Alex's POV
(...a princess from Spain)
He scoffed angrily and took his seat. He still couldn't imagine beginning a life with another woman. Worst of it all—for the sake of benefits.
“I don't care how much power you've acquired over the years. I remain the Alpha and you must respect that.”, the Alpha scolded.
His mother wore a frown,
“You don't think an apology is necessary?”, She demanded.
“Sorry, Father”, Alex mumbled under his breath.
“Oh! Here she comes”, the Alpha interjected, disregarding his apology. Alex reluctantly looked up at the object of admiration, but was stunned by her radiance. His lower jaw fell slightly open as she walked towards them. Boy! they nagged about a Princess but no one deemed it right to speak of her beauty. How negligent? he thought as he responded to his reflex by acknowledging her presence with a standing ovation, without an applause. She wore a purple sleeveless flower embroidery. A white glove concealed most part of her arms exposing only her fleshy upper arms. Her blonde hair fell elegantly on her exposed shoulders with a flimsy view of her cleavage dangling above the breast pad of her dress. An emerald necklace sat comfortably at the parting of her cleavage and moved in the rhythm of her cautious steps—her legs were submerged under the dress that swept the lawn. Her skin was spotless and silky like the drop of pure honey from a beehive. Her eyes were almond-shaped with a light shade of green sparkling at the center. She looked up at Alex, flaunting her long lustrous lashes as her heart-shaped lips—painted in blood red, parted to speak,
“May I join you?”
Alex was snapped back to the present by her soft voice. He blushed in embarrassment— his parents smiled at each other in a whisper.
“Most certainly, Princess. “, the Alpha gestured for her to sit. “Now if you'll excuse us, we've an important meeting”.
He watched as his parents gave an excuse to keep him alone with his soon-to-be mate. Alex, for the first time, searched eagerly for the right words. The thoughts of Sherlyn slipped to the background. A new spotlight had taken over the stage. “Xander Will”, he managed to speak, stretching a hand towards her, trying to distract his eyes from admiring her breasts. She took his hands—a soft and cottony texture.
“Lucia Mendez”, she responded.
A perfect name to match such beauty, he thought, before assuming his seat. He pretended to be consumed by the dish in front of him as he pushed his cutlery into the grilled juicy venison.
“My father speaks so highly of You. I must say, I find no exaggeration in his words” Alex responded with a cold smile, with a quick glance at her.
“So, tell me about you”, she pressed on. Now Alex had no choice but to speak.
“It depends on what you want to know”, he responded in a flat tone.
“Everything. Anything”, her red lips gleaming with a wide smile.
“There's nothing worth telling.”, he replied.
“Well then. Show me around. It's my first time in this region. You've a lovely scenery” Alex subconsciously dropped his fork at her words but apologized immediately,
“Sorry. You might want to finish up your food first.” The only sounds left were the cling of their cutlery on ceramic plates.
***
“How was your first date with her?”, the Luna asked.
“There was no date, Mother. I showed her around town, that's all.”
“Keep those hard exterior in your breast pocket. You love her, don't you?”
Alex raised his brows and turned to leave without a reply. He didn't know what he felt but it certainly was nothing close to love. That part of him still belonged to Sherlyn.
“So much like your father”, her voice faded into the hall as Alex approached the practice area. He sharpened old stunts and discovered new strategies to block an attack projected from above. The few hours of training helped distract his thoughts from Lucia and the impending marriage. He was back to his room, all sweaty. It was as though the large painting on his wall reminded him of the times with Sherlyn. He remembered how he first met her, the innocence in her eyes when he saw her in a bar, on one of the nights Charles forced him to have some fun. They spent most of their private times at the sea shore, where the possibility of finding a pack member was slim, even Charles knew nothing of their bond. The ocean tides and the golden skylines in the painting, brought back bittersweet memories. He came out from the shower with low spirits. He dabbed his wet body with a white towel hanging around his neck while he pulled the silver receiver on his work desk and dialed a number, he took out from the first drawer. There was no answer. He punched the buttons again. A woman answered,
“Blake's residence. Who's on the line?”
“Charlotte?“, Alex guessed.
“Oh, Mr Wills!. Good to hear from you again”
“How's She?“, he asked, discarding her surprise.
“Very healthy, but still has no memory of her past. She thinks I’m her mother, but she keeps asking of the child’s father. She'll be due in two months time”
“Is she within earshot?”
“No, Mr. Wills. She's fast asleep”, Charlotte whispered into the receiver.
“Good. Bye for now, Charlotte. Be sure to delete this call history, just in case”. The telephone beeped. He craved for her voice again, but it would ruin all his previous moves. Thankfully, she was asleep but a deep part of him wanted to hear her reaction, at least. He slipped into his grey loungewear and tucked himself in bed. He had a lavish dinner with Lucia at the best restaurants—a very expensive date. It was time for a nice rest. A day had gone by without mishaps. His cell phone vibrated. He had no friends, aside for business meetings with delegates and Charles, who knows better than to call him at night. Who could it be? He picked up the phone and waited for a response.
“I don't want to believe you're asleep already”, she teased.
“Lucia?”, he sat up to stay fully awake. “I had a great time today. I think we'll be seeing more often. Have you heard yet?”
“I've no idea of what you're talking about”, Alex sounded puzzled.
“Oh! Never mind then. I'm not in the right position to break such news.”
“I don't mind, really, if it pleases you, of course”
“No. I Insist. Goodnight, Xander”. She hung up. If there was something Alex couldn't tolerate, it was suspense. He slid out of bed immediately and adjusted his robe. He headed straight to the Alpha's study on the second floor. He tapped the metal knocker on the golden door, twice.
“Come in, son”, the Alpha called out from within. He must have picked Alex's scent.
Alex walked into the large room, with stacks of books and two lamps by the edges of the center table where the Alpha sat.
“Good you're here. I've been wanting to speak to You”, the Alpha continued. “What brings you here, by the way?” he adjusted his square-framed glasses to get a clear view of Alex.
“I presumed a nice chat with my father would be nice”, he lied. He didn't want to give a clue about Lucia's call. The Alpha threw a suspicious look at him, before closing the book in front of him.
“Have a seat”, he continued. “The Alpha of Alvarez Kingdom has agreed on the union. We're making arrangements. Your wedding is in two months. Congratulations son.”
The sudden shock that gripped his heart was close to the feel of electrocution.
(…a nightmare)Sherlyn's POVIt was a tranquil night. The hot steam from the golden bathtub in which she sat, soothed her skin and made her nerves relaxed. She closed her eyes to relish the rosy scent of beautifully lit candles arranged around the edges of the tub and the floaty feel that engulfed her essense. She adjusted her depths into the bath, till the lather brushed the base of her chin, allowing most of her red hair to be submerged in the warmth. Suddenly, an urgent charge dropped in her mind link,“Wherever you're, leave. Right now”She flung her eyes open in terror.“Leave the premise”, the masculine voice urged again.It was her father. She got up immediately as she unwrapped the white towel around her head to cover her dripping nudity. Her father rarely used mind link to communicate except in times of unavoidable danger. She dashed to the front of the large mirror opposite the tub and dabbed her wet hair hastily with the hem of the towel.“Who are they? What's going on, Da
Sherlyn's POV(…a strange note)She opened her eyes to a medium-sized living room and the terrified face of Charlotte, who left her side immediately she woke up . She sat up on the sofa chair where she laid, panting heavily and looking around to be sure she was where she should be. For some minutes she was thankful it was just a dream, but the thought of coming back to the discomfort from her pregnant state and her memory loss, made her wish the dream continued and maybe ended her life.“Here. You'll feel better”, Charlotte handed her a white pill and a glass of water.She gulped down the pill, staring vaguely at the rugged floor and massaging her forehead.“Do you want to talk about it?“, Charlotte asked.Sherlyn, still staring into space replied, “I want to assume it was just a dream, but it seemed too real”, her voi
Alex’s POV (…a night before the wedding)"I’ll be there shortly. Make sure nothing bad happens to her. Do whatever it takes to keep her alive. I don’t care about the cost.”, he dropped the receiver in a hurry. He had spoken with the head chef, who picked Sherlyn’s call previously and warned her against answering his calls, in the future. Yet another call from Charlotte, but this time, he couldn’t ignore, unlike the last two times where she called about a strange dream and a threat note she received. She was in need of blood urgently and at the verge of loosing her life. None of the blood types in the blood bank was compatible with hers. He knew no family of hers while in the pack aside her foster aunt, but he hoped his blood would suffice, being a werewolf. Unfortunately for him, as he was about leaving, his father stood at the entrance of his room. He might have heard his conversation but he showed no expression. “Father?”, he said, stunned by his unexpected appearance.“Yes, Xand
(…painful resolve)Alex's POVAlex flinched due to reflex. “I didn’t mean to scare you”, the young man immediately apologized, adjusting a circular len closer to his eyes “Are you related to any Sherlyn Blake?”Alex, who was still trying to recover from the shock, examined the man in front of him, from his neatly dressed hair down to his white tracksuits, like one who just completed a workout session. “And you are?”, he asked in curiosity.“Just a new friend of hers,”, the lad went on.Alex watched his mannerisms closely. Sherlyn was 24 but the person claiming to be friends with her looked way younger. It was too early for her to start making friends, male friends at that, he thought. With jealousy stirring up inside him, he responded,“And what makes you think we’re related?”“I just felt to ask. My instincts are usually right most times”He marveled at his blabs--no doubts he looked nerdy.“When did you meet?”, he asked, trying to read his intentions and the validity of his claims
Alex's POV (…a threatening silence) For the very first time since the beginning of his mental breakdown, his wolf shuddered from within. The Luna's face expressed a mix of disappointment and amazement, with her eyebrows arched. She eyeballed him and the baby in Sherlyn's hand, as though attaching coherence to her perplexed state. “There's nothing reasonable you've to say. Stay quiet”, Alex wolf condemned. But, She's your mother. Be thankful she came alone.” The loneliness he felt was more than that of a lost child in a desserted island. She realesed her hold on the door, as she gained full entrance into the ward, still wearing an awestruck expression. His worst fear finally happened— caught in the act, no lie could save him this time. It seemed as though the silence in the room echoed louder than their thoughts, as the distant footsteps of other occupants of the building kept on filling the void. When she seemed convinced by what she hoped to be a dream, she commanded, “Let
Alex's POV(…welcome, mate)The Alpha's royal custume gleamed radiantly as he approached him.Alex wished for the ground to open up and swallow his remains before an actual pronouncement from the Alpha.He swallowed a large lump of fear stuck in his throat.“I almost thought I lost my only son. Your mother explained everything to me”, the Alpha stated.His heartbeat skipped again as the look on the Alpha's face contradicted the gravity of words that fell from his lips. “ It's the start of a new beginning. Every father would be proud of”, the Alpha continued, with the cornea of his eyes taking a watery texture.Alex was thrown into a den of confusion. What exactly did his mother say to him that made him so much at peace with me, he drifted into pensive thoughts, as he retained a neutral expression.“You should be glad, son. I've no fear whatsoever inducting you as the next alpha of the region…soon”.Alex forced a curve on his lips as his confusion only grew wilder.“I see you're ready
Alex’s POV(…a sour wedding)A large circle of disorganized crowd formed and Alex struggled to have a glimpse of the source of the fearful cry. “No!”, a woman screamed, this time, he was certain he heard his mother. He ran to the scene and manipulated his way towards the center of the event. He was shocked to see the helpless figure of the Alpha jerking vigorously on the floor.The guards, including Charles dispersed the crowd and cleared the way as Alex assisted in pulling him back up to his feet.“Get the doctor!” Alex yelled as they approached his vehicle.“Party’s over. Every one go home”, a voice spoke into the speaker behind them as Alex drove out of the place with the Luna at the backseat with the dying Alpha.Alex was overwhelmed with fear as he drove past the escort vehicles that were supposed to lead the way. “Please, hold still”, the Luna whimpered. There was a mild traffic in front. Alex honked multiple times, yelling “Get out of the way”. The escorts behind came to his
Alex POV(… a family tradition)His ego deflated instantly at the sight of her. Her eyes were swollen from excess tears as she spoke, “you certainly will. I wouldn’t have you ruin her day with your excesses.”, she continued. “Change into something nice, dear”, she faced Lucia, who kept a long stare on Alex as though she were processing his thoughts, “Alex will join you in 30 minutes. We’ve a little chat”.Lucia excused herself from the room leaving Alex and the Luna in the burning heat. She pushed the door closed. “Aren’t you surprised your father hasn’t disowned you?”, the Luna asked.Alex knew her statement was more of an attack than a question. The tempo of his heartbeat skyrocketed. She sat beside him, while he retained a standing posture, following her movement and dreading her next choice of words. “My mother died when I was seven. A month after her death, my father took in another woman who already had a son for him. Which only meant he had been cheating on my mum even be