Chapter 169: He Won’t Find Her

"Her name is Maya?"

Something about the way she asked the question made Winnie shiver. She told herself it was because she was still standing next to the ice.

"Yes," she mumbled, swallowing the lump in her throat.

Her blue eyes turned cold, and her face went blank. Winnie inched backward in the sand before she even thought about it.

"Ha. Of course, her name is Maya. The bastards!"

Winnie frowned, unsure of what was going on. So she focused on what was important. "Where are you taking her?" She asked. "She is very hurt, and I worry she won’t—"

"Home," she said with an odd look, as if deciding to tell her. "I am her mother, you see."

"You are?" Winnie asked with wide eyes, but for some reason she didn’t think she was lying.

It was dark out; she couldn’t exactly see her face very clearly, but it was hard to miss her blue eyes and black hair.

"I am, and I am taking her."

"Will she be fine?" That was more important.

"On my life," she said.

Winnie opened her mouth to speak but no words fell out. She had nothing to say because the strange woman’s words sounded so truthful. She could leave Maya with her.

Suddenly, shiny black fur covered her body as the woman shifted. She stood tall, a huge black wolf, easily towering over her. Her mouth held open at how elegant she looked.

[You might want to go inside, child. It is about to rain.]

Winnie grabbed her head as the sound echoed in her skull. She staggered and fell to the sand. When she lifted her head, the woman was gone. She was the only one left on the beach.

Winnie sat on the sand for a moment as she tried to get her bearings and process what just happened.

A part of her wondered if she had done the right thing by letting a strange woman take Maya—even if she said she was her mother.

However, the more she thought about it, the more she had a stronger feeling it was best. Verlassen didn’t want Maya in the first place with everything that went on, and she was to be sent to the High Alpha by dawn.

Winnie shivered as she stood next to the ice. She looked toward it and shifted. Her fur kept her a little warm.

This was bound to change things. She couldn’t imagine that Maya had this kind of power and condoned all the things she had.

Yes, she is better off with a strange woman than in this town.

She turned away from the ice and walked toward the town. She wondered if Asher was fine. It was a long night; she needed some sleep.

In the morning, she could process her thoughts better and decide if it was a good decision. For now, she would pray to the Goddess to keep both Maya and Asher safe.

Winnie was almost out of the beach when she saw a wolf running towards her. The emerald necklace around his neck caught some light and reflected it in her direction.

He stopped right in front of her and shifted. It was so quick that she didn’t see the change. "Where is she?!" He yelled.

Winnie sighed and continued her walk. She wasn’t shifting to have a conversation. She was too tired. All she wanted to do was get inside to where it wasn’t so cold.

She had barely finished the thought when the skies opened and heavy raindrops fell on her fur. Winnie looked to the sky and shook her head.

Yep. That is her mother.

"Winnie!"

Keenan’s desperate voice called as he walked after her, but she ignored him still. She didn’t even look at him; she just steadily kept walking.

She would have to go home in the rain. If only she could run, but her paws were killing her. If she picked up speed, she was likely to fall and not get up.

"Winnie," he called one last time before shifting and running in the direction she was coming from.

He won’t find her and she didn’t feel the slightest pity at that. She winced as she recalled how loudly Maya screamed and cried for her baby when she noticed she was bleeding.

She prayed again to the Goddess that the baby would be fine.

She blamed him for that. It was his fault. Maya was bleeding, and he discarded her to be given to Alaina. She had picked up his scent as clear as day.

If she had gotten treated immediately instead of being sent to the mines, she had a feeling Maya wouldn’t have bled.

It was pouring now. She was soaked to her skin and so cold that fur did nothing to help. Lightning flickered through the skies, and thunder echoed all around.

The streets were quiet as she walked into the town. No one was out. A few houses had lights on, but most were dark. She wondered if they had even noticed the tsunami.

They had to have; the ground had shaken loud enough for her to almost lose her footing, and even from this distance, she could still see the wall of ice.

Yet, no one stirred. She understood it was a heavy rain, but not even one person was outside to see what was happening.

Winnie tried not to think too much about this and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other in the heavy rain.

She could hardly hide her relief when the main house appeared in view. She walked faster now; now that her journey was almost over, she could risk it.

She took the stairs quickly and pushed the heavy door with all her strength, but it didn’t budge. She cursed; the cold was getting to her, and she could hardly feel her paws.

She bumped her head hard against the door, and a loud echo rang out, but she doubted anyone would be able to hear her knocking over the rain.

Was it locked? She wondered as she tried to get the door open again. But just as she was about to push, the huge doors came apart, and familiar faces appeared.

"Winnie! You are drenched!" Palmer screamed. "I told you someone was trying to get in, and it wasn’t just the thunderstorm."

Winnie’s eyes widened as she walked in. The main house was filled to the brim. People gathered together, some on the first floor and even higher.

"Winnie," Agnes called from the stairs as she rushed forward. "Are you alright? What is—"

Winnie didn’t hear the rest of her words as she shifted and fell to the ground.