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 voice trembled. “It felt like it happened years ago but I couldn't remember anything about it, until now”. She looked up at Charlotte,
“Is there something about me you're not saying?
“Something like what?“
“Maybe, about my father, or anything at all?“
“I think you should rest your head. It is the usual hallucination that comes with pregnancy. I wouldn't hide anything important from you”, she wavered, avoiding Sherlyn's side glances.
“I'll be off to the grocery. Get something to eat and avoid overthinking for your own good ”. She was right. Everytime she tries to remember things, an excruciating pain develops around her head. This doesn't seem to bother Sherlyn as her major concern was the father of the child she was carrying , if ever she was married.
She got up after the door slam and snapped the door lock. She never believed Charlotte's story of her father dying in a car crash, and her husband eloping after hearing of the child in her womb. The dream couldn't have been pregnancy sickness. She felt a strong connection to the unknown faceless man in her dreams. She ransacked Charlotte's room for a prove of her suspicions but found nothing. In frustration, she kicked the last drawer that caused the fall of stacked boxes above it. In a bid to put them in place, a dark green portable diary dropped from the top of a carton box. She flipped it open randomly and saw an ID card. On it was written,
“Springland Hospital, New York.
Name: Charlotte Finch
Position: Midwife...”
She placed it back into the diary since none of the information was important to her. She received check up from the same hospital Charlotte worked. But a name on the contact list at the middle page rang a bell,
“Mr. Wills”
She copied out the number, arranged the room like she never visited it and dialed the number.
No one picked.
She gave up trying and was about having lunch when the telephone rang.
“Alpha's residence. Who's on the line?“, an elderly feminine voice spoke. After some seconds silence, Sherlyn replied,
“Can I speak with Mr. Wills?“, biting her lips in anxiety—something about the name struck fear in her.
“He's currently not available, but I'll drop a note. Your name, ma'am?
“Sherlyn Blake”, she dropped the receiver immediately, folding her lips together. What if it was a wrong contact? But the thought of mothering a baby with no knowledge of the father tormented her daily existence.
She drank a bowl of chicken lentil soup made by Charlotte. A familiar outfit caught her attention.
A tall man, dressed in black fitted suit and a dark shade, stood at the extreme end of the road, beside a luxurious car that could only belong to a very wealthy person. On the two occasions she had the prenatal appointment, the face had been hidden behind a hood or a baseball cap. He sped away each time he felt her focus turn to him while speaking into a mouthpiece that was fixed above his ear. She entered her room and peeped through the cotton drapes, where a better view of the streets could be seen. To her surprise, there was no one, except the car. She discarded the thought until a heavy knock fell on the main door, thrice. In fear, she slipped a bread knife on the counter, into the pockets of her loose maternity gown before unbarring the entrance.
“Hi. Are you Miss Blake?“, the gentleman spoke with a bouquet of scently flowers in his hands.
A closer look on the face pronounced his handsome features and the beautiful brown eyes that had been concealed behind shades all along.
Refusing to be distracted by his gentlemanly aura, she replied, “Does that explain why you've been following me around?“
“I apologize for that ma'am. But you might be mistaking a friendly admiration for privacy infringement. This is for you”, he streched out the flowers to her.
Sherlyn, still processing his intentions and gazing him from head to toe, hesitated before relieving his stretched out hands,
“and this would be for?“, still looking lost. She knew no friends around.
“For the unborn child.“, he replied, staring mistly at her protruding belly. “A gift from my boss. Have a nice day, Miss Blake”, he concluded without waiting for her response as he ran towards the vehicle.
“Your boss doesn't have a name?!“, She shouted.
He gave no reply.
She watched him from a distance as the car suspended vapours as he drove away. She looked down at the flowers in her hands, wondering who the boss was. It was very beautiful with bright petals, but it made her nauseous. She quickly went in to find an empty jar. A small note dangled at the bottom of the stalk.
“You can't run forever, Sherlyn.”
It was written in thick block letters. Behind the card was a symbol resembling an inverted Y and a continuous circle around its blunt edges.
It was a great idea to notify the cops, but she had no knowledge of the person, neither did she know the name of the supposed assistant. She'll definitely sound crazy.
“Do you feel better?“, Charlotte was back with two bags full of fruits and veggies.
“Nice flowers you got there. See you've started making friends”
“I don't think it's a friend, mum”, she replied, while handing over the note to Charlotte.
With an alarmed expression, she asked, “what did he look like. Did he say anything mean?“
“No. I've no idea. He sent an assistant, I believe. Should we be worried? It's safe around here and i…”she let out a loud cry. Warm water trickled down her legs as she tried to gain support. It was nothing compared to the usual cramp she used to feel. She screamed again, this time, almost falling to the floor when Charlotte, who seemed to understand the situation, grabbed her by the waist and offered support.
“You need to be strong now, he'll be out soon” she spoke as they approached the blue car parked outside. Sherlyn sat at the passenger's seat. A discomforting heat consumed her, making her sweat profusely, panting and wishing for the pain to stop. It felt like the whole of her lower body was knotted into a tight twist. The journey to the hospital seemed longer than usual as she kept yelling amidst the pain,
“Take your legs off those breaks for once!“
“Don't exhaust the energy in you. Just keep breathing in deeply. We're almost there”, Charlotte replied calmly.
“I don't care! Just get this bastard out of me! ”, she sobbed, rubbing her hands all over her waist and regretting her words immediately. She hated her life. No memory of the father of the child, no memory of who or what she was. The car pulled over in front of a large building, that looked familiar. The very first place where she regained consciousness, after losing her memory, that turned out to be a place for her regular check ups.
In no time, she was placed on a stretcher and pulled by a number of nurses, including Charlotte. Amidst the severe pain, there were strange flashes of the symbol she saw earlier on the note and a bloody laughter only her could hear, judging by the unbothered look on their faces. Something within her struggled for a forceful escape. The last thing she recalled hearing after she felt a sudden heavy release from her womanhood, was a shrill cry from one of the nurses that made even her anguish go away.
“Unbelievable!“
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
Alex's POV(…. elope) “Can you calmly explain what happened? “, he asked, straining his ears to decipher the incoherence in her speech. “There was…a ghastly fire outbreak. She…was…in the fire and the baby… it … was…”, she explained amidst frequent whimpers. “Her body…is missing”Alex eyes glazed in disbelief as he restlessly awaited a meaningful retell.“When did it happen”, he panicked.Before a response came in, the call dropped. He stood alarmed as he had no idea of what next to do.Lucia, who had the look of disgust written all over her face asked dismissively, “Anything serious?“, leaning on her two elbows and facing Alex.He ignored the question, but it wasn't intentional as his mind raced faster than his thoughts could process. “Do you mind telling me what's going on?“, she asked again, but this time with a raised voice.He rushed into his shirts , buckling his loose black belt in place, before replying her, “I'm sorry but this is very urgent. Enjoy the rest of the vacation
Alex's POV(…a secret potion)A sounding slap fell on his face immediately he entered the great hall. Her eyes were reddened with baggy lids, which only meant one thing—she had been devoid of sleep. The whole aura on her was nothing close to cheerful—even her hair hung gloomily at her back.That he didn't feel the pain would be an understatement as she smote him on the face the second time. He made no reaction, looking away from her in the direction where the strike led him to.“What has come over you?!“, the Luna shouted. Thankfully, no guards were on sight.The next question that came to his mind was, “What have you done to her too?“, but he held his peace anticipating the worse thing that could befall him since he thought the worst had already happened. “Why do you seek to ruin everything your father built with his life!? How do you intend to govern the affairs of the region if you can't manage your personal affair?! What have you grown to become? A beast? or a coward? How do we