Chapter Twenty-Two
I felt my chest tighten as I tried to process the heart-breaking words.
He wanted me to stay here?
Why?
Freedom was just inches away from me and now the thought of never having it again was difficult to comprehend. I had forced myself to believe that Cami and I would escape this place, we would be free and enjoy life without having to worry about anyone coming after us.
I told myself it would be over soon, I kept telling myself that over and over again. I did myself a disservice, doing this has caused me to become delusional and in a constant state of denial of the actual consequences of our actions.
This was never going to end, not until Alpha Alessandro was satisfied and even though I had only met the man a couple of times I knew it wouldn't be anytime soon.
"Okay." I chocked out. "I'll stay."
Uncle Tom looked conflicted, he didn't want me to stay here but what choice did he have? It was either lose one niece or both.
"Please keep Cami safe." My voice wobbled at the thought of being separated from her. We had discussed it before- separating, but now that it was actually happening it was a lot harder than I had anticipated.
"Of course I will." Uncle Tom promised as he grasped my hands.
I bit my lip and looked up towards the ceiling, trying my best not to cry. I had to stay strong for Cami, she couldn't see me like this.
"If it-" I cleared my throat and started again. "If it goes wrong, keep her hidden. I have a plan."
Uncle Tom nodded and released my hands, only to pull me into a hug.
I wrapped my arms around him tightly. "I'm going to say it was me, that I did it. If they question you put the blame on me. Cami had nothing to do with it." I whispered into his ears.
Once we were both in agreement, Uncle Tom re-entered the room while I stayed outside to compose myself.
Pull it together Nala!
After a couple of minutes I entered the room as well, my eyes immediately finding Cami who was looking happy and relaxed.
"I'll go make sure everything is ready for us." Uncle Tom told us, he left the room but not before giving my hand a final squeeze.
Cami must have sensed that something was as her facial expressions began to change. I walked over to her and pulled her gently so that we could both sit on the bed.
"Cami, you're going to with Uncle Tom. Don't tell anyone what happened, not one single person no matter who they are. You're going to stick the story I told you."
I paused for a few seconds before continuing. "The Alpha has agreed to let you go but I have to stay."
"No!" Cami immediately yelled, standing up. "I'm not leaving you."
"You don't have a choice, I-"
"No, no, no." Cami shook her head frantically. "I did this, this is my fault. If anyone should stay, it should be me."
"It's not your fault." I grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Listen to me, this is not your fault. You're going to leave with Uncle Tom, I'm going to be fine here. They're going to let me go in two weeks, that's it. Two weeks."
"I can't stay away from you for that long." Cami sobbed, her face drenched with tears. "I need you."
My throat tightened and I took in a deep breath.
Don't cry Nala, it'll make it worse for her.
"It's two weeks, it'll go by very quickly and I'll be with you in no time. Please Cami, you need to be strong, can you be strong for me?"
Cami nodded, her body trembling as she reached out to me. I wrapped my arms around her as tightly as I could. "I love you so much."
"I love you too."
"You're going to go with Uncle Tom. You're not going to say a single word to anybody no matter who they are or what they say." I repeated so she understood how serious I was being.
"I want to stay here with you, I don't want you to be here all alone." Cami whimpered into my ears.
I pulled back from her so I can see her face. I gently wiped her tears away, caressing her face softly. "I'm going to be okay and so are you. Listen to what Uncle Tom tells you, don't trust anyone else except him."
"Maybe there's another way? We can tell the Alpha that I want to stay here with you."
"No he won't agree to that. You're underage I don't think they can keep you here." I lied hoping she doesn't push this further. The Alpha would agree and keep us both here and I didn't want Cami here as well. As terrified as I was at the thought of being here on my own, this was the best for Cami. She wouldn't last long here and that would be disastrous for us. We just had to wait out the two weeks and then I could join her.
After almost an hour of talking and reassuring Cami, she finally left with Uncle Tom. My chest was heavy as I watched her leave and I prayed that I would see her again soon. The thought of never seeing her again was anguishing and I waited until she had fully left the room before I broke down.
My body collapsed onto the ground as I held covered my face with my hands, my body shaking as I cried my heart out. Everything was going wrong and I was honestly petrified of the outcome. For some reason I couldn't shake this horrible feeling at the bottom of my stomach that I was never going to leave here.
I was going to stay here forever.
@=#~=~#=@
No one disturbed me for the next few hours and I was thankful for the peace. I cried and cried and cried until my eyes burned and no tears fell from it. Once I could no longer cry anymore I crawled into bed and put the rough covers over my head, blocking everything out.
I almost dozed off when something shook the bed slightly. I sat up to find the source but saw nothing. It happened again and I looked down at the mattress in confusion. Realisation filled my body as I got up, I had put my phone under the mattress and must have accidently left it on vibrate in my haste when I saw Uncle Tom's messages.
Expecting it to be him, I pulled the phone out and turned it over. My mind went blank as I saw an unknown number.
No, not this again.
With shaky hands, I unlocked the phone to read the full messages.
Where are you Nala?
I've missed you.
I wanted to laugh when I saw the messages, it seemed like a lifetime ago when the creep would send me these messages. I was so eager to find out who it was but know I could hardly care less. This was just a game to them and I was done playing. If they wanted to inform the Alpha of what happened, they would have done that a long time ago.
Fuck off you twat.
The reply was instant and instead of fear consuming me I felt nothing.
Should I tell the Alpha Alessandro what you did?
Be my guest. In fact you should tell him face to face, that way I can finally see who the ugly wanker on the other side is.
I waited for a few minutes and there was no response. I then sent a message to Uncle Tom asking him to let me know when he and Cami get home and to give me an update on her. I put the phone under the mattress and headed over to the bathroom.
I stared at my reflection in the mirror, grimacing as I saw how puffy my face had gone. Some people had cute crying faces, I, on the other hand looked like a blowfish. Splashing some cold water on my face was refreshing and I felt a tiny bit better.
I headed back to the room when I suddenly stopped in my tracks. I must have forgotten to turn the phone back to silent because it was vibrating.
But it wasn't vibrating under the mattress, it was vibrating in Alpha Alessandro's hand.
@=#~=~#=@
A/N: Hey guys, first of all I would like to say thank you so much for all your support and kind words, I have read each and every one of them and they have helped me so much. I'm so grateful for you reaching out and I really appreciate it.
I'm doing okay, I had a couple of appointments last week and was given the all clear and the complications that rose from the loss have gone so hopefully now I can move on both physically and mentally.
Those of you who follow me on Patreon will know that I have taken time off from work after advice about my mental health, I didn't handle the loss too well at the start and was very much in denial and saying/doing things that made no sense. I was hesitant on whether I should take time off as I would not get paid but decided to do it anyway. I'm alot better now but still have a couple of weeks off and I'm hoping to be productive during that time and do some more writing.
I feel as though last year was pretty rough in terms of my health and as things were looking up life hit me again but this time harder however I am hoping this year will be the year for me and you as well, I hope you accomplish your goals and dreams this year.
Anyways moving back to the story! I hope you guys liked it
Do you think Alpha Alessandro has read the messages? Who do you think is sending them?
Let me know what you think is going to happen next
I'm not sure when I'll be uploading again, right now I'm trying to focus on Patreon as those who follow me there are paying for my work and I want to make sure they're receiving what they're paying for.
If you do want to read ahead or want to support me on Patreon it's www.patreon.com/kayy_b There are currently 45 chapters there and the next upload will be tomorrow.
Thank you again for your support and thank you for reading!
-Kayy xx