Chapter 14 - Mia

"It's the princess!" Lina comes running to me, and I crouch down and hug her tightly. I haven't seen her or any of the other children since that day I tried to escape, but the way she rushes over to me like I'm a long-lost friend brings a smile to my face.

"I'm so glad you're okay." I stroke her hair, and she looks up at me with a goofy, toothless grin and scrunches her nose.

"Why wouldn't I be? Ms. Shawna always checks for monsters under the bed before we go to sleep, so don't worry."

"She does?" I glance up at Shawna, trying to imagine her doing anything remotely maternal. She's leaning against the wall, watching us with a smirk on her face.

"Don't look so surprised," she says. "We have a responsibility to protect these kids, and I take my job seriously. Even if I'm of the opinion that the monsters are the ones under the sheets and not the ones that lurk in the shadows."

Now that remark sounds about right.

Little Jed comes barreling around the corner, clutching a blanket to his chest. "Did you slay the dragon? Did you get it?"

"Yes." I smile. "The dragon is gone. For good."

He runs toward me, and I scoop him up in a hug. "I knew you'd come back. Are you here to play with us? Will you stay?"

"Yes. For a little while."

"Great! Let's go!"

He pulls me toward the room full of toys, and I don't protest. Shawna and the rest of the caretakers seem relieved, though none of them have so much as looked at me since I got here. I tried to strike up a conversation with a few of them as we passed, but the only response I got was a few uncomfortable looks and the occasional nod.

This is not the kind of welcome I was expecting, but at least the children are happy to see me. They don't seem to care that I'm from Stardust Hollow or that I'm their new, unwanted luna. To them, I'm just someone new who is happy to play and listen to their stories.

Jed sits in my lap and Lina plays with my hair as I read them a storybook. Some of the other kids join in, and for a while, I forget about the world outside of these four walls and just enjoy the moment. In total, there are about a dozen of them, and I have no idea why so many shifter cubs would end up in an orphanage. But I'm not about to ask them, either.

"Do you have a mommy and daddy, princess?"

"Um, well, yes. Of course, I do. But they died, so now it's just me. I've been taking care of myself for a long time."

"Then why don't you live in the orphanage with us? You could stay here. We would keep you safe."

Oh, my heart.

"Because the alpha and I got married and I have a new home now. It's the pack's rule. But believe me, I'd much rather hang out with you guys here all the time. You have the coolest toys. Way cooler than mine."

"I like Alpha Evan," Lina proclaims. "He visits us sometimes, and he tells really good stories."

"He does?" I ask, a bit surprised. "What kinds of stories?"

"Stories about the old days, before we came here. About the bad men and the lake spirit. Sometimes, he shows us magic tricks, too. It's fun."

"It sounds like it." I force a smile.

"Do you know any magic tricks, princess?" Lina asks.

"Not a one," I confess. "But I'm a great dancer. I can teach you all some of my moves, and then maybe we can dance together."

"I want to dance!" a tiny girl says, hopping up and down.

"Me too!"

"Dancing is the best," Jed adds.

"All right, everyone. Come over here, and I'll teach you some."

I spend the next hour or so dancing, singing, and playing with the kids, and it's the most fun I've had in a long time. There's a sense of normalcy, even though I'm not home, and it's almost enough to make me forget the horrible predicament I'm in. Almost.

"Mia, right?" I glance up from the doll I'm playing with and find a young woman around my age standing by the doorway. She's dressed in a loose-fitting tank top, yoga pants, and flip-flops. Her light brown hair is pulled back in a ponytail. But the thing I notice most about her is that unlike every other female I've encountered so far in Green Lake, she isn't looking at me like I ran over her cat. She's smiling.

"That's me," I confirm. "And you are...?"

"Queenie." She walks in and sits on the floor next to me, picking up a toy and tossing it to Lina. "You've created a fan club. The kids are talking about nothing else, and it's getting a little annoying, to be honest. I'm used to being the favorite around here."

I stiffen at first, but then she gives me a friendly wink, and I relax. "Well, they're great. And they deserve some attention."

"Amen, sister. We do our best, but we need more volunteers and more space. They're packed in here like sardines. I swear, if I could just have one more person around to help out, it would make a huge difference."

"Well, I'm here now." I hold my hands up in the air, putting myself on dramatic display, and Lina giggles. "So, consider me signed up."

"I'm not gonna lie, it would be amazing." Queenie leans forward and lowers her voice. "But you're Evan Wood's new mate. His luna. And from what I heard, your situation is a bit... delicate."

"You mean that I was kidnapped." I say it so deadpan that she just blinks at me, almost as if she isn't sure I said it at all.

Her eyes flit to the kids in the room, and she claps her hands together. "Nap time, kiddos. You can play with Princess Mia some more tomorrow. Go grab your mats and blankets."

They scurry out of the room, and when they're gone, Queenie starts picking up the toys one by one, moving so slow, I wonder if it's because she's trying to stall or if she's just really that meticulous about cleaning. I follow behind her, gathering a few blocks and a doll.

"Listen, I'm sorry if I upset you," I start. "I'm still trying to get used to the idea of being here, and it's not something I can wrap my head around yet. My pack would never kidnap someone, or lock them up, or—"

"I'm not upset, Mia," she interjects. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come off that way. It's just a bit hard to hear, you know? These kids adore Evan, and I wouldn't want them thinking badly of him. He's the reason they're all here. They kind of look at him like a hero."

"He's a monster," I mumble.

"He's a lot of things," she replies, putting a doll on the shelf. "But he's not a monster. He saved those kids' lives. All of them."

"By stealing them away from their packs?"

She points a finger at me, but it's not in a threatening way. "That's not what happened, Mia. Not at all."

"Okay. So then, tell me what happened. Help me understand."

Queenie looks around again and lowers her voice. "Two years ago, Evan and the hunting party found these kids lost in the woods. Alone. When he tried to speak to them, they ran off scared. Ran straight into a river rushing over sharp rocks and got caught in the current. Evan could've turned his back and walked away. They weren't from our pack, and he didn't owe them anything, but he dove in and rescued them. One by one, he dragged them out of the water, and then he brought them all back here. This cabin? He built this. From the ground up. He made sure the pack would provide for them and treat them like their own. The pack didn't agree. Not all of them, but they didn't dare say a word to him about it. Evan may seem ruthless, but he has a good heart."

I listen, taking in everything she's saying, and I have to admit, this is a part of Evan's story that I didn't expect. Maybe he isn't as cold and unfeeling as I first thought. Maybe I misjudged him.

But then I remember something Callie told me. About how in this pack, females are used as baby-making machines. They're duty-bound to breed, according to her, and it didn't matter how they felt about it. She told me once that Evan was the one who implemented the rule. My mind can't make sense of the two versions of him I'm being presented.

"So, he saved them and then brought them here," I repeat, putting the blocks in a bucket. "But then he treats the females like property. Like they're not allowed to think for themselves. Like they don't have the freedom to choose. I'm sorry, Queenie, but I can't understand how that's okay. No matter how many good things he's done, how can you sit here and defend him?"

"Who says they're not allowed to think for themselves? I'm a female. Do you see me being told what to do?"

"But what about the whole breeding thing? I've heard that you're required to reproduce as soon as you find your mate."

"That's the case for mated females, yes," she admits. "But we're not forced to marry, and the only reason Evan implemented that policy is because our pack is struggling, Mia. Our numbers are dwindling. We've had one catastrophic event after another, and if we don't find a way to grow our numbers, we're not going to last much longer. Evan isn't cruel," she continues. "He's doing what's best for his people. His responsibility is to this pack, and that includes ensuring we have the next generation. He doesn't tell anyone what to do or who to mate. The rest is just gossip and rumors."

"Wow." I blink at her, a bit taken aback by her speech. "That's not at all what I was told. Callie said..."

"I've met her. She's a nice girl, but she doesn't understand what's happening here. Not completely. She was an outsider who joined the pack, and to be honest, I don't think she ever really wanted to fit in. Dante put her through hell, I'll admit that, but to judge the whole pack because of what one guy did? It's not fair."

I bite my tongue. I want to argue, and I want to defend Callie's honor, but I can't. Because deep down, I know Queenie's right. Callie has never really opened up about her experience in Green Lake. She's been very vague. I know she was hurt and humiliated by Dante, but I have no idea what went on in the pack. I've never bothered to ask her.

But then I have to wonder why so many terrible things have happened to these people, and what makes their pack so unlucky that they can't catch a break? Something tells me there's more going on here than meets the eye. The incident at the lake, the way Evan reacted when the hunting party came back so empty-handed... something is up, and I'm going to find out what.