A cacophony of jarring sounds penetrated the darkness. Distant voices intermingled with the thrumming of my own ragged pulse. My brow furrowed as consciousness slowly trickled back.
Where...?The viscous ooze of half-remembered nightmares clung to the edges of my mind like cobwebs. Shadowy impressions began to materialize - the relentless pursuit, the demented shrieks, those ruinous, haunting eyes...My own eyes flew open as the final dregs of sleep dissolved. I gulped down grateful lungfuls of air, grounding myself in the simple act of breathing. In. Out. In. Out.As the fuzzy mental static cleared, I recognized the cozy confines of Shirley's living room. The floral chintz sofa cradled my prone form, a ridiculously oversized quilt bunched around my legs."--lexa? Can you hear me?" Shirley's familiar alto cut through the fog still clouding my senses.I blinked rapidly, trying to focus on the two blurry figures looming over me. Shirley's concerned visage slowly swam into view, her brow creased with worry. A tall, wiry man hovered at her shoulder, his dark blond hair disarmingly tousled."Wh...what happened?" My tongue felt heavy and clumsy in my dry mouth."You passed out on me, sweetie." Shirley reached out to smooth the sweat-damp hair back from my forehead. "Really gave us a scare there for a second."My fuzzy mental recording rewound, flickering images gradually reintegrating into a cohesive timeline. The cheating mates. The shattered vase. The breakdown.The nausea surged anew, an acrid tide of disgust and humiliation crashing against the inside of my ribs. I squeezed my eyes shut against the painful memories."I'm okay...I think." Each shallow exhale felt like shredding my throat with steel wool. "Just a bad dream.""Well, you're running a bit of a fever," the unfamiliar man interjected in a gentle baritone. "But you should be feeling better soon."I peeled my heavy lids back open, seeking out the source of the new voice. He offered me a warm, dimpled smile, the tips of his elfin ears peeking through the wavy golden strands.One of the Fae folk then, not someone from the pack. My brow furrowed as I studied his striking, sculptural features and lithe, rangy build more closely."Oh! Where are my manners?" Shirley clucked her tongue in mild chastisement. "Alexa, this is Joshua. He's my...well, we've been seeing each other for a while now."The obvious affection glowing between the two of them set off a new pang in my chest. I masked it with a weak smile of my own."It's nice to meet you, Joshua. Shirl's told me...nothing about you, actually." I arched an accusatory eyebrow at my oldest friend.She had the good grace to look abashed, tucking an errant russet curl behind her ear. "I was going to tell you! I swear it, babe. Things just got...a little crazy."A hysterical giggle bubbled up from my raw throat, the manic edge to it setting my nerves jangling. Crazy was putting it mildly. Joshua's hazel eyes flicked between us, silently taking in the unspoken subtext."Well!" He spoke up in an overly bright tone meant to dispel the awkwardness. "Now that you're awake and coherent, we should probably get you hydrated and grab a snack. I'll brew up some peppermint tea."Joshua stood smoothly and retreated towards the kitchen, gently squeezing Shirley's shoulder in wordless reassurance as he passed. I watched him go, waiting until his footsteps receded before finding my voice again."So that's why you smelled like treeflower and sunlight earlier," I murmured, unable to resist the fleeting impish grin tugging at my lips. "My my, Shirl...a Fae companion? Quite the dashing, exotic paramour you've chosen for yourself."The barest hints of an embarrassed blush stained her cheekbones as she avoided my gaze. "Oh hush, you. Like you're really one to talk after all these years of shacking up with Jasper and going nowhere with it."The barb struck deeper than she could have intended. I flinched like she'd slapped me across the face. Her eyes flew wide with instant regret as my fleeting spark of playfulness guttered out."Alexa...I'm so sorry, honey. That was completely uncalled for." Shirley reached out in a beseeching gesture, but I recoiled from her touch.Hot pinpricks of unshed tears stung my eyes as the night's emotional toll came crashing back down. My shoulders slumped inward in silent defeat."Just...don't," I croaked out in a broken whisper. "Please don't say his name around me. I can't...I won't survive it."If I allowed myself to process what Jasper had done - to truly let it sink beneath the shock and numbness and scar over - I was terrified I might never recover. Dwelling on our ruined future, the love so utterly betrayed, seemed an exquisite and impossible torment.Shirley's hand hovered in the air between us for a handful of aching heartbeats. Then, biting her lip against her own pained expression, she pulled it back and simply nodded.Joshua's cheerful timbre drifted in from the kitchen once more, effectively shattering the thick tension that had descended. "Peppermint or chamomile, ladies?"I shot Shirley a weak, watery smile of gratitude for the interruption. "Peppermint, please," I called out, swiping the treacherous tears from the corners of my eyes with the backs of my knuckles. "I think I need a bit more of a kick in the ass."After a moment of silence, I spoke up hesitantly. "Shirl...I can't stay in this pack anymore. Not after what happened."Shirley's eyebrows knit together with concern. "Where will you go?""Here," I replied, barely louder than a whisper. "If you'll have me, that is."She pondered this for a beat, worrying her lower lip. "You know my alpha wouldn't just let any stray join our ranks, Lex. He values loyalty and discretion above all else.""I understand. But you've known me almost my whole life. Can't you vouch for me?"Shirley held up a placating hand. "Of course I can. And I will. Vincent trusts my judgment implicitly." She drew in a steadying breath. "But you have to be certain this is what you want. Leaving your birth pack, your responsibilities and position there - it's not a decision to make lightly."My jaw clenched as flashes of Jasper's naked, sweat-slicked body rutting atop Olivia's assaulted my mind's eye again. I squeezed them shut, shoving the images away with a violent shake of my head."It's the only decision, Shirl. I can't..." The lump in my throat nearly choked me as I fought not to dissolve into tears again. "I won't go back there. Not after he...and she..."Understanding softened Shirley's features. She reached over to squeeze my hand. "Okay, babe. I'll handle Vincent and the rest of the paperwork. With any luck, you'll be an official member of our pack by the end of the week."Some of the leaden weight pressing down on my chest eased slightly. "Thank you. Truly.""Don't mention it." Shirley waved away my gratitude as she stood. "I'm going to grab the forms to fill out your transfer request..."She trailed off, hazel eyes going momentarily unfocused as she drew in a sharp inhalation. Her nostrils flared infinitesimally and when her gaze snapped back into focus, it locked intensely onto me."What?" I asked, perplexed by her suddenly tense scrutiny. "Why are you looking at me like that?"Shirley didn't respond right away. Instead, she drifted closer, bending down to my eye level as her frown deepened into a patently quizzical expression."Alexa..." she began slowly, as if piecing together a puzzle in her mind. "Have you been experiencing any unusual...symptoms lately?"I blinked owlishly at her. "Symptoms? What are you talking ab--?"The words died on my lips as Shirley leaned in to inhale deeply mere inches from my face. She pulled back just as quickly, eyes wide with shock and...wonderment? My heart kicked up a staccato rhythm against my ribcage."Oh my god," Shirley breathed out in a reverent whisper. "You're pregnant, aren't you?"The bottom dropped out of my world in a sickening lurch. All the air rushed from my lungs in a harsh, wheezing gasp. I could only gape soundlessly at my friend, my mind utterly blank safe for the thunderous pounding of blood rushing through my ears.Some deeply buried part of me had suspected - known - but to have it said out loud in such unvarnished terms was still a devastating gut-punch. Shirley reached out to grip my shoulders with an urgency that bordered on frantic."Alexa? Alexa, honey, say something!"But I couldn't form words around the numb shock coursing through me. Tears burned hot trails down my frozen face. Shirley pulled me against her chest, wrapping me in a fierce embrace as my overwrought mind fractured apart into a maelstrom of emotions.Pregnant. With a baby...Jasper's baby.***Chapter three. Jasper's POV I never expected this to happen, especially not now. Just as I was about to sit down, my doctor, John, walked in—my bestie. "Good morning, Jasper. How are you?" he asked, looking at me with concern. I couldn't find the words to respond. "It's about Alexa, isn't it?" he said, reading my expression. Of course, he could tell. My frustration over Alexa's disappearance was written all over my face. With her absence, there's a strange sense of emptiness, but it also gives me space to breathe. Yet, the wolf inside me is restless, craving to tear apart whoever is responsible for her disappearance. "Tell me, John, how did this happen? How did I end up mating with someone other than my true mate?" I asked, my voice laced with frustration and confusion. John approached me, guiding me to sit down as he began examining me—starting with my eyes, nose, and mouth. His frown deepened, and I gave him a questioning look. "Someone used hypnotism on you, buddy. As a witc
Jasper's POV “Alpha, you asked of me.” Olivia said wittily, her head bowed down like a saint. “Yes I did.” I said firmly. I was about to speak but she beat me to it. “You don't have to crown me Luna yet, I know you are still grieving for your mate.” My anger increased. What the hell was the wretched talking about? I felt like ripping her to shreds at the moment, but that in itself was too merciful for her. “Do you know who you are talking to and what you are dealing with, Olivia. How the hell do you say such thing with so much confidence?!” Olivia looked lost which made me even angrier. How did I end in bed with a woman like this one? I was really out of my mind. “What do you mean, Alpha? Do you mean to say you are not planning on making me your Luna?” “Why the hell would I even think of doing that? I went to bed with you only because of your hypnotism. What makes you think I would choose you on a normal day?!” Olivia gasped in shock and held her hands together in front of h
Alexa's POVI paced around the room in utter annoyance with my thoughts ruminating.I didn't know what to do. From the saga that happened between Jasper and I, and that which had to do concerning my ‘mother’, Nora. And my identity as a half-witch.I felt deeply moved to go to Jasper and give him a listening ear to what really happened that night, while also I was thinking About if I should trust Nora or not concerning the things that she said about me.Indeed, she knew my secrets but what did that have to do with if she was my real mother or not.“You know what? Shirley, what do you think?” Shirley who had been sitting quietly in the living room finally stopped shaping her nails with the nail cutter. She blew on it advently and said.“You know there's a slang these days that go ‘Think with your head and do not be moved by your emotions that you end up making the wrong decisions.’ I think that quote alone is helpful to us all. But most especially you, Alexa.”“Then don't you think I s
Chapter Six Alexa's POV “If you truly care about me you will not go.”“Mom!”Nora was at it again, and I felt engulfed in my own feelings. “Except you choose that strange man over me, you may leave.”“Mom that's not what I want, believe me. I care about you.” As it was right now, the desires of my mother was clear. She wanted me to choose between her and Jasper and my answer was easy. Her. She was the one who gave birth to me anyway but I also wondered about Jasper and what his answer would be when I faced him again. He could even say that he hated me and from the very first instant that we met, he plotted to ruin her life. These fears concerning what the truth was really made me scared but calm and so it was easy for me to stay calm in the situation. I hugged my mom tightly and she smiled in response before she hugged me back.“Thank you dear, you're making the right choice, I vow to you.”“You must help me raise my child in the future,”“Don't worry, we can do so together.” I hug
Alexa's POV“I don't think I have seen you around before, miss…”“Alexa, sir.” I cut in firmly. The man seemed to look at me as though he hadn't seen me before, and this was true. It was my first time meeting him. “I recently moved into the pack with the help of my friend, Shirley. She was going to introduce me to the leader of the pack and maybe the elders but I was too busy.”The Alpha looked me up and down and said, “Fine. But do you accept your offer of residing in the packhouse? I am willing to host you. I don't want another situation in which there would be an emergency but there would be no one to help.”“Don't you have a nurse at the packhouse?” I asked, genuinely interested in knowing.“We used to. Untill she got married and left to her mate's pack. We haven't replaced her ever since.”“I'm her replacement then,” I said quietly.“If you join the packhouse I promise to pay you quite generously.”“Of course, Alpha.” it is not that I thought I would be a burden to Shirley if I s
Alexa's POV“I'm really going to miss you, Alexa.” “Don't be like that, you know I'm going to visit. You are a to-be god mother you know?” I said as she broke away from the embrace. I placed my hand on my tummy and she laughed. “You are right. This is not the end. We're going to meet again, okay?”I smiled and patted her on the shoulder.“By the way, when are you leaving?”“Today.”Shirley bursted into another fit and embraced.That day, she helped me pack my stuff and take them to the packhouse. I spotted a lot of eyes in my direction when I was walking into the packhouse with Shirley.“Who is she? She looks unfamiliar.”“That's right. She must be new.”“I saw her walking with the Alpha earlier, she must be a new member of the pack.”“I think so too.”“Don't mind their words,” Shirley told me, “They're just curious about you,” she told me.I walked into the packhouse to the room that the Alpha had showed me before, in front of it was a lady with fair cheeks and an angular shaped fac
Alexa's POV “So it starts with me falling in love with a guy and then the guy happened to not be the one for me and so I decided to move to a place good for me. You know the atmosphere, it pays to be in a healthy environment, doesn't it?” Nathan nodded. “So it's because of a guy. I was hoping it'd be something a little tragic so I can feel sorry for you.” “Well,” I shrugged not really knowing what to say. “That’s fine. I have to go to work. I'll see you another time.” Nathan said and I nodded, holding the door out for him. “Right, it's okay. Goodbye, Alpha.” The moment he stepped out, I exhaled but then felt my heart rate speeding up. “I don't know why but I feel a pull between Nathan and I. Is it because he's Alpha?” I asked my wolf as I placed my hand over my chest, my breathing heavy. “I don't know,” she whispered in my head. “Let's just see as time pans out.” “I feel as though he's my mate but that's not possible, right?” “It could be.” My wolf responded. “Nora t
Alexa's POV The next day, I stepped out of my room early only to bump into a tall tanned man who seemed to pick up offense against me for bumping into him. “I'm sorry,” I said. “I was not looking where I was going properly. Honestly speaking, my mind was everywhere but here I apologize.” “Who are you?” He asked instantly. And I stopped in my tracks thinking of what to say to him. “Well… erhm—” “—I’ve never seen you around before,” he interrupted me. “Actually —” “—Did you force your way into here or something?” “I—” “Boaz!” I heard Angel from the distance. Immediately I saw her my mind was at ease because I knew she'd be able to introduce me right. “Angel?” He said with raised eyebrow. Angel soon came onto us and handed Boaz an apple in her hands. “Don't be mean to her, she's the new pack nurse. She'll be the one to fix all the infirmities going on within the pack house.” “So she's the previous nurse replacement.” Angel nodded. Boaz looked at me hesitantly. “B