My eyes fluttered open only to shut back from the sharp pain the bright light caused.
Gosh, Papa, why did you uncover the curtains this early?
Groaning, I turned the other way when a worse pain shot through my whole body, making a squeak escape my lips. My head hammered like it would burst anytime.
I shot up to a sitting position, clutching my head till the ache subsided by a fraction.
That was when I felt it. The bandage wrapped around my head.
My brows furrowed as I finally noticed my surrounding. Squinting, I took a glance around. A white themed room with minimal furniture and a huge glass window at one side.
Where was I? I couldn't recognize this place.
And what happened to me? Why couldn't I remember?
Papa.
My eyes widened as one by one the memories from last night began to replay in my head.
The move out.
The accident.
The gun shot...
"Papa. Papa!" I called, casting the blanket off of me and jumped out of the bed.
The second my feet touched the ground, another jolt of agony ran through my body. My head spun, making me stop and hold onto the wall till the phase passed. It felt as if something was broken inside. But I didn't care. All that ran through my head was my father. I had to find him. I had to make sure he was okay.
Limping to the door, I gripped the knob and twisted it.
Nothing happened.
It was locked.
What the!
I pounded on the wood. "Papa? Papa, are you there?" More pounding. "Papa, open the door. Please, open the door! I want to see you."
Sound of footsteps came from the other side, and I moved a few feet from the door, hoping someone would open it.
But alas!
The footsteps didn't even stop. It faded with the same pace it arrived with.
"What? Wait..." Running back to the door, I banged on it another round. "Wait, please! Let me out. I said lemme out, please!"
Frustration began to seep through my bones, making me feel like crying and breaking the door at the same time.
"Hello? Anyone can hear me? Please, let me out. I have to find my papa. Please!"
No one came.
Not even responded.
Heaving, I slid against the door, sobs racking through me. I couldn't fathom why would anyone imprison me like that. Or even what might have happened last night. What happened to my father? He was never the best of a man, but he was neither a bad man. I had never seen him hurt a soul, rather he helped the ones in need. Always.
Then why would anyone want to hurt him?
Nothing made sense to me, and it was burying me alive.
I didn't know how long I cried, or how long I stayed by the door, curling into a ball, but soon the night befell, and darkness consumed the room. The only light slithering inside was the slivers of the moon shining bright outside. I didn't even feel like getting up and turning on the lights.
At this point, I was a mess. I was hungry, thirsty, broken even and at the edge of hopelessness.
Until another set of footsteps reached my ears.
It was heavy and calculated, unlike the one from the morning.
But I stayed there, not wanting to get my hopes high and left disheartened once again.
However, as it neared, a jingle of keys sounded, before the lock began to click.
Breathing heavy, I climbed into my feet, taking a few steps back. This wasn't my papa. I knew his footsteps too well. They were soft and kind. Promptly, my eyes traced over the furniture, spotting a vase at the bedside table.
But before I could get it, the door widened, unfurling a figure so towering, so broad the doorway seemed too small for him. I couldn't make out his face, but I could tell he was staring right at me from the shadows.
"Wh-Who are you?" I questioned.
He didn't reply, only cocked his head to the side as if taking me in.
I took another step back, feeling self conscious. "I asked who you are!"
A long exhale left him, and he finally moved, slowly, dangerously stalking towards me like a predator would towards its wounded prey.
My eyes widened, and I turned around, dashing to the bedside table. Grabbing the vase, I whirled it in the air, but before I had the chance to cast it at him, a hand grabbed my wrist. Long fingers like iron vines pressed over my veins so hard it felt like the blood circulation was almost blocked.
"Ahh!" I screamed, both from pain and fear.
He twisted the vase out of my hand without so much of an effort and shoved me back against the wall.
The moonlight casting on the half of his face uncloaked honed facial features, and squared jawline with the shadow of a stubble.
But what took my breath away were those piercing silver eyes, bathing in the softness of the moon yet radiating the hardness of the earth. They seemed to look straight into one's soul.
The illuminated corner of his lips arched upwards, revealing a sharp canine poking his bottom lip, and for a second, I thought I heard the same growling from last night.
I gasped, coming to my senses. From the corner of my eyes, I could see the door ajar. I could make it if I could distract him.
His smirk broadened as if he already deciphered my plan.
I gulped, my hand clutching around the lamp on the bedside table beside me. Before he could make a move, I hauled the lamp up and threw it right at him. Not waiting to see if it hit the mark or not, I jumped over the bed running through the door out on a dark hallway. Rays of a dimmed blue light came from the end of it.
I sprinted towards it.
Perhaps freedom was near.
I could finally find my father.
Well...
I was wrong.
The second I neared the light, my foot lost the touch of the floor, and I found myself floating in the air, before my body came in contact with hard edges. Newfound pain generated throughout me as I tumbled down and down.
Landing on the tiled floor downstairs, I groaned, every inch of my skin aching. Darkness swallowed me whole as flashes of the car crash reiterated in my head once again.
This time it was all lucid.
This time a little detail that slipped me before, returned.
I could see my dad. He was standing there, a few feet ahead of the car. There was something glinting in his hand, something he was pointing at the other side.
I inclined my gaze to the direction.
There it was again.
The red eyes.
They were looking right at me...
...before the obsidian flash of its hugeness swooped out of the darkness and ran towards me.
"Gisella!"
I sprang back to consciousness, breathing hard.
It was after me. All this time of thinking the monster was after my father had been entirely wrong. My father was protecting me, not himself.
But why?
What did it want from me?
Wait...
I was forgetting something.
The man!
My breath hitched in my throat as I felt a presence above me. A hand pressed on my back, covering most of its width. Warm breath hit the nape of my neck, slowly approaching my ear, making goosebumps prick my skin in a frightening way.
"Little girl," he spoke.
It was the huskiest voice I had ever heard on a man, one that could chill one's soul severer than the Arctic, make a grown man fall to his knees.
"Who I am, isn't something you should be concerned about. What I'll do to you is what you should fear."
Eight years later~ "Elizah?" I stared at the empty room, my brows furrowing. He was supposed to be in his table studying. "Elizah," I called again in a low voice afraid the twins might wake back up.I and Nola spent three hours trying to get them to sleep, and then I dozed off, completely forgetting that I had promised my elder son to help with his homework. Walking down the hall, I checked in the other rooms, even the twins' just in case he decided to visit them like he did sometimes, yet no sign of him. My stomach knotted with unease. Normally, he'd come running to me on my first call, occasionally the second no matter where he was in the house. He was such a sweet kid. But today as I ran around looking for him, I knew something wasn't right. Not working myself up as the doc suggested because of the heart problems I developed over the years as heirloom, I decided to check his hiding spots. There were several throughout the house, the most used one being behind his bookshelves in
One month later~ I sat before the huge mirror like a mannequin princess being coddled by a dozen women. A soft, warm air blew on my hair as someone blow-dried it. Two painted my nails, and another ran several brushes on my face applying make-up. This was the big day. My wedding. Yet as I looked up searching for familiar faces among the people surrounding me I missed the ones I called family. Some more than the others. Some I hated that I ever loved. They took things from me. Significant things. Parts of my heart that I can never get back. But it was a relief knowing the ominous time was over. The evil lurking in the dark waiting to pounce and feed on our happiness was gone forever. And if someone new decided to test their luck, I knew Hades would be right there, protecting his family, and his pack like the feared blood alpha he was. And with him beside me, I too could tackle any storm, swallow any pain and vanquish any enemy that dared to wedge their evil ploys between us. "The d
"No!" I screamed, my chest constricting so painfully I could be sure I was having a heart attack. But it turned out to be fruitful because Gordon's head shot my way, and Hades took that opportunity to slam his forearm on his elbow pit, making a crack echo through the trees. He didn't stop there because the next moment he headbutted the elder sending him flying across. Hades was bloody all over, but he was okay. However, there was no relief as I knelt beside Tera, my head spinning, and a strange pressure building in my belly. Shaking my head, I glanced at the huge broken branch sticking out of her torso. "Tera," I cried out. "Why did you do it?""Don't... get your knickers... in a twist, woman. I'm not... dying for you," she spoke between coughs, her eyes squeezing shut as she clutched the wood and tugged at it. But it didn't budge. She tried again, a gritting scream leaving her lips, but once again, the wood piece refused to come out. It was stuck to something inside. Falling b
The blood in my veins went still as I stared at the man before me. Silver rooted hair and grey eyes. He had the proudest smile plastered on his face as he closed the gap between him and Iris into a loud, sloppy kiss. "Mhm, I missed you, babe," Iris cooed. "I'm here now, my love," he cooed back, and they both turned to me with matching looks of pure mockery. The nerves!Those two? Together? All this time? Shock and disgust combined with each other struck me frozen for a moment. My gut feelings had always been right. Of course it had to be him. Every single of those evidences denoted so. I should've known. I should've fought harder with Hades to prove my reasonings. But then the shock got buried under the weight of the brazen revelation of his dirty game.Every ounce of blood in my veins started to downright scorch. "The fuck you just said?" I snarled. "Manners, girl," uncle Gordon spoke, but then his lips curved into a wicked smirk. "Oh wait, I forgot you didn't have a mother to
Once Garett called off the celebration, the guests started departing with confusion and disappointment washing off the earlier enjoyment from their faces. Some even looked annoyed, but of course they knew better than to complain. I, on the other hand, felt like there was a stress attack swirling deep inside me, but I couldn't freak out now. I had to think about my child. I had to keep it from any kind of harm's way. And when Nola and Iris ran my way, the panic somewhat alleviated from my core. "What happened?" Iris asked. "Are you feeling alright, darling?" Nola followed. "I'm fine," I replied, taking deep breaths to calm my nerves. "I think they caught Alpha Ryan." Nola gasped while Iris sent me a baffled look. "Who's that?" "An alpha who attacked our pack a while back. He even tried to hurt Gisella," Nola explained.Iris' eyes rounded, and she looked around, her gaze alert. "Luna," Wyett and the two other bodyguards stepped closer, "We should go. Alpha asked to take you back
"Why are we here?" I asked, looking around at the fancy shopping mall Hades brought me first thing in the morning. His arms wrapped around my torso and whirled me around. I frowned, staring at the shop before me, but then the name and the long white fluffy gown on display of the shop quenched all my curiosity, and I gasped, my eyes widening. I whipped around too fast, felling a dizziness follow. But I shook it off, my heart pounding in my chest. "Are you going to buy me a wedding dress?" "You're not planning on marrying me in one of your pink sundresses, are you?" I giggled, my insides bubbling with excitement. "No, but a pink bridal gown wouldn't be bad, don't you think?" "Nothing on you looks bad. Drill that into your head, pet." I smiled, feeling a silly swooning moment pass me at the nickname. I missed hearing it from him. It might sound crazy, but I might even prefer this over love, or weird enough, my own name.Hades did as per my wish though. Because the next thing I kne