"What forest?" asked Daryn.
Dawn got out the bed quickly. "I think I should talk to Caleb about Yorkshire. You won't be able to explain anything."
Daryn raised an eyebrow. "You doubt my intelligence?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.
"I do!" she remarked and almost sprinted to meet Caleb.
"Careful woman. You are pregnant!" shouted Daryn from behind.
Dawn was almost breathless when she reached the living room. Her face was flushed. "Caleb! You need me as your tour guide over there. I swear I know everything about that place!" She said breathlessly. "I can pen down everything you want to know. You can ask me as many questions as you like. But—"
Caleb frowned. "But what?" he crossed his hands across his chest. "You better tell me everything fast. I am running out of time here."
Dawn turned to look at Daryn. "Can you fetch a pen and paper? I need to list down everything." Then she turned to Caleb. "You shouldn't explore the meadow that is behind the cottage. You see it is the last cottage in that county right on the edge of the meadow. You mustn't venture there at all!"
"Why?" he was a werewolf. Where the hell did she think he would go when he wanted to shape shift.
Daryn glared at the two of them with his mouth pressed in a thin line. Suddenly he became an outsider between them. Shaking his head he brought a pen and paper to Dawn and she began listing everything. "Okay, you can go to the meadow, but don't go further inside. You can get lost. It is dangerous and I was lost once in there," she said.
'What the hell!' came Quetz' voice. 'You weren't lost, you found me and then you went back to your place with my help!'
'Shut up Quetz,' she replied and continued to list down things to do and not to do. One of the very important things was to go to the university.
And just like that the place became lively. Cole and Neal joined them an hour later.
"Geez, I missed this place," said Cole and dashed in his room to play his latest game on PS5. "Send my dinner to my room," he instructed Dawn.
Gayle came out of the room and looked at the children. He pursed his lips to stop himself from feeling overwhelmed. It was such a lovely view—gales of laughter of his family. Cole called out from his room that he was hungry like an elephant. Caleb told them a lame joke. The way they bonded, it was so surreal. He knew that Caleb was leaving, and he didn't stop him. It was important that he found his happiness. His face lit up brightly when he grinned. Did he feel for Pia on the inside? Gayle didn't know how this would pan out, but the start was good. Two things bothered him: firstly, where Pia was, and secondly Sedora's threat was still lingering in the air. He exhaled a deep breath and went back to his room.
The Shaman had sent him a message that Pia wasn't even at her father's place. They had delivered the message to her father about her getting banned from the family and the decision was taken badly. Now Gayle had to face Pia's father's wrath, but it was nothing compared to his son's happiness. But where was Pia if she wasn't in her father's place? He called his people and instructed them to circulate the information that Pia was banished from the Silver Clan and from the Lykae kingdom.
An hour later everyone dispersed. Caleb went to his room invigorated and looked forward to going to Yorkshire. Daryn and Dawn went back to their bedroom, while Neal left for home. He hadn't gone to his place ever since Dawn had asked him to be with Cole in the Silver Arcade.
By the time it was evening almost everyone came to know about Pia and what she did to Dawn. There were so many gossips about it but no one had the courage to discuss it openly, especially those close to Pia. Pia's banishment had sent a strong message: One, Dawn was a powerful Luna and if anyone messed with her, they would have to bear the consequences, and two, she was an intelligent woman who had her head on her shoulders. She wasn't the typical royal princesses who were only interested in counting their husband's money and jewels he owned, but she was a woman who stood with him shoulder to shoulder and helped him in the business. She had the mettle to be their Luna.
Dawn was relaxing on the bed while Daryn had poured a peg of Scotch for himself. He was leaning against the railing of the portico watching the tranquil waters of River Lifye. The cool breeze coming from there leeched off his remaining anxieties. With both Pia and his mother out of the house and with Dawn in his bedroom, relaxing and pregnant, he felt stable. Could anything be better than this?
Caleb had left for Yorkshire and he wished all the happiness to him. Daryn smiled and raked fingers through his hair. He walked inside and saw Dawn with her laptop. "What are you doing baby?" he asked.
"Been a long time since I checked what is going on with the company…" she replied with her gaze focused on the screen.
He snatched the laptop from her and closed it.
"Hey!" she protested.
"You are not going to see it for the next two days. You will take rest until your ultrasound" he said mulishly. He remembered Caleb's words, as to how happy he was when he heard that he was going to be a parent and then how deflated he was when he discovered Pia's treachery. Suddenly, his urge to pamper his wife increased.
"Daryn…" she started to say something but he pressed his finger on her lips.
"Holidays are here baby. We need a getaway. We need a lovely celebration, so you have to tell me how are we going to do that? I was thinking of going to Hawaii." He imagined his wife in a bikini and thongs and laces or nothing on the beach, and his shaft misbehaved.
"Keep that dirty mind away!" she said. "Then her eyes shone brilliantly. "How about we call the clan people for a grand party for the holidays?"
---
Somewhere in Amazon jungles.
"My Queen, Pia is missing," the vampiress briefed.
"Bring her to me," said Sedora, the sorceress.