CHAPTER TWO

Alex's POV

(...a narrow escape)

 She curved her hand in a bow, avoiding the intense ray from his headlights. Alex rushed out of the car without turning off the engine. The bitter wind blew hard, flapping the hem of his brown coat and ruffling his hair. He ran towards her after confirming her person, embracing her deeply into his broad chest. Her hair still retained the usual scent of lavender and chamomile as the very first night of their meeting.

 “I'm Sorry. I hate myself more than the hatred you feel towards me right now”, Alex broke into tears. 

“Get away from me!”, Sherlyn pulled away, hitting his chest. 

“Go on please. Hit me harder. Maybe it would quench the flame of guilt burning me alive.” Emotional vulnerability was something Alex never showed—he truly loved her and moving on had been a nightmare for him.

 “How does that bring back all I've lost?”, she demanded, seeming surprised by his sudden sappy demeanor, 

“How does that relief the pain of raising a child outside my pack—alone. And you? What do you stand to lose? Tell me!?” She shouted, hitting his chest again.

 “You. I've lost you, for the second time, Sherlyn.” he responded. Sherlyn stood speechless as though trying hard to believe her ears. “All I wanted was to please my father, but…”, he heaved a heavy sigh, “…never at the cost of losing you. Certainly, tonight's incidence proved otherwise, but, it says nothing of my true intentions. I wish I saw your text earlier. Maybe things would not have been this bad. You and I know the consequences of admitting those claims in the Alpha's presence”. The wind howled louder as they both fell silent, peering into each other's eyes.

 “What do you want from me, Alex? Sherlyn finally broke the silence, almost at the brink of tears. “Why did you choose to ruin me? You already have a perfect life, don’t you? Why did you decide to set on fire the little world I managed to build? What was I thinking to ever believe that a prince like you would be mated to me?”

These were questions Alex had no answer to. It was impossible to mark her as mate based on royal custom since Sherlyn was a low-rank pack member. Alex couldn’t explain why he felt so much for her. 

“We can still fix this”, he assured.

“Of course, easy for you to say. I was always the second option. You tried to hide your marriage to the Princess, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t want to hurt you. It was the Alpha’s decision and you know it. Please, just come with me”. He was getting tired of the whole back and forte, — a dangerous idea suddenly came over him.

 “And where would that be?”, she asked, freeing up her hands from his grip, “Answer me, or I go nowhere” 

“Don't you trust me anymore?”

“Why should I?”, she snapped back at him.

 “Please don't be difficult. It's the only way I can protect you and the child. This place isn’t safe. Allow me, please.”, he insisted with a persuasive tone. She narrowed her gaze on him, as though trying to read his intentions. 

“What choice do I have either ways?”, she agreed. They both entered the vehicle, as Alex drove further away from the regions' borderlands. The night grew into light rain showers. They drove past the boarders of neighboring regions as the rain drops became heavier—the only rhythm left in the awkward silence. Alex acted solely on his impulse. It was getting late, an act that would earn him even more suspicion from the Alpha. He took his possible last chance of clearing up the emotional mess he had created. The road was rough and bumpy as Sherlyn scoured for support. A large glowing circular flame, emitting diverse colors stood some distance away. “Stop the car!”, Sherlyn gasped. Alex was shocked. 

“It's the only option we have. Try to understand “, he replied without stopping the car. 

“Pull over I say! I can’t live with humans?”

 “Why not? It's our best bet and…” A heavy slam on the hood of the car disrupted their conversation. The silhouette of a growling creature appeared before them. Sherlyn let out a terrific scream as Alex tried to reverse the car in a forceful drift. 

“It's a rogue Werewolf!” she exclaimed. Alex retained his calm exterior till the creature smashed the tinted window where Sherlyn sat. It wrenched the car door and pulled her out. Alex growled as he stormed out of the half-wrecked vehicle. The creature ran so swiftly as Sherlyn dangled at the mercy of its grip, screaming into the thunderstorm that had taken over the night. Alex werewolf had deep crimson fur with red-sparkling eyes. The grey rogue ran further into the woods as Alex tailed behind them. He turned the golden tip of the ring on his left paw and let out a bright blue spark that zapped the two limbs of the creature. It fell flat to the ground, allowing Sherlyn slump down from its grasp. Alex felt a Sharp pain in his spines as she made a stiff impact with the rocky ground. In his rage, he picked up the lying creature, held it by the neck and slammed it on the bark of a nearby tree. The grey wolf howled in pain as he fell back to the ground. It had a prominent scar at the side of its face. He abandoned the creature and ran towards Sherlyn, who was already bleeding profusely from the back of her hair—unconscious. Her skin was as cold as melting ice. Alex tapped her face softly in a bid to revive her. His breathing had gotten heavier as no response came. There was a nearby ruffle of trees. The wounded creature escaped. It didn't matter to Alex. Sherlyn seemed dead. He summoned courage and carried her towards the bashed car. He was back to his human form—the regular tall and muscular prince. “Sherlyn, please wake up, please wake up” he whispered amidst the shiver in his breath as heavy raindrops tickled down his beards. He placed her on the backseat and drove off as the wind brushed violently into the car through the broken door. The only option was the human community, after all. 

***

 “She sustained several deep cuts and not so severe internal bleeding, but she might suffer a temporary memory loss. Aside that, she's all well and good. A nice rest is will benefit her and the baby. Her condition is quite sensitive”, the doctor explained, after a close examination on her. “Are you the father of the child?”, the doctor asked 

“Errr…yes. Yes. I am”, Alex stuttered, as the sudden realization of his new status dawned on him.

 “Good. What caused the injury?”

“Errr. She slipped from the stairs”, Alex lied again. How would he explain his nature as a werewolf?

 “Hmm.”, the doctor wrote into his pad. “She'll be needing some medications immediately after her discharge. You can pick them up at the reception. Keep her away from trigger environment, to help her memory. Alright, Mr. Will. That'll be all for now”, the doctor strode out of the ward. 

“Thank you”, Alex responded as he stood by the stretcher where Sherlyn laid. It was a small cozy room filled with the smell of disinfectants and sounds of beeping machines. He wished to stay the night with her but it was too dangerous. The Alpha wouldn't reserve his judgement, even if the offender was his very own blood. Knowing fully well his stance, Alex kissed her forehead. She was still deep into sleep, breathing peacefully as one without memory of the gruesome night. He dropped one last wishful glance at her before storming out of the ward—his possible last encounter with her. 

*** 

“It's a nice place. I'm sure she'll love it.” Alex complimented the new apartment he purchased for Sherlyn. He'd spent so much in one night, all in the name of clearing a mess. He handed over the house keys and a car key to the matron he hired for Sherlyn. 

“Pick her up tomorrow. Call me if you need anything. Anything whatsoever.” As he was about leaving, he added “One last thing, Mrs. Charlotte and very important. Keep my identity secret. Although, she may have no memory of me, but still, keep my name out of it.”

“Well taken, Mr. Will”, the middle-aged woman replied with a confirmatory nod and a wrinkled smile. 

The last mission left to face was his family. His wristwatch beeped—00:01, the start of a new day.