CHAPTER 353: _ FEAR

~María José’s Point Of View~

I was accompanied to the room while Axel went off to hand the second locket to his cousin. He had been feeling agitated these past few days, so having the special charms calmed him a little. I was thankful for that.

It was always a pain to see Axel worried for my safety. I

I’ll have to offer my thanks to Lucia later properly... I sighed as I trudged into the room. The young maid helped me to the bed and stood there with a wide smile on her face.

"Darling, is there something?" I asked after a moment.

She shook her head with so much vigor, I thought her neck was going to suddenly snap. The girl said with a bashful smile, "No, nothing at all. I just wanted to say that you and Señor Axel are my favorites in this whole household! So, anything you need, I’ll be here to attend to you!"

Her words warmed my heart. I smiled softly and gently nodded my head.

"Thank you. You’re new here, right? What’s your name, dear?"

"Ximena." The girl answered. "I was brought here along with the last batch of maids."

"Ximema..." I muttered softly. "It’s a beautiful name."

"Just like mine." My wolf, Xiomara, said with what I assumed to be a cocky smile.

The girl blushed hard at my words, and I couldn’t help but laugh. She was just too adorable.

However, I thought about how her life could be in danger with Ignacio still running around, and my laughter faded. It wasn’t just Ximena. There were countless other young maids in the villa, and it was my responsibility to protect them.

It was the same for the entirety of the pack. Young and old, healthy and feeble... There were so many wolves I had to protect. So I knew that I could not fail. No matter the cost.

I was going to send Ignacio back to whatever hell he crawled out of.

At that moment, there was a scream. My body jolted as I subconsciously held the edge of the bed. The scream was high-pitched and filled with so much terror that my heart jumped a few times.

"¿Qué? W-what was that?" Ximena seemed to be just as scared as I was.

My eyes fell on the locket instantly. Axel had mentioned that it would heat up and sizzle if there was any evil intent nearby. So that was the first thing I checked.

Luckily, the locket remained docile.

No, not entirely lucky... I still don’t know what caused that scream...

I prepared to rise, but Ximena shook her head repeatedly. "No, Señorita María! You mustn’t go out there, por favor! Not until we can be sure what that scream was."

I firmly rejected her opinion. "Which is all the more reason for me to go out there. What if someone was harmed? I need to hurry and check."

"The guards will do that! I have to prioritize your safety, Señorita." Ximena begged.

I tried to stand up, but at that moment, my body suddenly pulsed with pain. A stabbing ache struck my head and I reeled backwards, crashing into the bed.

"Señorita María!" Ximena screamed. "¿Estás bien?!"

"Are you okay?" Xiomara asked with concern.

I groaned and rubbed my head. "Yes..." I muttered, although I definitely wasn’t alright. "I just felt dizzy for a moment there."

Ximena’s face was a mix of anxiety, fear, and puzzlement. I chuckled softly and waved, saying, "You don’t have to worry, hm? I’ll be fine. I’m just tired, I think."

Xiomara’s worried voice came next, "Whatever that was, it didn’t affect me. Are you sure you’re fine?"

I responded telepathically, "I’m not sure. But, we don’t have time to worry about that. We need to find whoever made that scream."

"Alright." Xiomara agreed. "The pregnancy is draining our strength, so you have to take things slow."

I nodded and said to Ximena, "Help me up, dear."

The young girl wore a hesitant look, but she eventually reached out to hold my hand. She helped me up and we walked to the door together.

Immediately the door came open, and I heard a number of hurried footsteps. It was like the entire house was lit on fire, and everyone was scrambling to safety. The maids were rushing in a direction, and a number of guards hurried after them.

"What’s going on?" I croaked, half-scared. Something terrible was happening, I could feel it. My hand subconsciously slid towards the locket as I felt its temperature.

It’s still gentle...

"Stop one of the maids. Let’s get some answers." Xiomara suggested.

I nodded and stepped out of the room completely. Ximena hesitantly followed, making sure to hold a piece of my dress.

Before one of the maids could turn around the corner, I stopped her and demanded, "What’s going on? Why is everyone running about?"

The maid looked at me with a panic-stricken face. She stammered and managed to form the words, "Ay, Dios... It’s the Luna. The Luna was attacked! She’s dead!"

What?!

I could barely keep myself from stumbling backwards.

"What did you just say?" I staggered forward as I grabbed the maid by the shoulder. "Tell me, what did you just say?!"

The older maid looked like she was about to break down in tears. I was too. I desperately fought the ache in my heart as my brain refused to process what I was hearing.

"Something attacked the Luna..." She repeated, her voice shaky and terror-laden. "Que la Diosa me ampare..."

Then, she scurried off, leaving me and Ximena alone in the corridor.

I looked down to see my hands trembling.

Luna Ann was dead... Axel’s mother was dead...

"She was murdered!" Xiomara’s furious hiss resounded in my head.

I staggered backwards, and Ximena’s supportive hands reached out to me. She held me just in time, preventing what would’ve been a terrible fall. I slowly turned to look at her, suddenly terrified of everything around me.

My heart was racing. If Luna Ann was murdered, then it would mean that the killer was present in the house.

The killer... I swallowed.

Ignacio was in the house!

At that moment, I heard Axel’s sorrowful yell, "LUIS, YOU DAMN BASTARD!"

A fear unlike never before tugged at my heart.