56 Shadows of doubt …

Miriam ( Nanny )

It’s been three days since Lyla left the house .

I sat at the coffee shop , staring at my phone , with a deep frown etched on my face .

The Café was unusually quiet for a Saturday afternoon , making my thoughts louder .

At first , I had been so angry , so pissed at the girl , blaming myself for spoiling her and always letting her have her way and I had promised myself that I wouldn’t reach out , that when she was done with her tantrums , she would find her way home .

But I was wrong .

I had mustered the courage to call Xander the second day after she left home after going to school and was told that she hadn’t shown up since the previous day .

I found his number in one of Lyla’s contact books and had called his line the entire day .

The more I called and it went unanswered , the more unease crept up my spine .

Something wasn’t right .

Xander was the only friend Lyla had .

I was sure of that and since they were dating , she was most likely to end up in his house .

Xander finally took my call on the third day and I had clearly heard Lyla’s voice in the

background .

She had shouted something to me , calling out my name but I had been so fixated on Xander that I didn’t hear the words .

When I asked Xander what the problem was and why she was shouting , he brushed it off , laughing and saying they were just playing .

Even when I had insisted on speaking with Lyla , his tone had grown cold and he claimed , Lyla didn’t want to talk and had ended the call before 1 could protest .

I didn’t know where they lived .

There was no address in any of Lyla’s books and I couldn’t involve the human police .

They didn’t take things like this seriously .

Something was wrong , I could feel

it .

Today , I found myself staring at my phone again , Alpha Logan’s number displayed on the screen .

My fingers hovering over the call button .

I’ve thought about calling him several times but the risk was too great .

With the way the Lycan Leader was still looking for Lyla , despite the many months that had passed since she left the pack , going as far as sending Panther trackers , he might have been monitoring her father’s calls .

One wrong move could put Lyla in even greater danger .

My thumb hovered over the dial button , my heart racing but at the last second , I turned the phone off and set it aside .

No , calling Logan wasn’t the answer .

the strange marking I had noticed on her

perfectly on her spine – a mark

cared for Lyla since she was a pup , dressed her , tended

of

I seen that mark

tried to dismiss it as a simple birthmark , but it kept gnawing

the spiritual had taught me

every freckle , every mark could mean something

and free

was sure those three stars on her spine meant something and it

fate .

day I met him , gave me an odd feeling, the aura he had carried with him was darker even in all the years spent as a worshipper of

to brush it off as me being

Dupree , the unease had

was much darker

regretted ever letting Lyla

something else and had changed my Lyla totally from the little sweet girl , she used to be into something

had struggled with many issues growing up , constantly battling the scars of abandonment at an age where the love and support of a parent to a

, attention anything that made her feel

mattered .

would do anything to be with someone who showed her

have known

idly by

even if they were only

I took up

so much that it has stopped me from doing all the things I

I was done .

up to the front counter where Sarah , one of the café’s baristas was wiping down the espresso

heading out , Sarah , I informed with a

But I don’t know how long I’ll be ,

, go ahead and close up for the day , okay ? ”

, obviously surprised

? Is it Lyla ? Is she alright ? I’ve been meaning to ask why

” I said

some personal business I need to take care of

leaving you

” she shook her head , flashing me a dimpled

will be here soon to start his shift ,

like a slow day

“ I

thought so too

waved at her already moving to the

of the cafe , I exhaled deeply , my mind was already racing just thinking of my

was only one place

for the kind

It was a

14 30

Shadows of

hadn’t visited

the place that taught me everything I know and shaped me into the person I became and just when I was to attain leadership , I ruined it all … although , I wouldn’t consider the outcome as a mistake ,

at th

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