Chapter 26: Chapter 26

Thank you all for always supporting “Sweet Treachery”. I couldn’t have asked for better fans. I love you all!!!

I rush to the window to catch a glimpse

Of how life used to be wonderful

How there were no worries and I was at ease

I had my family’s love in full

But all I see is the tears of the moon

In the form of dew

And the life which I once knew

Is now a poor shadow of itself

- PenaciousShewa

Petra knocks carefully on the door of Kayola’s room. She doesn’t want to startle the poor girl. It has been four days since Wanda’s body was buried, and Kayola has locked herself up in her room since, refusing to see anyone or to eat. The night Wanda was buried was the worst for Petra, as her heart was torn apart by Kayola’s constant wailing and screaming. She had decided to let Kayola be on her own, but after four days, she can’t take it anymore. She must check on her godchild, and that is why she is at Kayola’s door, knocking as softly as she can.

She knocks again but hears nothing. “Darling, are you in there?” Silence. “Kayola?” She is about to knock again when the door opens slightly, and she sees her. Kayola’s face is reddened with tears and her eyes are puffy and swollen. Her long, black hair is slapped against her head in a pitiful manner, and she clearly has not had her bath since they got here five days ago.

“Good morning, Aunt,” Kayola whispers, and sits at a corner of the room, hugging her chest with her arms.

“My darling child, good morning. How do you feel today?” Petra asks.

“Aunt, I am not okay, and I am sure you can see that!” Kayola snaps.

“I know, baby, and this is why I decided to come to see you after so many days.”

“I am sorry I snapped, Aunt. I am just finding it really hard to process my feelings right now. Do you understand what I am trying to say?” Kayola asks, with tears in her eyes. She looks so pale, and Petra is heartbroken.

“I understand how you feel, my dear; I can relate to your pain, my darling,” Petra replies.

“But how, Aunt? Ever since I knew you, I have never seen you cry, except when….when Mum had a miscarriage two years ago. How then can you understand the pain I am feeling right now? I lost my father and my mother in one night, everything I had was taken away from me. My lover, Keevan is probably dead too, my dream of leading the Conscientious Territory and taking care of the pack is dead and buried, just like my mother! I have nothing to live for!” Kayola screams, her voice shaking and her eyes brimming with unshed tears.

“Kayola, it is true that you have never seen me cry more than once, but that does not mean that I have not had my fair share of pain, fear, uncertainty, and depression. I have gone through some terrible things in life, and I was able to come out of them”

“What did you experience? And how did you survive?” Kayola asks.

“I’ll tell you. Do you remember about two years ago, when we were all having a discussion in the kitchen, and I told you that I had worked at the pleasure house?” Petra pauses and tries to catch her breath, as she is about to cry. The beautiful memories she had had with Kayola and the late Wanda are too painful to talk about.

“I’m sorry, Aunt; and yes, I remember that conversation vividly ” Kayola whispers quietly.

“It’s alright, baby. Some things just have to be discussed. I was not kidding when I said I had worked at the pleasure house, and although I promised to tell you all about it, I never imagined that it would be under these circumstances.

You see, I was born and brought up in a small village known as the Peasants’ Pack. We were a small pack and tried to keep our distance from the rest of the forest. As a young girl, I was told the story of the century-long war between the Conscientious Pack and the Rogues. I was told that the Rogues are brutal, mean, and merciless and that whenever I see any of them, I should run away as fast as I can.

The Rogues always came into our pack once a week to take away our farm produce, and our Alpha was always powerless against them, and this is because, in all ramifications, the Rogues are stronger than we were. We gave in to all of their demands and there was peace for a while.

One morning, while I was still n bed with my mother, and we were discussing the terrible nightmare that she had just woken up from, the Horn of Doom sounded, and that indicated that the Rogues had invaded our village, and this time, they were not here for farm produce, but they were here to wreak havoc. My mother grabbed me and we started running. I was only twelve years old at this time.

Right before my eyes, Kayola, a single arrow pierced my mother’s skull and she died. I was not even allowed to recover from the shock of my mother’s death when I was kidnapped by one of the Rogue soldiers, his name was Hector. I wasn’t the only one that was kidnapped; several girls my age and even older were taken too. Our tiny village was torn apart by those bastards.

We were taken to the Rogue Territory, and I was Hector’s personal slave. He raped me severally and made me pleasure him as many times as he wanted. He beat me and never failed to let me know how worthless I was. I was also made to work in the kitchen, and that was how my love for cooking and baking grew. Soon, I started serving food to Alpha Alexander himself. The Alpha was very ruthless and wicked, and I tried to avoid him as much as I could.

For ten years, I served Hector and the Alpha. I survived by improving my kitchen and bedroom skills, and he could not get enough of me. That was how I stayed alive. Also, in those ten years, I cried to the moon goddess to intervene.

And she did.

We were rescued by the soldiers of the Conscientious Pack, and it was the best day of my life. The rescue mission was led by your late grandfather, the Alpha at that time. We were taken to the Territory and life was stable and safe from then on, and we were no more afraid. Your father was very young then.”

“Oh my goddess, Aunt Petra, I had no idea. How did you stay strong for all these years?” Kayola asks, her eyes widened in shock.

“Well, the first thing I did was to lean on my loved ones at the time, and they were the girls and ladies that were kidnapped alongside me. We supported each other and this really helped. It did not stop even after we were rescued. Also, I faced my feelings and told myself that things would get better. I took good care of myself and ate good meals whenever I could. Finally, I was patient and endured the process.

However, the best time of my life was when……when Wanda, your mother, came into my life. The love that she and Alpha shared was one that made me believe in love. She was a breath of fresh air, and we just clicked. I will greatly miss my best friend” Petra concludes and bursts into tears.

Kayola rushes to her side and they hug each other and cry. After a long time, Kayola asks Petra a question that has been bugging her for days.

“Aunt Petra, how did you find this place?”

“I thought you would never ask. A few weeks ago, your mother had a terrible nightmare, and she made me promise her that I would take care of you and keep you safe if anything bad were to happen to her and the Alpha. I solemnly made her that promise and after, I started to wonder what happened to my old pack after the invasion that happened thirty-five years ago. I went to the creek and summoned the moon goddess, asking her what had become of the Peasants’ Pack. She told me that the pack was still in existence and that it was rebuilt years after the invasion. I thanked her and went back into the mansion. I still knew the way back home, so I rested assured.

“Aunt Petra, are you saying that we are at your old pack?” Kayola asks, clearly surprised.

“Yes, my dear. We are at my old home, and I must tell you that it is nothing like it was almost four decades ago.”

“Are we safe here?”

“As long as the Rogues don’t find out that we are here, or that this pack still exists, we are safe. Now, you need to freshen up and eat, my darling.” Petra says and prepares to leave the room.

“Alright, Aunt. I’ll do just that. Thank you for today. I feel better now, “ Kayola says, getting up and going into the tiny bathroom. As she turns on the shower, and the hot water jets out of the showerhead onto her body, Kayola feels her pain reduce drastically, and right here, she decides to give life another shot and not give up.

Hello lovelies, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please, your comments mean the world to me, and they help me write better. I love you guys!