14. BREAKFAST

JULIA

Run.

Run.

Run, little girl. I will find and kill you anyways.

The forest was dark, heavy raindrops formed puddles on the path I was running in. Shadows of the tall trees amidst the lightning were like big monsters reaching their arms out to catch me. I kept on running, somewhere far from what’s chasing me.

The fear in my chest grew as I felt the thing chasing me closing in our distance. He’s going to kill me. They’re going to kill me. After everything I did for them, they’re going to kill me.

I fell on the ground, sharp rocks piercing my skin. The next thing I knew was that I was staring at the open sky, droplets of rain falling on my face. I don’t remember what happened, I don’t remember their faces.

My eyes just felt heavy, and my body grew tired. If I die now, at least I won’t suffer any more.

At least I won’t be in pain, and I won’t be alone anymore.

“You can’t die,” the voice whispered. It was warm, serene, and gentle. It was coming from inside of my head. “I will keep you alive. I will keep you alive.”

I woke up panting, as if I couldn’t breathe for a long time. It was as if I came back to life.

What was that dream? Was it one of the memories I had forgotten, or was it just a nightmare?

Something heavy laid my chest and hair tickled on my chin. Big arms wrapped tightly around my body, and I couldn’t move. I looked down and saw Zeke’s sleeping face.

My eyes widened and I immediately tried to move away but he only groaned and pulled me closer to his half naked body. I patted his back and squirmed away.

“Zeke, let go,” I grunted. “Let go!”

Zeke groaned and rolled on the other side of the bed. He then raised his head and glared at me.

“I was sleeping,” he complained.

“What are you doing here? You should be in your room!” I covered myself with the blanket and moved back. How did he even get inside when I locked the door?

He laid on his stomach; his arms wrapped around one of my pillows as he stared at me with his eyes half open. His muscles flexed and the scars on his back and on his shoulder made it even more—attractive?

I shook the thought from my head. How could I find him attractive at a time like this? I feel like a pervert right now. I immediately looked away and tried to calm myself down. Zeke moved closer to me, heat radiating off his body.

“We slept together in the forest,” he reasoned. “Why can’t we do it now?”

“We were homeless back then. Plus, we have our own rooms and bed now.”

He looked disappointed, like a child in a tantrum and muttered something under his breath. “You’re going to be sleeping in my bed soon enough.”

“What?” I asked him but before he could answer, someone knocked on the door.

“Miss—Uhm, Julia? Breakfast is ready.” It was Lyla’s voice, then another pair of footsteps approached. “Dad? What are you doing here? What about the Alpha?”

I heard someone clear his throat before knocking on the door again.

“Alpha, they’re here.” This time it was Amir. I immediately turned to Zeke who was unbothered by the situation, I was the one panicking instead.

“Zeke! How did Amir know you’re here?!” I slapped him slightly on the shoulder.

“Because I wasn’t in my room?”

I gasped. So, when he’s not there, they just assume he’s in my room?! What kind of situation is this?

“I’ll be there,” Zeke answered Amir from the room. A few seconds later, we heard footsteps retreating down the hallway, but I was still mortified by what had just happened. I used the other pillow and repeatedly hit Zeke out of embarrassment, but he immediately caught it, threw it away and pinned me to the bed.

His hands cuffed my wrists on either side of my head and went on top of me. I tried resisting but I had no match for his strength. He looked down on me, scanned my face, neck and down on my chest that was nearly exposed from the night dress that I was wearing.

“Zeke,” I whimpered. He had a weird look on his face, like a predator wanting to feast on his prey. His eyes glowed in a golden color as he lowered his head, just right above my neck. His hot breath tickled my skin and made my stomach churn. He inhaled my scent and something warm and wet left a trace on my neck.

“Zeke,” I sucked in a breath, my body turning weak. He had full control of me, and it made me scared, but at the same time, it was oddly strange—that a part of me liked it.

“You have no idea how hard it is to control myself,” he said in a low voice, his breathing getting heavier. “You intoxicate me with your scent, and you bewitch me with your body. I want to claim you, I want to make you mine.”

“Please, you’re scaring me,” I pleaded and closed my eyes. I couldn’t see his face; I couldn’t see his expression. But I was sure that it wasn’t him, just like before, it felt like something had taken over him.

The bed bounced back, and my body became light. Zeke let go of my wrists and rolled over the other side of the bed and got up. I was left staring at the ceiling, feeling relieved after what had just happened. He wore his shirt and walked towards the door.

“Come down after you change, I need you to meet some people,” he said without looking at me. I sat up from the bed.

“Who?” I asked him.

“Just some people,” he answered, then left and closed the door behind him. I was left alone in the room trying to figure out what had happened. My hands flew over my neck, the feeling of his tongue across my skin still lingered and it made me shiver. My body suddenly felt hot, and it came up to my face.

--

I went downstairs after taking a shower. I wore a casual cream-colored dress that came down to my ankles and tied a bow to my hair. By the time I was finished, Lyla was already waiting outside the door.

I was just glad that she didn’t ask about the situation earlier or else I’ll die of embarrassment.

“Oh,” I paused, “I almost forgot about it. How are your aunt and the other girl? Carol was her name?”

“Oh, yes. The Alpha and my father got there on time before things got worse.” I felt relieved after that.

“Do things like that usually happen here?” I asked.

“When Cronos took over, everything was a mess. There were fights everywhere and his men were always bullying people. Children and women always hid in their houses and neighboring packs cut off trade. We suffered and starved.”

“That’s horrible.”

Lyla had a gentle smile on her face. “It was. It was hard seeing my dad helpless, so when he heard of the rumor about the Black One being released, he took the risk. He thought that it was a better choice than letting Cronos ruin us.”

“Black One, do you mean Zeke?”

“Yes, the Alpha.” Her expression shifted to a worried one and bowed at me, “I’m sorry, I was running my mouth.”

I immediately shook my head at her and smiled. We were at the bottom of the stairs now and Amir and Zeke were waiting at the front door of the lobby.

“No, I am happy to know more. I want to hear from you again soon.”

Zeke offered his hand when I arrived at the foot of the stairs, and I reached for it. Amir gestured us towards the door where Zeke stayed most of the time after arriving here. This was the first time I was going to enter this room and I’ve always wondered what was behind this door.

Amir opened the door, and a large office room greeted us. There was a table at the front with a large painting behind it. Aside from the room, there were a few men inside and when Zeke and I entered the room, they all stood up and bowed their heads.

These men weren’t humans. They were like Zeke and the rest of the people that live here and in this town. In this room, I was the stranger, I was the weak one. I don’t know what the word Alpha meant, but what I do know is that Zeke holds the authority. These are his people, and he holds power over them.

“Julia, these are my men.”

--

END