Fated To Three Betrayed By All Until She Rose (Leilani) by Ahvahh novel Chapter 481

Chapter 481: Deal?

Maurice.

The air was stale, chilly and damp today— which was quite normal for someone locked up in a cell. However, none of these compared to the feeling of dread that crept up my spine every two seconds. It also didn’t compare to the feeling of being watched that I for some reason could not shake off.

Ever since I woke up this morning, there has been this tightness in my chest. This discomfort in my spine and this voice somewhere at the back of my skull screaming out at me, and no matter how hard I tried to block it out, it was impossible.

My fingers curled into my knees and my nails dug so deep into my flesh that it almost drew blood. My body shook with terror— a terror that I couldn’t ascertain where it was coming from and the more I tried not to think about it, the worse it became.

Just as I pondered over these things and tried to shake off these feelings, I heard the sound of the front gates opening which jolted me out of my reverie, and in worry, I rose to my feet, almost ignoring the way the metal clasps around my ankles bit into my flesh.

Almost.

But it was made out of silver.

I hissed out in pain.

I never used to be chained up. Yes, I was locked up for being a bad mother and an accomplice to so many crimes, but the triplets had been respectful and generous enough to leave me as a free bird in my cage... that is until I tried to flee again and again... and again. Hence, earning these large metal binds now wrapped around my ankles.

Once again, I was snapped out of my thoughts when I heard the sounds of approaching footsteps, and at first, I wanted to believe that whoever it was wasn’t coming for me... that is until I remembered the kind of luck I had today. Until I remembered how restless I have been ever since my eyes peeled open sometime this morning.

A familiar yet unfamiliar scent wafted into my nostrils, making my eyebrows shoot into my hairline. It smelled like pines and dew on a rainy morning. It smelled like milkshakes wrapped in velvet.

I couldn’t remember the last time I perceived something so sweet yet intoxicating and for some reason, the scent made my wolf— my wolf which barely reacts to anything— jump in excitement.

I frowned.

"Who is there?"

But I was met with silence. A silence so loud it crept into my bones. A silence so chilling that goosebumps spread across my skin.

Not so far off, I saw the silhouette of a man standing a few yards away from my cell and from here, even though it was dark, I could tell that he was a massive one. A powerful one. My heart jumped.

"Who is there?" I asked again, sounding frightened even though I didn’t want to.

From a distance, I saw the person move... closer, but they said nothing. And goddess, that alone made me more frightened than I already was. I was shaking visibly with my hands trembling against the metal barricades.

My legs moved before I knew what I was doing and I retreated deeper into my cell, far away from reach if that was what this person was after.

However, I was just about to plaster myself against the cold moldy wall when a deep voice finally spoke up. He said;

"Maurice?"

I froze. Goddess, ke en my breath halted.

That voice sounded familiar... way too familiar. It made an invisible log lodge itself somewhere inside my throat.

The corners of my eyes burned but before I could forge any word out of my suddenly stiff lips...

"Maurice, is that you?" The voice came again, forcing my brain to figure out where I had heard it from before.

There is only one person I know who sounds like this and he is dead.

I shook my head. "Who are you?" I asked, and for a moment, only silence reigned. The person neither moved nor spoke. Goddess, they were so still they almost appeared as a statue.

I had begun to think that they would never respond. That this was all a dream when suddenly, they brought out a phone from their pocket, turned on the flashlight and raised it above their head.

I froze.

Hell, my heart somersaulted in my chest.

I couldn’t believe my eyes so I stepped back until my back pressed against the wall, and I would’ve thought I was dreaming if not for the fact that chills suddenly spread across my back from where it made contact with the cold wall.

I gulped. When I spoke moments later, my voice was crisp. Broken. It sounded like it came from about two miles away from me as I asked; "Ragnar?"

But the man in front of me did not smile like Ragnar would smile at me. His gaze didn’t soften either.

Goddess, what am I thinking? I watched Ragnar get killed!

Yes, it is Ragnar!

It really is him.

"So how is it that you never transferred that so-called ’love’ to my daughter? Why did she have to grow up so broken... so unloved?"

I knew that I was bad to Leilani. I knew that I was wrong for treating her the way I did; But hearing Ragnar spell it out to me... hearing the grief in his tone and the sadness made me want to pull out my hair in despair.

Something in his voice made me realise the extent to which I had hurt his daughter... our daughter; so I found myself sobbing uncontrollably, gripping at my chest as I cried;

"I didn’t mean to hurt her."

And it was the truth. Malakai would have had my head and hers if he noticed that I showed even the tiniest bit of affection towards her.

He would have killed her, that I was sure of because he made sure to threaten me with it a lot of times in the past.

Pushing away that thought, I leaned forward. My sobs grew more frantic as I pressed my face against the metal barricades, but Ragnar wouldn’t touch me. He wouldn’t even come close.

A beat of silence settled between us before he finally spoke up, and when he did this time, there was no longer any hint of coldness in his voice, but there was no warmth either.

He looked down at me like one would stare down at a petulant child, and then he drawled;

"What really happened four years ago?"

For a moment, I simply knelt there, stunned to my bones and shaking all over. Memories of that day clashed in my mind like a tidal storm, pulling me deeper into a state of despair.

I bit down on my lower lip and wiped the tears off my face, and with a voice braver than I expected, I said;

"I’ll tell you everything that happened four years ago, but you must also tell me how you survived."

At the sound of my voice, he stopped to glare at me as if saying: ’you sound like you have a choice.’ Something in his posture made it seem as though he was about to walk away, but after careful thought, he finally shook his head, stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Deal?" He drawled, sounding like he was talking to a stranger and not me, his mate.

I gulped. "Yes, deal."