Chapter 29: TWENTY-NINE

The forbidden lake “In that case Ava, I wish you all the very best with your new mate. That’ll be all.”

Ava left the room feeling something move in her heart. She’d expected that when she told him she was leaving, he’d try to change her mind but he didn’t, he didn’t even show any form of reaction whatsoever, he truly was letting her go. But why did he change his mind all of a sudden? She didn’t know, and she knew she was tempted to tell herself she didn’t care at that moment but that would be a fat lie. She cared so much about him, even though he did things she didn’t like, it never stopped the attraction she felt for him. It never made her feelings for him die down, and now he was letting her go.

As she walked back to her room feeling a bit disappointed, she was thinking of where to tell Ray where she’d been these few days she’d gone missing when she got home. She couldn’t tell him she was here, nor she’d been kidnapped. For some reason, she didn’t want any conflict between her mate and her betrothed and as she began to think of another excuse, her eyes met little Meeka in tears in front of her room. The girl looked so bright and happy during breakfast this morning, what could now be the reason for her sudden sadness?

She reached where Meeka was and bent so she would be on the same level with the young one.

“Hello Meeka, what’s the matter dear?”

Meeka sniffed and pouted. “It’s the carved wooden dolly that daddy made for me before the bad roggies attacked our pack. Someone threw it into the lake by mistake and she says only you can help me get it. Mommy will be mad if you don’t help me get it.”

It sounded strange to her, why would she be the only one in this whole pack house able to retrieve a carved wooden doll from the lake? But the sad little girl in front of her was the main picture in her mind now, she would figure out whatever it was later but for now it was time to help little Meeka retrieve her dolly. Then she would go home from there.

“Ok Meeka, can you show me where the lake is?”

“It’s behind the garden.”

Ava recalled seeing the lake when she was on the walk with Cian this morning, she knew where it was. It was a small lake on a lower ground level behind the pack house garden, retrieving something from there shouldn’t be hard, she thought.

“Ok dear, let’s go.”

She led the girl out of her quarters and out the back, past the garden and then to the lake. The lake was truly shallow, as she could already see the head of the doll poking out from the surface.

“Ok Meeka, wait here,” she said to her as they reached the bank. Ava bent to take off her shoes and roll up her sleeves and then her trousers, and as she proceeded forward to dip her leg into the lake, a strong wave of electricity jolted through her entire body system, tipping her completely off balance and making her drop into the lake unconsciously. Little Meeka screamed in horror upon seeing what happened.

“Ahhhhh!!!!” Was the only voice she could let out as she ran to call her mother.

**********

Suri was in the tailor’s room, mending a dress with the seamstress when Meeka rushed in, her eyes reddened with tears.

“What’s wrong Meeka? What’s the matter?”

“The lake!! The lake!!! Ava is in trouble! She will die because she wanted to save dolly!! She’s in the lake!!” Meeka jumped up and down crying and throwing her arms in the air, unable to control herself.

“Oh no!!!” Ava went into the forbidden lake. They called the lake forbidden because no one is allowed to go there. Three years ago, it was just an ordinary lake, until a powerful barbed wire fell into it. Since then, no wolf has been able to enter to remove the wire, not even Alpha Lucas as strong as he was, because electricity and wolves were not the best of friends. But there was no need to worry too much about the forbidden lake, because all dawners already knew about it. They already knew that it was dangerous and everyone was supposed to steer clear off it. Even little Meeka knew for her mother had warned her and her sister to stay away from there a million times through wolf nursery rhymes, there was even a big warning sign to stay away mounted boldly in front of the lake to keep away those who didn’t know, but someone had it dug out before Ava came to retrieve the doll. And unfortunately, the only person in the whole house that didn’t know about the forbidden lake at that moment was Ava.

“We have to find the Alpha!” The seamstress, Reena alerted.

“Oh no!!!” Suri couldn’t stop the tears from rushing out from her eyes. Her little Meeka would be in trouble if anything happened to master’s mate, and she would even be in more trouble because she was Meeka’s mother.

‘Pull yourself together,’ Suri’s wolf told her. ‘Wolves were strong, wolves weren’t just feeble humans, Ava might still be alive, there might still be a chance to save her if we act fast,’ yes there might. Suri dropped the dress in her hand immediately and grabbed her crying daughter out of the room, rushing in the direction of the alpha’s chambers.

**********

The wolf guards at the entrance stopped the two crying females that were trying to enter.

“Please, let us enter! It’s an emergency,” Suri cried.

“The alpha does not want to be disturbed for now, that’s why we’re here. We are sorry, but you will have to come another time or report whatever issue you have to the beta or the gamma if it can’t wait.”

Oh no! The beta or gamma, those two were almost impossible to find especially after breakfast, when they would disappear to attend to their numerous assignments. The only person that was easy to find was the alpha, and that’s because he’s always locked up in his room most of the time, but now he was not available to see them.

“You don’t understand!!! We need to see him now.”

The guard shook his head strongly. “We have already given you his orders, if you don’t leave here now, you’ll be in trouble.”