One Night
One Night 248

Chapter 248

Audrey

Edwin and I stood outside the orphanage, staring up at the stark white facade and gleaming windows. The place had… changed since I’d been here.

When I was last here, the roof had practically been caving in, the shingles falling off the sides of the building, the windows covered in spiderwebbing cracks that let in the cold winter air,

But now, it seemed that the entire place had been torn down and rebuilt.

Instead of a dilapidated Victorian mansion, it was a sleek and modern structure with clean lines and large windows. Even from outside, we could see children moving around the brightly lit hallways with smiles on their faces.

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing as I stared past the colorful flower gardens out front, the sound of children’s laughter and squeaky swing sets echoing across the quiet street.

“You okay?” Edwin touched my shoulder, snapping me out of my reverie. “If it’s still too much, you don’t have to go in. You can wait in the car.”

I shook my head and tugged my jacket a little closer around my shoulders even though it was a balmy sixty-five degrees outside. “No. I feel like I need to do this.”

When Charles had told us that he believed the orphanage I used to live in was one of the biggest responsible for sending kids to unknown locations in Coldclaw territory, I couldn’t believe it.

We had already questioned the new director here-it was the first place we targeted during our crusade.

But I had probed her mind, and found nothing. She was innocent. Only the previous director, the crotchety old man who had been in charge while I was there, had been involved in the mistreatment of human kids. She didn’t even know that it had been going on, and was abhorred by it.

I still remembered that interrogation like it was yesterday. The director, a sweet older woman named Sophia, had been all smiles and warmth. I knew, of course, that looks could be deceiving when it came to such things-Fiona was a prime example of that-but Sophia really had been innocent.

That was why, rather than sending Charles and a bunch of warriors to arrest her again, Edwin and I had decided to make a visit to the orphanage ourselves. We needed to investigate with our own eyes before we made any moves.

“Okay,” Edwin ceded with a soft sigh. “But if you start to feel uncomfortable, I want you to tell me so we can leave.”

“I will.”

With that, we headed up the front path, hand-in-hand, with Charles and a couple of Crescent warriors behind us. We knocked on the large wooden door and waited for an answer, silently listening to the sounds of children playing on playground equipment out back.

Soon enough, the door swung open and Sophia herself stood in front of us, wearing a professional blouse and tailored trousers. She had an apron on top of everything, which was smeared with paint as if she’d just been teaching an art class.

“Oh-Alpha! Luna!” she exclaimed, clasping her hand over her chest. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Apologies for the lack of notice, but we were hoping to receive a tour,” Edwin said, monitoring his words and his facial expression carefully so as not to raise any red flags. “Do you have some time to spare?”

Sophia’s eyes flicked over our shoulders to Charles and the warriors. Normally, Crescent warriors wore a black uniform with a silver crescent moon sigil-a design we’d come up with together since our marriage.

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Chapter 248

But today, they were dressed in plain clothes-once again, so as not to raise any red flags. If Sophia really was working with Coldclaw, then it was best if we were stealthy with our investigation.

“We’re considering adopting.” I said with a tight smile. It was a lie, of course, and saying it felt bitter on my tongue, but it was the only way to get inside without raising suspicions.

The director’s eyes widened. “Oh, how wonderful!” She stepped aside, gesturing for us to enter while she untied her apron with one hand. “Of course. Please, come in. I was just in the middle of arts and crafts with the kids, but my assistant can take

over.”

Over the course of the next half hour or so, Sophia gave us a tour. I couldn’t believe the state of the place; it truly was like a child’s dream.

There were countless classrooms and playrooms, each one filled with all kinds of books and toys and plush furniture. The children’s dormitories were painted with brightly-colored murals depicting animals and fairytale scenes, with the dorm walls for the older kids plastered with band posters and drawings and desks piled high with books and crafts.

Sophia emphasized the fact that she allowed the kids to personalize their own spaces, even down to the smallest details like picking out their own sheets, blankets, and pillows.

“I wish it was like this when I lived here,” I mused with a tiny laugh as we peered into a room specifically made for music classes-complete with an upright piano and a soundproof room in the corner.

Sophia chuckled. “Yes, it was quite the feat to build this place,” she explained. “But thanks to our anonymous benefactor, we made it happen.”

Edwin and I glanced at each other. “Anonymous benefactor?” Edwin asked.

Sophia nodded. “Yes. Around the time I became director, a wealthy individual who had lived in this orphanage as a child approached me and asked to fund the renovations. I was struggling to afford the basics on my own, so I accepted. It was a very generous gesture.”

“It certainly seems so,” I muttered as I glanced around at the high ceilings and pristine tile floors. “May we ask who it was?”

At that, Sophia blanched slightly. “I’m sorry, but they asked to remain anonymous. It was part of the stipulation of our agreement.”

I opened my mouth to demand the name, maybe even use my powers to read her mind, but Edwin stopped me with a nudge through the bond. “Not yet. Just play along for now.”

He was right, I supposed. It was better to stay quiet and observe for now; so I smiled and nodded and continued with the

tour.

Down the hall, I spotted the doors to the infirmary-something that we didn’t have the pleasure of having while I was here. If we got sick, it was on the other kids to help care for us, and the old director only ever called a doctor in extreme cases. I was sort of excited to check it out.

But Sophia moved right past it.

“Wait,” I said, pointing down the hall. “Can we see the infirmary

Sophia paused. “Children are resting,” she said. “We had a bit of a flu outbreak, so-

“We’ll be quick. I just want a peek.”

Before she could respond, I was walking down the hall and pulling the infirmary door open to poke my head inside.

It was then that I realized that something was indeed off about this place. Because there was only one child inside the infirmary, sleeping on a cot in the dimly lit room.

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And the moment I poked my head in, as if his mind was searching for help, I saw a flash of his memories.

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Desperation. A dark room, somewhere underground…? Dozens, no, hundreds of other children. The whirring of machines.

A factory of some kind.

Just like that, the flashes ebbed away, leaving me reeling in the hallway. Sophia’s voice was muffled through the blood rushing in my ears as she called out to me. There was something nervous in her tone, something honeyed to her words.

“Luna? If you’d like to see the recreation room, it’s just this way

“Edwin, something’s wrong,” I called out mentally, ignoring her as I shoved my way into the room. I showed him what I had seen through the bond. “Come here.”

Sophia’s voice rose as she called after us, but Charles and the warriors held her back. Edwin jogged after me, meeting me in front of the little boy’s bed. He was unconscious, his chest rising and falling shallowly as if struggling to breathe.

Edwin and I looked at each other, our hearts pounding in tandem as we came to the realization of what we had to do.

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