Tabitha's POV
I took out my phone without any signal and opened the photo album reluctantly in front of those people.
There were many candid photos of Derek that I took in the past, whether he was working, sleeping, or drinking coffee.
There were also one or two photos of him sleeping while I made funny faces and took selfies beside him.
These photos all reveal one message that we used to lead a happy life.
There was another set of photos that were taken after I became pregnant, but by that time, Derek was no longer around.
Only I held my bulging belly, with a faint smile on my mouth.
"My story is true, but there is indeed one thing I lied to you about. Although I hate Derek and Daphne, their child is innocent. Last night, when I saw you leaving with the child in your arms, I didn't think much and followed along."
I took a deep breath and said, "I didn't want to hurt the child, I wanted to save him. But I didn't expect to faint due to exhaustion."
Sure enough, my words earned Lucian's trust.
He looked at me deeply and put down the knife.
"You are kind."
"I was originally planning to harm him, but in the end, I gave up. I couldn't bring myself to harm a child. Since your goal is not the child but money, I think we can cooperate."
I looked directly at Lucian and said, "I hated Derek. I know him better than anyone else. I can help you get the money and leave safely. In return, you should hand over the child to me. I have to ensure his safety."
"Deal."
At first, I thought he had agreed too decisively. But when I pushed open the small door and prepared to go find Kyrian, I was startled by the scenery in front of me.
The scenery was beautiful, with a clear blue sky, azure sea, and verdant mountains.
This was an island surrounded by seawater as if it had been abandoned by the world.
So he didn't need to threaten me at all, because there was no signal here. I can't contact anyone.
As long as they did not intend to harm Kyrian, I wouldn't consider doing anything dangerous.
The moment the wooden door was pushed open, Kyrian was crawling on the ground chasing a puppy.
His clothes were already dusty, but he seemed unusually happy, still giggling.
He babbled, "Puppy".
"This child doesn't have the temperament of rich children at all, but rather well-behaved. I quite like him," Noah said with a smile.
I ran towards him.
He also opened his arms and happily shouted, "Mom!"
Confused, Aiden followed along and asked, "Is this really not your child?"
I replied dejectedly, "When children are young, they call anyone 'Mom'."
"That's not necessarily true. Grandma was afraid that he would be hungry, so she kindly fed him milk, but he didn't even look at it."
I recall that this child seemed to call me "Mommy" the first time he saw me.
"Why is this happening? Is it because I used to be Luna of the Black Thorn Pack?" I couldn't help but ask Crystal in my mind.
Crystal hummed noncommittally.
She responded, "We had completely severed the connection with the Black Thorn Pack. I just feel that this cub is familiar. But he doesn't have his own wolf yet, so I don't know why either."
I remained silent.
I thought about when I was in a coma at the hospital, the Moon Goddess appeared in my dream.
She told me that my child was still alive.
Was Kyrian the guidance the Moon Goddess gave to me?
Could he lead me to find my child?
I knew that such speculation was hard to believe.
But this gave me a little bit of hope.
I held the child tighter and kissed his face twice. "I'm glad you're okay."
"Don't worry. We didn't mistreat him. I couldn't even bring myself to eat the small cake I stole, but I fed him a piece."
I almost understood their living conditions. On the island, there were no basic facilities, no electricity, no internet, and no signal.
Only the solar panels bought from the outside provided little electricity for lighting at night.
Fortunately, the island was rich in resources and had a few freshwater sources. The few werewolves relied on natural resources for sustenance.
Although they counted on Kyrian to obtain the ransom, they didn't take away his expensive clothes and accessories.
I couldn't say they were all good werewolves.
But at least, they were not purely bad people.
While I was thinking, Kyrian's face suddenly turned red.
With no experience in looking after kids, I asked with concern, "What's wrong with you?"
Kyrian seemed to be exerting himself, and the next second I heard a "puff" sound.
My palm felt the warmth, and my nose caught a foul smell.
"Oh no, the little guy pooped." Aiden pinched his nose and his hat even got deformed from it.
The female werewolf on the side followed out. "Give it to me. I'll wash his butt."
I subconsciously was unwilling to hand over the child, so I said, "I'll do it."
The she-wolf poured the hot water she had boiled into the basin. It was my first time washing a child, and I was clumsy and awkward.
But Kyrian was not impatient. Instead, he happily laughed while lying on my lap.
After washing, the she-wolf used a piece of cloth cut from the clothes to dry Kyrian, and then she put a diaper under him.
"Hope you don't mind. There are no paper diapers here. We can only use cloth diapers instead."