Chapter 196
Amica
“Where is my baby?”
“Where is my little boy?” I scream, struggling to find my way out of the bed.
A nurse rushes into the room, panic flashing in her eyes.
“Luna! You’re awake! Please, you have to stay in bed–you lost a lot of blood,” she pleads, trying to guide me back down.
“Where the hell is my baby?” I shout, refusing to be still.
“Your baby is right there, Luna Amica,” she says hurriedly, pointing to the small bundle in the bassinet beside me.
As if on cue, my little heiress begins to cry, her wails piercing through the room.
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“See? You’ve woken her,” the nurse mutters, rushing to pick up my daughter. “Please, just lie back down so I can place her in your arms to feed,” she
urges, trying to calm both me and the child.
“No!” I snap. “Where is my second baby? Where is my little boy?”
The nurse freezes, her face paling.
“Luna… this is the only child you have. I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” she says, her voice trembling with confusion. “Please, lie down. You’ve started bleeding again.”
I clutch at my empty belly, a cold, sinking feeling washing over me.
“Where is my husband? Where is Deckard?” I demand, my voice raw with panic.
“Get hirn! Now!”
“The Alpha has not returned yet,” the nurse says, trying to soothe me. “But he is on his way. We’ve already informed him–you should have seen how ecstatic he was! He will be here soon, Luna. Please, don’t worry.”
The door bursts open and Leonard rushes in, his face bright and glowing with happiness.
“Luna!” he calls out. “Congratulations on our newborn heiress!”
But his joy only fuels my rage.
“Where is my little boy?” I yell, my voice cracking with desperation. “Where did you find me? My son is missing!”
Leonard’s smile falters. His brow furrows as he steps closer.
“Amica… you only had one child,” he says slowly, like he’s trying to piece something together. “And she’s right here.”
“Where was I found, Leonard? And who found me?” I demand, trying so hard to stay calm–but it’s impossible. How can I be calm when my child has been stolen?
“You were found beyond the walls of the Manor,” Leonard answers cautiously. “Freya found you. She was the one who called for help- you were in a very bad position when we got to you.”
At the mention of her name, Freya steps into the room, her presence setting my nerves on fire.
“It’s true, Luna,” she says smoothly, too smoothly. “If I hadn’t gotten there when I did, I’m afraid you wouldn’t have survived… Although,” she adds, casting a glance at my daughter, “your baby looks strong.”
I stare at her at that witch–my heart pounding, my instincts screaming.
Something is terribly, horribly wrong.
“You!” I roar, storming toward her, fury burning in every step.
“Where the hell is my son? Give him back to me now or I swear–I’ll have your head severed from your shoulders!”
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4:00 PM
Chapter 196
The anger of a mother courses through me, wild and unstoppable.
о
Now I truly understand the rage of beasts when their young are ripped away from them.
“I do not know what you speak of, Luna, Freya says, her voice falsely calm. “All I did was save you. You should be thanking me—because far worse could have happened to you, or your baby, out there in the woods.”
Lies.
I see it in her eyes—the darkness she tries to hide behind her measured words, the flicker of guilt she cannot mask. She knows something.
She is hiding something.
Without a second thought, I shove past her, barging out of the room, fueled by pure instinct and terror.
I hear them shouting after me–Leonard, the nurse, others—but their voices are nothing but noise.
I stumble through the Manor, desperate, frantic, ripping open the small gate hidden behind the garden walls.
I bolt through it, ignoring the searing pain between my legs, ignoring the thick clot of blood that drops heavily onto the pad beneath
- me.
I don’t care.
I have to find my son.
“Quickly, get the cart to carry her!” Leonard shouted at one of the guards.
But I didn’t wait for anything.
I kept running–stumbling, panting, searching for my lost child, my eyes wild as I scoured every inch of the woods.
Soon I heard the wheels of the cloth cart rolling behind me.
“Please, get in and show us, Luna,” Leonard pleaded, steering it closer.
But I couldn’t stop.
I wouldn’t stop.
I kept running ahead until there was nowhere left to search.
And there was nothing.
Nothing but grass, trees, and flowers swaying under the wind.
No baby.
I can still see traces of my blood where it all happened.
But no baby.
“You see, Luna,” Freya said, her voice sickeningly sweet behind me. “There’s nothing here. All I did was help you.”
“No…” My voice broke. My knees buckled. “Where is my baby!” I sobbed, falling to the ground, clutching the earth beneath me as if it could somehow open up and return him to me.
*Please, Luna, your baby needs you,” one of the nurses urged, her voice trembling. “There’s nothing here… Please, you must come back.” But I wasn’t listening.
I couldn’t listen.
All I could see was her–Freya–the witch who stood at the heart of my nightmare.
“THIS DAMN WITCH IS RESPONSIBLE!” I screamed, lunging at her with everything I had.
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Chapter 196
I grabbed a fistful of her hair, pulling hard enough to rip it from her scalp, my claws digging deep into her skin so she would feel the same pain that was consuming me.
“Please, Luna–please, stop! Leave her alone!” voices cried out, trying to pull me away.
Everyone rushed to Freya’s aid, forcing me away from her, prying my claws from her skin.
“Luna, please,” Leonard begged, holding me by the shoulders. “We need to take you back to your daughter. She needs you. And you’re bleeding badly.”
His voice was full of concern–and pity.
I hated that sound.
I didn’t need pity.
I needed my son.
“I know you don’t expect me to lie there with one child when another is missing!” I cried out, struggling against him. Tears blurred my vision, “I’m not crazy, Leonard! This witch has my child! What if it were you? Would you just let it go? Would you just walk away?”
My voice cracked painfully.
“I am telling you–I had two babies! Where is the second one? Where the hell ois my boy?!”
Leonard’s face fell. Doubt flickered in his eyes, but confusion clouded it just as fast..
Silence hung heavy over the woods.
And then Freya spoke, stepping forward with that same calculated calm.
“But could it truly be that she had two babies?” she mused aloud, as if weighing the thought. “She came all the way here alone. We don’t know what lurks in these woods, Luna. You passed out with two babies beside you… Maybe something wild smelled the blood. Maybe something snatched one of the babies and ran when it heard us approaching.”
Her voice was soft, almost sorrowful.
Almost believable.
But I saw the glint in her eyes.
I hear the lie behind her every word.
“What?” I whisper, my voice barely making it out.
“You said you’re sure you had two babies, right?” Freya said, her tone dripping
ing with false sympathy. “It’s a possibility, Luna. When I found you, you were bleeding heavily… you looked a serious mess. What if that’s what happened? What if something took the child before we got there?”
I stare at her, my chest heaving. I know she’s lying. I see it behind her carefully crafted words, behind the glint in her damn eyes.
Leonard cursed under his breath. His face turned pale as horror started to sink in.
“Oh Goddess… I can’t imagine that…” he muttered. He turned quickly to the guards,
“Get all the guards to search around the grounds! Now! Search for anything! Anything at all!”
Panic fills the air like thick smoke,
Leonard comes back to me, taking my trembling hand in
His voice is gentler now, almost pleading.
“Please, Amica… your daughter needs you. You have to go care for her. You’re still bleeding and if you collapse again…”
He paused, unable to finish the thought.
“I swear to you–I will update you immediately if we find anything.”
I can barely hear him over the pounding of my own heart.
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Chapter 196
My mind spins, lost in a storm of worry and fear.
Could something have really taken my little boy?
Am I at fault for leaving the manor alone?
No.
It can’t be.
I clutch my aching stomach and follow Leonard weakly, my heart breaking with every step away from the woods-
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