The Alpha's Fated Outcast: Rise Of The Moonsinger by Ejiofor Dorcas

158 She has a wolf.

High Priestess Liora

Heavy silence pressed in on me after Alpha Ramsey and Lyla left.

I settled into my chair with a sigh, my gaze drifting to the small hearth as the flames flickered and danced. My time was near, and I knew that much, but the world I would leave behind was so messy.

And all of it was my fault.

Maybe if I had been thorough and tough with Miriam, if I had put my feet down and not allowed myself to be blinded by my love for her, Lyla wouldn’t have happened if I had guided her right.

Was I grateful to the Moon Goddess for giving us a Moonsinger? Yes! But who knew that Miriam’s mistake would have this repercussion? I knew there would be a repercussion of some sort… she was, after all, supposed to be High Priestess after me and had the silver mark, but nothing had prepared me for this.

If Lyla had an ordinary wolf, it would have been different – I wouldn’t have worried, but the two–tailed wolf… I felt the hairs at the back of my neck rise in fear, and immediately, I muttered a prayer to calm my weak heart.

Lyla – that girl – there was so much more happening now than I could comprehend, and the visions were becoming frequent these days.

The soft creak of the door startled me when Miriam entered, holding a tray of food. I studied her for a moment. Her movements were mechanical, almost robotic, as she set the tray down on the table in my room.

Something was wrong with her.

“Ah, Miriam, just in time, I chirped, trying to dispel the sad aura around her. “Could set it down here, I pointed to the small stool near my bed.

you

the small table beside my bed. Then, she poured me a cup of tea, opened the plates for me, and set out the cutlery. Though she was moving

before. When she finished setting my table, she returned to the window and stared absently.

called out to her costle

shoulders were hunched slightly in defiance, and her

curled into the fabric of her skirts she used to do that a lot as a child.

–

so badly,

something wrong? Lyla looked fine when she came to see me a moment ago. I thought that would make

remained mute.

about what I told you? You don’t have to give me a response now; there’s plenty of time,

to be filled with Miriam’s sadness. I waited patiently. I had learned long ago that the only way to get her to open up to you is to be silent. It works most times, though.

the silence. Miriam turned around slowly, tears streaming down her face. Her chin quivered as she looked at me, her eyes brimming

this much was after the birth of her daughter, and she had begged me to allow her to hold her for only five seconds. The other priestesses and the midwife who had helped us begged me not to, but I gave in. I couldn’t stand her crying

even now…

heart and plunged me into a state of despair. “Lyla…” she cried. “She

eyes briefly, exhaling deeply. “I feared

you from the beginning that there was more than one entity inside her. She fulfils the prophecy and the first Moonsinger

she continued sobbing. “No…no, no. It can’t be.

to me, Miriam. Now is not the time to be weak. You knew, as did I that Lyla was special, and now that everything has played out, we

has