Chapter 80
“NANNY, I’ll be going to work,” Serena told Annie in a quiet voice before kissing her son on the forehead. This was their daily routine–Annie would go into the room and take care of Peter while Serena slipped out for work without disturbing him. After all, he always cried whenever he saw his mother leaving, so they had found this to be the best solution, to leave early.
“Take care,” Annie said, and Serena nodded before carefully leaving the room, making sure not to make any noise that would wake Peter up. Once she stepped outside of their house, she saw Marcus approaching, dressed neatly as always.
“I thought we had an understanding that you don’t have to come get me anymore.” she reminded him as she put her hand on her waist, causing him to shrug his shoulder in response.
“I never agreed to it though. Besides, I’m not here to accompany you to work. I just wanted to tell you about the news I discovered about the city while I was at the port earlier.” he said, somehow it was making Serena uneasy. It was uncommon to receive any updates about the city since the Island was cut off from the rest of the world. With limited technology and no means of communication, news about the city was scarce. Therefore, the fact that Marcus had heard something about it made her anxious and at the same time, curious.
“What news?” she asked, fiddling with her fingers before she walked forward from the door.
“We have a new Alpha King. It’s actually been a year since it happened.” Marcus answered, looking at Serena who froze on her spot. The way her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped, showed how shocked she was about hearing the news. “And the
husband.” name happened to be the same name as your
Serena’s heart seemed to skip a beat at Marcus’s words. She was still reeling from the first piece of news he had given her, and now he was telling her that the new Alpha King shared the same name as Perez. She struggled to process this information in her mind, and when it finally clicked, she became tense and quickly covered her mouth in shock.
“Don’t tell me, he managed to defeat the King…” she muttered, remembering the secret feud between her husband and the Alpha King. As she reflected on it, Perez’s plans four years ago may have been to start a war with the Alpha King, and he managed to win the battle. It was probably why her father stopped filling her in on the situation; he knew she would be consumed with worry for Perez’s well–being.
“Is the previous King, dead?” she turned to Marcus, who was already gazing back at her. Her mind couldn’t help but feel curious about what happened during the blood moon and the king’s pack war. She wondered about the members of the pack who were close to her, like Priscilla. Were they safe? Did the pack suffer heavy losses in the war? How about Beta Jarren and Gamma Taylor?
She wanted to ask all these questions, but she knew that there was no way Marcus would know the answer.
“I’m not sure. All I’d heard was that the Alpha King made an announcement offering land at the capital to anyone who locates his wife. That’s why everyone was in a frenzy trying to find you.” Serena felt a shiver down her spine at the words he just uttered.
She could feel her heart beating faster, completely bewildered to learn that Perez would do something like that. And, if he was searching for her, does that mean, he and Marga didn’t end up together? She pressed her fingers against her bottom lip, her curiosity building with each passing moment. She was desperate to learn everything that had happened after she fled.
“I think it would be best if you don’t go to work today. I’m pretty sure word has already spread on the island about the King’s announcement.” Marcus advised, noticing that she had become pale, completely shocked by the news he had shared. “Also, your portrait was all over the country… And it won’t be long before the people of the island discover your true identity.”
“What?” Serena almost shouted, unable to believe that Perez would go to such lengths to search for her. At that moment, she realized that she would have to return home earlier than expected, or else she and Peter would no longer be able to live in peace.
Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew through the morning air, causing Serena’s hair to fly in all directions. She let out a sigh and tried to push it back, but Marcus beat her to it. He reached out his hand and brushed away a leaf that was caught in her hair
12:47/ Fri, Nov 29 xi.
Chapter 80
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As he did so, their eyes met, and she couldn’t help but feel surprised by the gesture. However, her expression quickly changed when she saw the smile on his face, and she returned it.
+5
“Should I accompany you, your nanny, and Peter back to the city?” he asked, putting his hand in his pocket, “It appeared that the moment had arrived for you to return to your home.”
Serena fell silent for a moment, taking the time to think about her options. Part of her wanted Marcus to accompany her back to the city, but another part of her knew that his presence might cause a misunderstanding. Besides, she didn’t want to keep him doing favors for her, regardless of whether it was part of his duties or not.
“Mama?” she snapped her head in the direction of the voice and saw Peter standing at the door while rubbing his eyes. She had been lost in her thoughts and didn’t even hear him come out of the house. “Are you not going to work today?”
Serena’s eyes
shifted to her nanny, who stood behind her son. She then walked over to Peter and knelt down in front of him, fixing his cute bed hair.
“Yes, from now on, I’m not going to work anymore,” Peter’s eyes widened in surprise and relief as he heard his mother’s response. Annie, on the other hand, had a look of concern and curiosity on her face, sensing that something was going on. She was curious about Serena’s sudden decision to leave work, but she didn’t want to interrupt her conversation with her son to ask.
“Really? I’m happy! Does this mean we can start playing anytime now?” he asked, and Serena smiled, placing her hand on top of his head. She hadn’t expected her son to be so thrilled about her decision to quit her job. But she couldn’t blame him; after all, she had been working tirelessly at the bakery to make ends meet. After all, she was determined to provide for them without relying on her father’s financial support.
“That’s right,” she answered, “Do you recall the conversation we had last night about our plans to visit the city?”
“Yes, Mama. Are we going there already?” Peter’s eyes sparkled with excitement, causing Serena to nod in response. Her decision was final–they were going back.
“Yes, in a few days,” she said before turning to Annie, who appeared increasingly puzzled. Serena then asked Marcus to entertain Peter for a moment while she clarified the situation to her nanny and explained her reasons for suddenly deciding to come back home.
As Marcus led Peter away to play, Serena stood up and turned to Annie, taking a deep breath as she took both her hands.
“Nanny, I know this must be confusing for you,” She began, “But we need to go back because I learned that Perez became the new Alpha King, and he’s searching for me.”
