Chapter 271 – Owned by the Alphas Novel Free by Jen Cooper

Filed to story: Owned by the Alphas Novel

They were soiled, so they had been out here long enough to relieve themselves. She seemed hungry but not enough to cry. Their skin was cold and yet, they weren’t crying.

I realized what was happening then.

“Your shadows are helping you, aren’t they, little one?” I said again, picking her up.

Her brother squawked at that and I grabbed his finger in mine.

“I’m just going to give her some dry fabric. Don’t worry, brother,” I soothed. He seemed placated enough, and I swapped her soiled fabric for some of the clean cloth I had in my satchel. I carried it, even in my wolf form for plants.

Her shadows caressed me, thanking me. I felt her gratitude through them.

I couldn’t feel the brother’s shadows, though, so I wasn’t sure if he had them or not.

If he did, he wasn’t using them. She was keeping them both alive.

It was impressive for such a young child. She was going to be an impressive human.

And I wasn’t easily impressed. I had been alive for too long for that.

“Now, what are you two doing out here, hmm?” I wondered, resting my wrist on my knee. I looked around the forest.

Anger stirred in me when I heard nothing for miles, not until the human villages.

I could only assume they had been abandoned by the humans because of the timing of their birth. It would be quite the controversy. Even for the wolves.

To know there were winterborns in the realm was to know that the future would face an imbalance.

The risk of that was great and yet, looking down at wide navy eyes and a cheeky smile, I knew she would be more than that.

If the alphas knew of their existence, they would take them. Have the winterborns as slaves in the mansion.

I didn’t want them to be slaves.

But I also didn’t want to leave them with humans who had abandoned them.

“I wonder who was cowardly enough to leave such potential out here,” I said, talking to them but mostly to myself. I normally only had my plants to talk to so the children that couldn’t talk back were a step up.

“I bet they will get a shock to know you are both still alive.” I smirked, rummaging in my bag for something for them.

They must be starved, despite the shadows.

I found some berries and mashed them between my fingers. I gave them each a finger to suck on. She slurped greedily, happily kicking her feet.

Her brother was a little harder to convince. He was still cautious. Taking timid tastes.

I grabbed some water from my satchel and dripped it down to them, receiving the same response.

The humans were as foolish as I remembered. They didn’t understand the beauty in the world they had been given. Most didn’t.

And these children were a beauty. Another life mystery that should be celebrated, not discarded.

I moved under the tree, leaning against it, bringing the twins with me. The brother squirmed, not liking being picked up by me so I put him on my coat, bundling him so he stayed warm. The girl was fearless, grabbing at my skin, my face, my hair. She wanted to know about it all. And I told her. Everything she touched, I explained it.

Her shadows lingered, and it was the most surreal experience I had ever had. I thought the shadows were evil, and were only able to be used to do dastardly things. But she wielded shadows that did nothing but comfort and thrive with life.

It was refreshing.

I held her close as she curled into me, sighing sleepily, her eyes drifting closed.

I wasn’t sure what to call her or her brother, but I was going to make sure they were safe. I couldn’t take them back to the city. I couldn’t trust the humans with them.

Which meant I had no idea what to do about the winterborns.

I was used to knowing exactly what to do so it was well out of my comfort zone. But the little girl in my arms made that prospect not as terrifying as it normally was.

So I stayed with them, feeding them, looking after them, still having no idea what to do with them or how I was going to leave them to the elements once I was called back to the city.

5. The Escape

PEARL

Mordechai had left my room a while ago, thinking I’d drunk his tea. But I hadn’t. I hadn’t touched a drop since I figured out his game.

I wasn’t about to sit back and let him take my children from me. If he thought I would, he didn’t know me at all.

I slid from the bed, careful not to make a sound. I grabbed the lantern next to me, not lighting it yet to keep the room dark.

My heart pounded, my pulse echoed in my chest. This was the most daring thing I’d ever done, usually so content to follow the rules. But this was different. When it came to my children, I’d always make exceptions, especially when their safety was at stake.

I’d only been a mother for a week and in that time, I’d seen my children once.

That wasn’t going to work for me.

I knew nothing of war, of fighting, or even of the duties my husband had, but I did know when I was being patronized, sidelined.

I tiptoed from my room, peeking out the door, scanning the area for Mordechai.

He’d mentioned staying the night but his eyes had strayed to my breasts. I knew that’s what he was staying for so I made it clear I wasn’t up for it.

That changed his mind pretty quickly.

I used my memory to navigate my surroundings: the kitchen along the wall to my left, the nursery through the door next to that, the dining table in front of me. I moved around it, gasping as I heard a chuckle coming from the bathroom.

A flicker of a flame was in the doorway of the bathroom and I frowned, moving silently across the floorboards to it.

I peeked in, covering my mouth when I saw my husband.

He wasn’t alone, thrusting into Camilla, who was bent over the wash basin.

Her mouth was wide open as he gripped her hair, being rough as usual. She was making soft moans and I shook my head.

I had known he wasn’t faithful. I had seen it in the faces of most of the ladies in the village. The pity. I didn’t need it. I wasn’t in love with him. He was an arranged marriage just like the rest of them. He offered the most in money and charm to win the choosing. That was all.

And I had done my duty, marrying him, bearing him children, being a good wife. If he didn’t appreciate that then Karma would teach him more than I ever could.

I knew I should be more hurt over the images of my husband being unfaithful, but I was faithful, so my conscience was clear, and at that moment, I was glad he was distracted because it meant I could escape.

I moved quickly, rushing from the hut and closing the door quietly.

I was already in my dresses and coat, my boots tied tight. I had a bag over my shoulder just in case I had to run with the children. I wasn’t sure where, but I was determined to keep them safe.

I ran through the huts, heading to the infirmary cabin, assuming the babies would be there when two of my husband’s men came stumbling out of one of the huts.

It was no secret that the men shared. The women sometimes liked it. Sometimes they didn’t. Based on the scratches across one of their cheeks, I would assume not.

I would put some ivy in their laundry later for that. But for now, I had to get out of their sight. I hid along the hut wall as they chuckled and bantered.

I was impatient to get past them when I heard what they were saying, and the breath left my body.

“You know, that Pearl is gonna need a shoulder to cry on when she finds out what happened to those kids,” one of them laughed. Barry, I think. A drunkard with no real usefulness to the village other than a loud mouth.

I was hoping that loud mouth was going to tell me where to find my children, so I listened closer.

“She’s going to need more than that. The general’s going to have to lock her up or something.”

“You think they are already dead out there then?” Barry asked. Their voices got closer and I edged around the hut further.

They stopped to urinate against the side, and I grimaced. Utterly grotesque, the lot of them.

“Of course they are. The general left them in that forest almost a week ago. No way two babies survive out there. Even if they are winterborns,” the other one scoffed.

My heart dropped into my stomach.

I shook with anger I rarely felt, tears filling my eyes.

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