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

190 The truth of her birth IV

Miriam

The morning I left; the temple was quiet. Everyone was still sleeping in their chambers from the chilliness of the early morning. I didn’t take anything. I wanted no reminder of this place.

I stepped out into the cool dawn air, and paused, glancing back at the temple that had been my home for so long. But now, I was leaving.

Shaking my head, to fight the nostalgia, I turned away and started walking down the path that led to the home of the midwife. For the first time in three months, I felt relief. I was going to start afresh, a life where I would no longer be just a priestess who had given up her child, but a mother searching for a way to heal my shattered heart.

It took me about an hour to arrive at the Midwife’s house.

When I reached it, I paused at the gate, listening for sound. I must have stood there for about ten minutes when I heard the piercing cry of a baby. I paused, listening. One of the doors to the room opened and the husband of the midwife emerged and crossed over to the other side of the house.

A moment later, the midwife and her husband came from the other side of the house carrying a baby. The midwife passed the baby to her husband who was playing with her, nuzzling her with his mouth.

I stood frozen where I was hidden as I watched them. That was my baby.

Her brown curls curled around her hair like carpet. She was cooing, laughing at the funny noise the midwife’s husband was making. They didn’t give the baby away? I wondered silently, watching them.

After staying there for a while, I summoned courage and walked into the compound. As soon as the midwife and her husband saw me, a small smile settled on their lips as if they had been expecting me.

“You don’t look surprised?” I asked.

The midwife laughed. “I knew you were going to come back. All the women always came back for their babies and I kept her for you.”

“Do you want to hold her?” her husband asked gently.

My eyes misted with tears. “Can I?”

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to me. Lyla turned, staring at me with baby curiosity. I gently took her from the

it felt as if my heart would burst with warmth. Every sadness that had taken me hostage seeped out as I held her. I closed my eyes savouring the

the midwife interrupted my thoughts again.

as I turned to her. “I can’t stay there anymore. They won’t let me stay

soon as they notice you’re not at the temple, here

about leaving and I knew I couldn’t stay here but I had no idea how to go about it. How

get a job,” the husband of the mid–wife started saying. “Even if you do get a job, who

an option,” I shook my head. “He

didn’t you say your brother asked you to get a Poultry Keeper for him for that pack? It’s not so much a job if you look at it. There’ll be a roof over their head and the pay is

just newly married a year and some months precisely

had such a turn in everything and we know it’s her,” then she sighed. “Anyways, go with my husband.”

the man. Three hours later, we arrived at the pack and went straight to the pack house.

I sat with Lyla in the sitting room, she suddenly started crying. Since the sitting room was quiet and the baby’s voice was echoing, I decided to take her outside. Just as I stepped out, I heard

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that had attracted me seemed more intense. Only they

towards me.

too and was staring at him with baby curiosity too.

if there’s any ceremony being done at the

don’t look half as bad either.

he asked for the third time. “Don’t tell me you came to look

shook my head. Lyla was coming down. “I came for

asked again, staring at me with surprise. “What kind of

these days we will catch up, that is if I can get the job.”