head. “When do we leave?” he asked.

“Tonight. In the dark.”

He nodded and started bringing out his toys and handing them over to me.

“Are we going to tell Dad before we go”? he asked as he gave me his black toy car.

I shrugged “He will find us.”

He turned around and gave me the last toy “What about Aunt Lexie?”

I stopped right on track. How would Lexie feel if I left her without even saying goodbye?

It would be the worst betrayal. I would give her a text message.

“I would tell her.”

“Okay.”

Benedicta came in and gave us a necklace to put on. It was made of sea stones.

She gave Merlin toasted bread and tea. We watched as he drank it happily.

Immediately Merlin was done eating. We packed our things and made our way for the woods.

With Sabrina’s necklace, we were immune to anything.

As we made our way towards the border, the hair at the back of my neck stood as I felt someone's piercing gaze at me.

I tried to shake the feeling off. I carried Merlin on my shoulders and clung to him as if my life depended on it.

Something moved in a flash around us.

I saw it and stopped. Benedicta stopped too as she sensed it.

It happened again. The wolf or creature ran at speed again.

Benedicta looked at me with fear in my eyes.

“Run!” She shouted.

It ran again and stood in front of us.

“I wouldn't do that if I were you,” the person replied with a smirk.

Merlin clung closer to me at his voice.

It was Luca. The man we were running away from.