Leah's POV
As the sun rises over the rolling hills, a gentle breeze carries the sweet scent of blooming flowers and salty sea water through the air. The sound of roosters crowing and dogs barking filled the tranquil atmosphere of the small port village on the continental side of the bay, where life seemed to move at a slower pace.
Darren parked his bike on the side of the road, and waved at a boy who was staring at us curiously at a distance.
"Come here." Darren prompted him.
The boy hesitated and shifted back a bit.
"You can touch my bike if you want." Darren winked at him and smiled.
The boy ran forward and stretched out his tiny hand, stroking the leather surface of the bike.
"Can you keep an eye on my bike? I'll go to the island and come back later," Darren said.
The boy stared at Darren with a frown. Then, he turned his head toward me, stretching out his arms.
"Do you want a hug from me?" I melted.
The boy tiptoed to stretch out his arms toward me even higher.
I chuckled and crouched down. He wrapped his arms around my neck as Iifted him up.
Darren looked a bit jealous. He crossed his arms and said, "Aha. Aren't you a little Casanova? You like girls more than bikes, don't you?"
The boy placed his head on my shoulder, making a face at Darren.
"You can't go to the island today. The soldiers came," the boy twirled my hair around his tiny little fingers and said.
"The soldiers?" I frowned.
At that time, a tall, tanned woman with a pair of olive-colored eyes walked out of a shelter and saw us.
"Milo! You little rascal! What are you doing? Leave that lady alone and come here right now!" The woman looked vexed.
"Mummy!" The little boy stretched out his arms towards that lady.
I walked forward and handed the boy to her.
The woman took away the boy and said, "I'm sorry. Milo likes tall, brunette girls because they remind him of his sister. She ran away from us a few years ago and never came back."
I saw sadness on that woman's face. Somehow, that pair of green eyes looked familiar. I remembered seeing them somewhere...
Then, I suddenly remembered the profiles of girls I saw last night.
"What's Milo's sister's name?" I frowned and asked in a trembling voice.
"Emily. Emily Jansen," the woman replied. I could tell that it was painful for her to even speak of her daughter's name.
Emily Jansen.
"I... Alpha Kyle of the Moonhowlers Pack, hereby confesses to having raped, tortured, and killed Emily Jansen..."
Alpha Kyle's confession in the dungeon appeared in my mind.
That fat, greasy old man's figure made me want to puke again.
"What's going on?" The woman stared at me with a big frown on her face.
I took a deep breath and said, "My name is Leah Lewyn. I'm from Kingfisher Pack. How may I call you?"
"My name is Uma Jansen. My husband passed away a long time ago. You can call me Uma." The woman looked confused.
"Uma, you need to sit down for this," I said. "I've got some bad news for you."
I couldn't believe the coincidence. Was this Moon Goddess' will?
In Uma's shelter, I explained what happened to her daughter Emily. I asked Darren to take Milo outside to keep him away from all the sadness and sorrow in the room.
After I finished my speech, Uma didn't weep or cry out in despair as I had expected. As a matter of fact, she didn't show any response or emotion on her face.
I understood that everyone had their own way of dealing with the loss of their family members, but Uma's reaction was a bit too cool.
She took out a beaten-up mobile phone and fiddled it for a while. Then, she found the confession post on Twitter, which had been posted by Gean.
She sat there and watched the video clip. She zoomed in to the maximum, trying to take a good look at Alpha Kyle's face.
Then, she switched off the video clip and placed her mobile on the table.
"Do you need some drinks?" Uma stood up. "I'll fix a cup of tea for you. You look cold."
"Not really..." I replied in a low voice.
Uma interrupted me and said, "I'll fetch you some dry clothes. I've just washed and dried some clothes. They're mine. They're clean because I washed them. You have to get changed. The shirt you're wearing is damp. You'll catch a cold."
Then, she opened a wardrobe and took out a clean white shirt and a pair of pants.
"Put them on. They're clean." She shoved the clothes at me and said.
I took the clothes and mumbled, "Thank you, Uma... But..."
Uma didn't wait until I finished my speech. She went to the stove and turned out the gas, brewing some tea for me.
I sighed and got changed swiftly.
"Put your wet clothes in the basket over there. I'll wash it for you." Uma said.
"Uma, it's really not necessary..." I whispered.
"Don't worry. I'm washing clothes for a living. I'm very good at what I do. I'll wash and dry your clothes for you. Leave your address and I'll deliver them to you." Uma said.
"Uma... If you want to be alone for a while, I totally understand," I said.
"No. I'm fine. I've always waited for this moment and it finally came. I am relieved now." Uma said as she poured tea into cups.
Her hands were trembling and water spilled all over the place.
Just when I was about to say something to comfort her, she said, "So what's next? Is there going to be a trial? Are the Royal Guards going to arrest him?"
"He's already arrested and put into jail. He will be trialed in public and sentenced," I said.
"Sentenced," Uma mumbled as she took a sip of the tea. She flinched as if she was burnt. "I'm just an Omega who's doing laundry for a living. I know nothing about law, so can you tell me what sentence he's facing?"
Uma clenched her fists. They were strong, wrinkled, and powerful after years of hard work.