Wednesday
When Caoimhe woke up Wednesday morning, she felt quite strange. It was as if she was getting sick. Was it the beginning of a cold? Or would she soon have her period again? Caoimhe's head hurt, and she felt a little warm. But she ignored it, put on her school uniform, took her bag, and went to the kitchen. Her body felt heavy, and she was a little dizzy. Not enough to feel like she would faint, but it was enough for her to walk slower than usual.
As the girl approached the kitchen, she heard her father having a serious discussion with someone. She went straight in and saw Dorian talking on the phone. He turned around when he noticed her presence and smiled at her.
"It won't take long," he whispered before turning around again, and Caoimhe opened the refrigerator and took out some milk.
While preparing her breakfast, she listened to her father tell the person he was talking to that they needed at least two security guards to accompany the children to school. Caoimhe would have listened more carefully if it weren't for the pain in her head.
Ever since Shiro received the letter from his stalker, everyone in the house was on guard. Sadly, the fear took away most of the excitement they had all felt over the pregnancy, but it wasn't strange that it did. It had only been a few days since Shiro had been assaulted, and the letter scared everyone. Caoimhe felt sorry for Shiro and Dad. They had been so happy when they told everyone about the triplets the day before. Ikumi had started crying when they told her, overjoyed that she would have her own siblings. Eamon and Caoimhe pretended not to know about the pregnancy and congratulated them. And as soon as she had the opportunity, Caoimhe had asked her dadaí if he was okay with it. Finian had hugged her and said he was really happy, which was a relief for Caoimhe. Because she was happy as well, she would soon have four younger siblings.
Caoimhe really liked kids, and she wanted a big family herself, with some good guy, preferably a beta, so she didn't have to think about someone else's heat or the possibility that they would find their own faited pair. Caoimhe knew there was a risk she would meet her mate, but it would never happen. She would make sure of that even if it meant avoiding every omega for the rest of her life, except for the ones in her family.
"Have you slept okay?"
Caoimhe flinched as her father approached her and tenderly kissed the top of her red hair. He had ended the call and took the milk carton out of her hand. He ate the same breakfast she did, milk and chocolate flakes. They both loved sweet things.
"Yeah," she replied, which was a lie.
She had barely slept at all. First, she had trouble falling asleep. A thousand thoughts were running through her head, keeping her awake, and secondly, she woke up several times from a nightmare she couldn't remember. But her heart had been pounding, and she was drenched in sweat.
"That's good," Dorian said, sitting down at the kitchen table.
Caoimhe sat on the other side and started eating.
"Two bodyguards will accompany you, Eamon and Ikumi, to school today. They won't come inside, but they will be in the car in the parking lot. If something happens, call them at once and talk to a teacher. Alright?"
Caoimhe nodded, but then she frowned.
"What do you think the stalker could do? Because he hasn't been violent before, has he?"
"Sorry, Luv. But I can't talk to you about this. You're still just a child."
"I think I have a right to know. It's about my family and me."
Dorian and Caoimhe looked at each other, and Dorian flinched. There was something strange about Caoimhe's eyes. There was a strength in her that Eamon hadn't seen before, and Dorian nodded. The girl was right. It was her family, and for Caoimhe, her family was everything.
"Okay, but don't say anything to Ikumi. Promise me that."
"I promise."
Dorian told Caoimhe that they were worried that the stalker would hurt or kidnap someone in the family. Caoimhe had seen her share of movies and TV shows, so she wasn't surprised. That was what she already had suspected. Caoimhe said nothing. She already knew that Shiro's stalker was creepy. Ikumi had found the letter and asked Caoimhe if they could read it together. According to Ikumi, this letter was not as scary as it had been before. Not because she had read them, but she had heard her Otosan and Deion talk about them. This, however, was a love letter, written as the girls imagined that a letter between two lovers could have been written. Caoimhe recognised the deep feelings. She had seen many of Shiro's fans express them. But the stalker wasn't just an ordinary fan. Even the two girls knew that he was obsessed.
Caoimhe tried to eat, but after two spoons, she gave up. The girl felt as if she would puke if she ate more, and she got up from her chair.
"I need to go to the bathroom."
She took the food and went to the sink to throw it away. Dorian followed her with his blue eyes.
"Aren't you going to eat more?"
Caoimhe shook her head.
"My stomach hurts."
"Honey, you should stay home if you're not feeling well."
Caoimhe heard the anxiety in her father's voice, but she was determined to go to school. She couldn't stay at home just because she felt a little ill.
"I can't skip school every time I get my period, Dad."
Caoimhe knew exactly what she should say so Dorian would leave her alone, and it worked. Dorian cleared his throat and had a panicked expression on his face. Talking about menstruation with his daughter was far beyond his comfort zone.
"But if it gets too hard, you will have to go home."
"Okay, Dad."
Caoimhe quickly went to the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She washed her face with cold water and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her face was red, and her eyes were glossy. She really felt sick.
"Caoimhe, it's time to go. The car is outside," shouted her dadaí from the hall.
Caoimhe wiped her face with a towel and went out. She was careful not to show her face to Finian because he would definitely see that she wasn't feeling well and convince her to stay at home.
"Bye," Caoimhe shouted and walked quickly out the door before Eamon and Ikumi.
The car was waiting in front of the house, and a woman and a man were standing in front of a black SUV. They looked like bodyguards from some movie. They wore black suits with white shirts, black ties and black shoes. They were betas but unusual big built and almost looked like they could be alphas instead.
"Good morning! My name is Jackie, and my colleague and I will be going with you today," said the forty-something woman in a dark voice, and her face was stern. She sounded like a drill sergeant.
The younger, taller man next to her had dark blonde hair and a charming smile on his face. Caoimhe couldn't help but stare at him. He was very good looking.
"And I'm Alex, and I will be your driver today."
Caoimhe's face turned red in an instant, and it wasn't just because of her fever. The man had a wonderful Scottish accent, and Caoimhe loved that accent. The blond man noticed Caoimhe's reaction, and he grinned.
"Dude, she's twelve," Eamon snapped as he walked past the bodyguard and into the SUV. The boy was fuming with anger.
The bodyguard flinched, then nervously cleared his throat and looked away, but Caoimhe could see that he was surprised at first, and then he started to panic. That's when Caoimhe realised what the man had probably been thinking, and her face became even hotter. She looked down at her feet while she darted into the car. The female bodyguard hit her colleague in the back of his head and said something in a low voice while her eyes were burning with fury. She was probably scolding him, and the younger man looked guilty as he got into the car and behind the wheel.
When all the three kids were inside the car, Eamon leaned towards Caoimhe.
"You have to be careful. You're looking a lot older than you really are."
"How old do I look?"
"Well, Tem thought you were the same age as me."
"No way," Caoimhe burst out, and that made Ikumi look at them.
"What are you talking about?" The girl asked.
Eamon told the younger girl what he had said, and Ikumi nodded.
"It's true. I thought you were much older when I first met you."
Caoimhe was surprised. She had never been told that before, but it was true. Caoimhe had gone from looking like a little girl to a teenager in just a few months. She had become taller, her chest had grown, and her face had lost its childish features. It was an extreme change, even for an alpha.
For the rest of the trip, Ikumi and Eamon talked about Shiro's pregnancy. Caoimhe was silent. She felt horrible, even more than before. And talking seemed to make things worse, but she forced herself not to show anything. She didn't want to worry Eamon and Ikumi.
The first lesson on Wednesdays was always History. But Caoimhe didn't hear a single thing the teacher said. Instead, she was staring out the window. Her friend, who was sitting closest to her, anxiously asked how she was doing. Caoimhe didn't respond.
It started as a burning sensation inside her. Then, it was like a fire spread throughout Caoimhe's body. Her stomach hurt so bad that she cried out. She bent over with a moan, and she swayed in the chair, which made her almost fall off. All her classmates turned to Caoimhe and looked at her with wide eyes. The teacher ran to her and leaned down to see the girl's face. But the moment she did that, she was hit by a scent that was so strong that the teacher stumbled backwards and stared at the girl.
"Everybody, get out now!" She screamed.
None of the kids understood what was happening, but they knew it was serious. Caoimhe was moaning as if she was in great pain, and their teacher was holding her hand over her nose, and she looked terrified. When all the kids were out of the classroom, the teacher turned to the door.
"Someone go and get the school nurse."
The teacher's voice was strained, and it sounded like she was in pain. While two students ran quickly towards the school nurse, the teacher walked on trembling legs to the desk, picked up the phone and a piece of paper with a phone number that Caoimhe had given her before the lesson. The teacher forced himself to stay in the room. Her whole being screamed that she would flee, to hide.
A man answered, and in a weak voice, the teacher asked the man to come to the classroom. That was all she could do before it became too much. Still standing, she lost her conscience and collapsed on the floor. The nurse got to the classroom at the same time as the bodyguard Alex, and they were both hit by a wave of pheromones. The nurse gasped, and just like the teacher had done, he held his hand in front of his nose, and with big eyes, he looked between the girl at the back of the classroom and the unconscious teacher in front.
"What is this?" The nurse's voice was shaking.
"This is an alphas pheromones," Alex answered. His grin was long gone.
"But I'm a beta," the man cried out in shock and disbelief.
"Yeah, me too. But I'm sure of it. I mean, just look at the teacher. She's an alpha, and she's completely out of it."
"I have never seen anything like this."
"Same here."
Alex looked at the young girl. It was hard to think that it was the same girl who had been sitting in the car just an hour ago with her siblings. She was still sitting on the chair, her hair hung over her face, and they could hear her loud breathing.
"Do you have suppressants?"
The nurse nodded and showed the contents of the bag he had carried with him. There were band-aids, bandages, syringes and pills.
"Give me a syringe," Alex said, holding out his hand.
"But I should go."
Alex shook his head. The nurse was terrified. Feeling some of the effect of an alpha's pheromones for the first time was scary. Alex thought so too, but Caoimhe's safety was his responsibility. That was his job.
"You take care of the teacher. I take care of Caoimhe."
He inhaled the pheromones, which was the first time for him. It was a scent of coffee and vanilla. It wasn't strong, but Alex could feel it, and he was fascinated. This scent didn't affect him, but if he had been an omega or an alpha, the pheromones would probably have dominated him completely.
"Caoimhe?" He said in a loud voice, but the girl didn't respond.
As Alex began to approach the girl, he walked slowly. He had seen alphas in heat. He had seen how wild they could become. Sure, this was just a twelve-year-old girl. But it seemed that her pheromones were really powerful.
With the syringe ready, he approached Caoimhe and was about to give her the shot when she suddenly grabbed his arm and, with unbelievable strength, she pulled him to her. The moment she bit him in the shoulder, the bodyguard managed to push the syringe into her thigh, and after that, he tried to keep her still. The girl didn't let go, and Alex could see her eyes. They were yellow, and they were staring directly at him.
The feeling of being a small animal, a prey, took hold of him. And Alex had never been so scared before and would never be again.
'She will devour me,' he thought.
But when the medicine began to work, the yellow faded and her eyes' deep green colour returned. She lost her strength, and she let go of Alex's shoulder. Alex just managed to catch her when she fell unconscious, and he held her gently in his arms.
There was some commotion in the corridor, and Alex heard her brother shout her name, and he was relieved. When she lay there in his arms, she looked like any other girl. But he would never forget those yellow eyes for the rest of his life. And the horror he had felt.