My heart is racing with my mind. My heart’s hesitation to take the necessary action is feuding against my mind’s disposition to do the right thing. I need to escape as soon as I can! I don’t wanna be killed and I also don’t wanna kill again! But, what about Davide?! Should I tell him my secret now?! What if he freaks out?! What if he kills me this time?! But it’s also not right to just leave him without giving a valid reason why?! I don’t want him to think that I left because I’ve fallen out of love for him! As soon as Mr. Alessandro and Dr. Gustavo’s voices and scents disappear, I carefully and noiselessly get out of the powder room, then Mr. Alessandro’s office. The hallway is, as usual, empty, giving me more space to breathe and to recalibrate. Sweat is muffling my forehead, so I try to clean it with my palms before anyone can see it and question it. I don’t know if the simple wiping of it is enough to make me look a little unbothered, but I can’t waste more time. I must sort
Bato and Conrad’s accumulated force is stronger than my own. So, no matter how aggressively I pull my body back or shove my arms, they still manage to tug me to a far-off, seemingly abandoned junkshop. The area is filled with stinky garbage bins and animal feces, causing my stomach to flip upside down. The air is hot and stale and the only ventilation that’s coming in is from the holes on its shabby roof. Bato and Conrad forcefully release their grips on me when we're far enough from the rickety, rusty door. The foamed fury in me is eclipsed by my boldness. I pitch my glare to them, then say, “I can’t believe that you’ll go this far for money! I can’t believe that you’ll put our race’s security in limbo for money!” I pause to relax my breath, before continuing with a colder and firmer tone, “I won’t let you get away with this! I swear, you’ll all pay for what you’ve done to me!”Both of them glance at each other with cocky smirks plastering their faces before laughing out loud, ev
DAVIDE’S POV: An indescribable fear shakes my entire body, especially my hands when the unwounded man with an unkempt beard suddenly transforms into the monster I once saw before. Bushy hairs blanket his skin. Jagged, razor-sharp teeth emerge from his mouth. Sharp, long claws appear on his fingers. His height and size almost double too. His growls reverberate when he charges towards my direction. A hefty panic rushes through me alongside my fear. They interfere with my long years of firearm training, resulting in me being unable to correctly hit my target with any of the bullets of my guns. Now that I’ve come face to face with a lycan again, why am I letting my fear take charge of how I should think and act again?! D.amn it! I keep pulling my guns’ triggers until their bullets have run out. When I have nothing or can’t think of anything to protect myself and Mackenzie, I take staggering steps back. However, when a growl and a huge shadow from behind me suddenly appear, my fear im
Once we’re far from the abandoned junk shop, I park my car in a place where not so many people are passing by. There’s a gasoline station and a convenience store nearby, but the area seems secluded, which is perfect for my liking. Using the first aid kit that I have in the compartment of my car, I transfer to the backseat and start curing Mackenzie’s wounds. The instant her bloody body turns up in my vision again, my heart contracts and beats slow and weak. D.amn! I won’t forgive myself if something bad happens to Mackenzie! Just like with Dahlia, I was late taking the appropriate actions again! If I had moved a little faster, then she wouldn’t end up like this! With my trembling and blood-stained hands I soak the cotton ball with an ample amount of disinfectant, then carefully rub it on the nasty gashes on Mackenzie’s chest area. I almost don’t wanna look at her, but I have to so I know where to heal her. Her body and her closed eyelids jerk a little and a painful moan escap
MACKENZIE’S POV: I open my eyes but stay still on a comfy, cottony bed underneath me. Then, I look around and realize that I’m somewhere unfamiliar. Above me is an unlit chandelier and a high paneled ceiling. Around me are white walls with elements of washed-out woods. And on my left is a floor-to-ceiling glass door or window with gray-draped curtains. I force myself to sit up and when the blanket that’s muffling my body falls to my lap, the gauzes that’s covering my chest area get exposed. I run my fingers across the gauze while I’m recalling the last few events that happened before I passed out. While feeling the rough friction of the gauze against my fingertips, my memory frisks me back to a filthy junk shop where I was fighting Conrad and Bato in our lycan forms. There were howling, growling, scratching, biting, blood spilling, saliva gushing and… and… and there’s Davide, watching from a distance! I gasp when I now fully remember that I did show Davide who I really am. He now
Warmth pumps up on my cheeks and neck while I stare at my engagement ring and whisper inwardly ‘I’ll soon become Mrs. Ocampo’. I have had a ruined wedding before, so there are some jitters in my stomach at the thought of wearing a new wedding dress while walking down the aisle again. What makes the jitters go wilder is the fact that Mr. Alessandro will be, in no doubt, against our wedding. But, being that the case, my exuberance and excitement about our wedding can’t be eclipsed by any form of possible setbacks. I can feel it. I can sense it. And I’m manifesting it. My wedding with Davide will happen in the most amazing way it can. When my happy thoughts get tired of gripping me, I head towards the kitchen downstairs to make a great impression on Davide as his future wife. I know how to cook simple and rustic food, but for today's lunch, I wanna prepare something special. Luckily, there’s a rack of culinary magazines at the kitchen counter that can guide me. So, I grab one and che
Inside the powder room, which is a few steps from the dining area, I take off my p.anties and insinuate the pregnancy test strip in my urine stream while I pee. Once done, I place the test strip on top of the marbled sink while I clean myself up. And with bated breath, I wait for the result. My heart keeps smashing my chest and my nerves keep twisting underneath my skin. Five minutes in and there’s no result yet, making me go crazy. “Come on. Come one. Come on.”My body has been stiffed up since the doctor showed me the test kit and my body stiffed more when the test kit landed on my palm. However, that stiffness degenerates to an extreme when the result finally flaunts itself to me - two colored lines!“I’m pregnant,” I murmur, still in shock.Excitement. Nervousness. Happiness. All these joggles through me, competing against each other which among them is the strongest. Tears fill my eyes. A smile wreaths on my face. And a soft chuckle flies loose from my mouth. “I’m pregnant,”
DAVIDE’S POV: It pains me to doubt the baby in Mackenzie’s womb. I love her. I wanna be with her. I wanna have my own family with her, to have my own children with her. But, it’s only been almost two weeks since we’ve met and her explanation about this one-day pregnancy result thing is mind-boggling. Besides that, she had an ex-fiancé, who’s possibly the father of her child. I sink my elbows on my legs as I brush my hair to the back of my head with my hands. I then clutch my hair at the nape of my neck while dipping my head down low. I shouldn’t be questioning Mackenzie’s situation when I’m not really that knowledgeable about lycan’s body. Apart from that, she’s pregnant and she doesn’t need all this stress. I gotta do something to fix what I’ve broken somehow. I take off my phone from my pocket and dial Sebastian’s number.After a few rings, he picks up my call. [“Hey! What’s up, Mr. Ocampo? Anything else aside from a doctor and a chef?”] “Yes, I need you to send me a bouquet
MACKENZIE’S POV: Three years later… The joyful guffawing and the running footsteps of Davide and Cedric fill our low-fenced front yard as they toss a soft, plastic ball to one another. Cedric looks so much like his daddy, physically. His dark, curly hair drifts against the breeze while his gray eyes moisten and his chubby cheeks redden due to almost non-stop laughing. Both of them have sweat and soil smearing on their faces and clothes, but none of them wanna dare to even take a break to wipe themselves clean. This has been their morning routine ever since Cedric learned how to walk on his own, and Davide is enjoying every minute of it. I, too, enjoy the scene, though I’m not allowed to join them yet. I place a pitcher of freshly squeezed apple juice and two empty glasses on a tray. Then I carry that tray towards the front porch and lay it on the white-painted wooden table. “Boys,” I say to call their attention. Though Davide makes an effort to glance at me, Cedric doesn’t.
MACKENZIE’S POV: One of the greatest relief of my life is when Davide returns to the apartment safe and sound and unscathed. We spent the entire night in the living area with a mug of coffee each, talking about the surprising things he discussed with his brother, Gabrielle. I’m not sure if Gabrielle naturally has a good side in him that he never showed before or he’s just gotten scared to interact with any of the lycans again. Whatever it is that gave him a change of heart, I’m very glad about that. Davide is also very happy, more than happy than I am. How I wish I was able to hear how they talked to each other earlier, coz every time I saw them near each other before, disastrous things followed next. Two weeks have passed and we’ve finally gotten our passports and visas. Our last day in the Philippines gives me mixed emotions - sadness and excitement. I’m sad because I have to live thousands of miles away from my parents again. But I’m also excited coz leaving the country and goi
I roam my eyes around as I cautiously enter the coffee shop where Gabrielle asked me to meet him. The shop is not entirely small, but not entirely big either. There are only a few customers so it’s easier to verify if Gabrielle is among them,... and he’s not. I glance at the wall clock near the counter and it says quarter to four o’clock in the afternoon, which means I’m a little late. Is he also late? Or did he get impatient waiting for me and just leave? I walk towards the left part of the shop that’s hidden from the fixed, glass window that overlooks the parking space. “What can I have for you, sir?” a waitress asks the moment I take a seat. I’ve never been in this shop before, so I’m not really sure what kind of coffee or other menu they serve. “I’m still waiting for someone. You can give me your menu though,” I answer. The waitress nods, then pulls a piece of parchment-like paper from the board she’s clutching on her arm. She slides the paper in front of me and s
DAVIDE’S POV: Mackenzie and I head to the nearest branch of the Department of Foreign Affairs to get our new passports. I have no idea how to do all the processes on my own. Before, I always had one of my men do this stuff for me either in legal or illegal ways. But now, I’m experiencing what ordinary people do: to ride on un-air-conditioned jeepneys, which makes me sweaty and uncomfortable, to show up to obtain several documents from different agencies, follow a very long line and wait for an hour or so to be entertained by the agency’s employees. For all the illegal things I’ve done, I’m glad that none has ever been recorded to the National Bureau of Investigation. Otherwise, I won’t be able to apply for a passport or worse, I’ll be tossed to jail immediately before I can even get the chance to get out of the NBI office. Frankly, it’s quite fulfilling to be able to do the things I wasn't able to do before, especially doing it with my wife. The employee who assists us says that
Vivienne gives Davide and I another special gift aside from everything she already has given us. She pays for a luxury hotel a few kilometers from the Sunrise Inn, where we’re staying. That luxury hotel is where Davide and I will spend our honeymoon. I’m giggling whenever the word ‘honeymoon’ is being mentioned or is crossing my mind, as if Davide and I never made love before. Well, this is the first night that we’ll make love as husband and wife, so this night is gonna be more special than the ones prior. I step into the hotel’s black and gold bathroom, which has floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall fixed glass that overlooks the breathtaking beauty of Iligan City’s skyline. It’s hard to stop appreciating the jagged silhouette of the towering buildings, the popping lights from different angles, the tiny moving cars feets below me and of course, the dark sky that doesn't shy away from flaunting its twinkling stars and silver, arched moon. “So pretty,” I murmur. Standing up here makes
.Alexa is kind enough to put light makeup on my face without putting additional charges on our bills. She also rolls my dark hair into a bun and adorned it with a jeweled barrette across to one side, letting some of my bangs messily, yet beautifully fall. Lastly, she dangles a veil on my head. The very second the veil touches my bare shoulders, a tingling sensation crisscrosses all over me. Oh, this is a deja vu! But this feeling is much better than the previous one I had. To complete the look, Alexa hands me a fake bouquet of assorted, white bridal flowers. “Done!” she says, giggling. Her giggleness transfers to me the moment I turn around and finally see myself in the mirror. My heart jumps in joy while my tears threaten to stream. I take a deep breath, flap my fingers near my eyes, while murmuring, “I can’t cry. I don’t wanna ruin my makeup.” Both Alexa and I chortle afterwards. That actually makes my tears retreat from my eyes. If I assume the prices of my wedding dress
I’m told that, while I was gone and fighting for justice, Vivienne helped Davide book our wedding in a church called San Lorenzo Ruiz Parish Church, which is located a few kilometers away from where we’re staying. They’ve also effortlessly booked a high-end restaurant for the wedding’s reception, even though there’s only five of us who’ll attend the ceremony. Now, our only problem left is to find my wedding dress, Davide’s three-piece, white suit and others’ formal clothes. It’s six in the morning when we start our travel, using the limousines that Vivienne rented, to find boutiques nearby that sell wedding attires and accessories. We’ve combed through the entire Iligan City and been to several high-end boutiques, but all of them can’t entertain us since they require a scheduled appointment first, which we don’t have the luxury of time to do so. Davide and Vivienne even offer to pay the prices of their clothes and dresses in three folds, but still, they get refused. Hours have alre
MACKENZIE’S POV: Alpha Allen turns blue. He can't breathe, let alone move. What he’s feeling is the exact sensation I felt when he rejected me. However, I don’t feel that pain anymore. In fact, right after I accepted his rejection, I feel so much lighter and freer. I feel like heavy manacles that have been wrapping me for so long shatter. Into pieces I assist Alpha Allen onto the sofa. Then I rush towards the kitchen to get a glass from the cabinet and a pitcher of water from the refrigerator. When I rush back to the living area, his natural skin color is finally returning. His breathing is also calming. “Here,” I say while pouring some water into the glass. He takes the glass and empties it with one, swift gulp. “Do you want more?” I ask. “No, thank you,” he says, then he lays the glass on the table in front of him. There’s silence afterwards, a surprisingly ear-splitting silence between us. I wanna break free from it, but I don’t know how. When I attempt to say someth
ALLEN’S POV: While everyone is celebrating and going home after the trial, I stay in the courtroom alone to clear my headspace. The ‘guilty’ verdict of my father’s trial is both a relief and a pain to me. Relief coz Mackenzie and our race get the justice they all deserve, and pain coz he’s my father. And seeing him in jail while awaiting his death sentence isn’t easy to take in. Be that as it may, as the next Main Alpha of the Golden Crest Pack, I have to accept his disastrous fate that he created himself.I consider visiting my father in jail, but since the tension between us is still really high, I postpone that plan and will just do it some other day or when the time is right. Instead of going home, like what others did, I head towards Mackenzie’s house to do something that I should've done before - to apologize to her regarding what I’ve done the other day, no actually, I wanna apologize for everything I’ve done.Frank and Ellaine welcome me to their house and direct me to thei