The Delta's Daughter Chapter 341

LYRIC

2 Days Later

I sit holding the key card I swiped from my mate two days ago, twirling it through my fingers. Staring at it, debating if I should walk out of here. I would deal with the guards, hopefully, come up with a plan where I could avoid them.

Yet every time I think I'm going to get up and try to escape, Note pipes up, urging me to stay and wait. Telling me she has a gut feeling.

It's been two days. The only people I have seen are the guards who have come to bring me food. I sit in the same shirt I was given by the man named Rhett. Dirt and grim coat my body and my hair is a greasy mess. Itch all over but as yucky as I feel, the anxiousness overrides my OCD.

I have no idea if they got to Lizzy and Zane. If they picked them up from the safe house or not. I haven't been told anything. I tried to ask the guards and requested to see the man they called Rhett or even my mate. They just told me to wait. I was becoming more and more frustrated, agitated, and worried for my son.

I wanted to break out of here, go find him. I wouldn't rest until I knew he saw he was safe. Every fiber in my body told me to go. Go find him. But it was Notes strange confidence in my mate that had me listening to my spirit animal and waiting.

I didn't know how much longer I could wait. The not knowing was killing me.

So, I still sit here, with the capability to escape my prison, waiting on a hunch my wolf has. The green-eyed man, who I now know as Rhett, noticed my cuffs were off but didn't try to put any more on me. It's like he understood, or maybe he just held pity for me. I'm not sure which but I was grateful I could still feel my wolf.

This kingdom was messed up. A real shitshow. Or maybe my appearance had done that. Thrown them into a state of disarray. It wouldn't be the first time my presence has disturbed the natural flow of hierarchy in a pack.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't hear the person approaching my cell. I jerk my head up when a familiar male voice calls out to me. "He's here." My heart flutters at those two little words.

I stand to look at Rhett, swallowing down the lump in my throat. "My son?" I question. Needing clarification. He nods and opens the cell door.

Rhett holds out a pair of silver cuffs, "I need you to wear these or I can't let you see him." I agree, holding my hands out and he places one on each wrist.

Rhett leads me through the underground prison, up the same steps as we came down. "This way," He guides in the opposite direction where they had held and questioned me and leads me into a back area and into a small, sparse room with a bed.

I halt not understanding why he has brought me here. Fear creeps up freezing me to the spot, and I imagine the worse. As if sensing my turmoil, he walks in ahead of me opening the only other door. "Figured you might want to get washed up before seeing your pup. There are fresh clothes on the sink. I will wait in here for you."

I let out a shaky breath, thanking the powers that be that he wasn't going to touch me like that.

"Thank you," I reply. Shuffling forward.

Once in the bathroom, I take note that there are no windows, no way to escape. So, I do the only thing I can and turn on the shower. I peel my shirt off and step in. I relish the feel of the hot water as it washes away the dirt, grime, and sweat. Small bottles of shampoo sit on the stall ledge. The manly smell of the products I used smelled of Rhett I noticed as I lathered my hair with shampoo.

I don't stay in for too long, the desperate need to see my boy all too great. But being clean was so worth prolonging our reunion. I towel off fast and haphazardly. Finding a pair of jeans, a sports bra, and a sweater waiting for me. They even provided me with a pair of slippers. The jeans were a little too loose, but I couldn't care. I was clean and in warm clothes. I tied my hair back up, winding it into a tight bun, and stepped out of the bathroom.

Rhett stood from the bed, "Ready?"

"Yes," I said trying to contain my sudden burst of excitement.

He leads me out and back the way we came, then down the familiar corridor to the room they had initially asked me questions in.

Left alone, my hands begin to shake with anticipation, I wipe my sweaty palms on the jeans. I take a deep breath and blow it out slowly, evening out my breathing and trying to calm the climbing beat of my heart.

The door opens and I see Lizzy's white head of hair come through first. I cast my eyes lower and from out behind her legs, my heart peered back at me.

I fall to my knees, holding my arms out and wide and Zane runs full force into them. I know my grip is tight, but I can't find it in me to loosen it, "Baby" I croak out, tears filling my eyes and my nose burrowing into his little shoulder.

"I missed you Mommy!" My little boy says, squeezing me back. "You were gone for way too long." His little voice scalds me and I chuckle through my tears.

"I missed you too, were you a good boy for Aunt Lizzy?" I look up at Lizzy, who is holding back tears as best as she can, her eyes trained on the silver cuffs around my wrists.

"Yep, I was good. Why didn't you pick us up like you promised? We waited and waited." I drew him back my eyes searching him for any injuries or changes.

"I'm so sorry baby, Mommy got held up and these nice people knew you missed me, so they came to get you for me." My hands brushed back his hair and I took in his icy blue eyes. So much like his father's. I stood, picking Zane up and placing him on my hip, kissing his little cheek over and over.

"Lyri," Lizzy's voice had me pausing, I had almost forgotten she was even here I had missed my pup so much. "What happened?"

I sigh, gesturing for her to come get in on the hug too. She does, and once my arm wraps around her old body, she lets her tears fall. "Don't cry, everything will be fine," I tell her, not sure if it will be.

I let go of Lizzy and she takes a step back, I then slide to the floor and shift Zane onto my lap. "Listen I have some very important information to tell you and Aunt Lizzy."

"Is that we are going to live in the big house, and you are going to become a princess?" My heart asks me.

"No, sweetheart," I say with sadness. "Mommy has to go away for a while, but I'm hoping the King who lives in the big house will let you stay. Maybe his Beta will protect you." In the worst-case scenario, it's what I hope for. If my life ends here, then I can only hope that my mate will protect my son.

"I don't want you to go away again," He begins to whine, his little lip trembling.

I smooth a thumb over his forehead, then kiss the same spot. "Mommy got in trouble with King and his Beta. I was very naughty, so I have to spend some time away from you because I was a bad person." I tell him honestly and in the most undramatic way I can for a three-year-old to understand.

"You're not going to live with us anymore?" He questions, squirming on my lap.

I look up at Lizzy, who stands with hands clasped and a deep furrow to her brows. "How much trouble are you in Lyri?" I give her a look that says bad, She stifles a gasp, grasping the meaning of my look. "Lyri…" She begins but I just shake my head.

"Oh, I want to baby, I do, you know I love you more than anything in this realm but when you do bad things you have to pay, be punished."

"Punished!" He squeals, squirming some more and turning in my lap so his little hands can grasp my face. "I will fight them all for you Mommy. I won't let them take you away." He says with more resolve and determination than a three-year-old should have. He was too grown up for his age, wise beyond his years already.

"Hey, hey," I say trying to soothe his building temper. "Everything will be fine; I promise you that. Aunt Lizzy will take care of you and the King, and the Beta will protect you." I look to Lizzy who nods her head solemnly that she will indeed look after my boy when I cannot.

I stand again, still holding Zane in my arms. My emotions ramp up because I don't want to say goodbye to him. I can't even fathom not seeing him on a daily basis, let alone never again. I hand my pup to Lizzy before I crumble. She takes him and Zane gives her minimal fuss.

Just then the door opens and my mate walks in with King Kellen Moon behind him. They both stop dead in their tracks as their gazes land on my son. "Holy sh…!" The king gasps.

"The spitting image." My mate professes.

King Kellen manages to wipe the shocked look off his face, but his eyes stay trained on my son. "Hey buddy, do you know who I am?" He asks my son.

Zane shakes his head.

"I'm King Kellen Moon," He holds his large hand out to my son who looks at him in awe but places his chubby little fingers in his and gives the king a good hard shake. Just like I taught him. "Do you mind if Beta Mike talks with your mommy? I would be happy to show you and your aunt the palace if that's ok?"

Fear creeps into me, but when I look at my mate, he gives me a reassuring nod. "Baby, you and Aunt Lizzy can go while the Beta talks to me, okay?" He nods his head and I kiss him again, already missing him. "It's okay, everything will be fine," I promised him.

A long, drawn-out shiver ran down my spine as the door closed behind Zane and Lizzy. The King, leading them out. Leaving me alone with the Beta whose eyes turned a darker shade. Beneath the shiver, my skin heated under his scrutinizing gaze.

"I don't even know where to start, I have that many questions." My mate's voice, deep and scratchy, with a hint of annoyance, crawled over me reaching my ears. If Note was present, there was no doubt she would be rolling over and offering herself up to him.

I, on the other hand, would be doing no such thing. This time I shivered for a different reason as the thought of his hands on me made me nervous. I felt a blush slowly creep up over my face and I looked away. "I said I would tell you everything and I will. Just promise me one thing.?"

"I'm not promising you anything." He huffs.

"No matter what happens to me you will keep him safe?" I ignore his tone. Schooling my face, I look at him and hold his eyes with mine. "Promise me, because what I have to tell you, affects him. Zane is my everything. He is special."

"He doesn't smell like you. In fact," The Beta says, his eyes turning curious, challenging me.

"He is MINE!" I bark out at him. I could give a shit who my son didn't and didn't smell like, he was mine and nothing in this realm would change that. I bite my lip and bob my head and more calmly I say, "He is mine. I'm ready to tell you who hired me and how my son came to be. I will tell you everything."

"Alright, let's get started." He holds his hand out for me to sit in the chair.

Instead, I walk to the wall opposite the two-way mirror and slide down it into a crouching position. Folding my arms over my knees, then resting my forehead on them. Retelling this story was going to be hard enough, already the memories were creeping back in, flashbacks from five years ago and then more recently three years ago, the night Zane was born.

So I start from the beginning, there's no other place I can begin. "My name is Lyric Swift, second daughter born to Alpha Eric Swift and Luna Sing Su of the Swift Paws pack.

"Five years ago, our pack was slaughtered by the Rougue King Silas. He killed every mature male and took the females. Including my sister. Lizzy and I were the only ones to escape that we know of. We escaped to Lonely City, where I discovered I had a certain set of skills with electronics and theft. From there we moved to no man's land, surviving on me stealing food and other things to trade or resell.

"It was at that point I met a man named Miko, I had stolen from the wrong person, and to pay off my debt, I was made to work for him. I stole for him until my debt was debt paid off and then did a little contract work for him and his pack until I had my own thing going on.

"Miko was the one who hired me to steal the crown. Except he was hired by someone else. A man they call Shadow, a dark witch with blood magic. He was the one that wanted the crown. I had no choice but to work for Miko I was blackmailed." I look up now to see my mate already staring at me. Our eyes lock and I quickly look away before those dark hazel eyes draw me in. "But I didn't kill anyone. I swear."

"Where is the crown now?" The Beta asks in a monotone voice. I was sure if I was to look at him now he would be scowling.

"Gone. Taken by one of Shadows men. He killed my friend," I tell him thinking of Bram and the look in his eyes as the light left them. The still-fresh memory sends a shudder through me. "I suspect he probably killed the two men you are accusing me of murdering."

"And where do we find these men, this witch called Shadow?" There was no fear in his voice, but there should be. My hands trembled at the mere thought of him.

Despite my fear of a man I have never met, I scoff. "You don't find him. He finds you. If he knew my son existed…" I trail off, swallowing down the fear of what if he did find us, Zane.

"Tell me about you and your son's father. How long did you know him for?"

I take a shuddering breath, exhaling slowly through my mouth. A weak attempt to curb the anxiety that was starting to well up inside me. "You said he didn't smell like me, that's because I'm not his biological mother. I knew Zane Noir for years. His father and mine were friends for many moons. Zane would visit our pack regularly and likewise.

"He was older than us and when he turned eighteen he felt the mate bond to my sister, even though we hadn't turned sixteen yet. When our pack was destroyed… slaughtered, they took her. Melody. My twin sister… Twins have a unique bond you know. I thought she had died. I felt it. But three years ago… three years ago, only a month shy of the date, Zane was born. Things changed again."