*Present Day*
Fear.
Desolation.
Hopelessness.
The moment she became conscious, these three emotions bombarded her. She was still fuzzy on whatever was given to her, and it felt like her head was going to split apart.
Slowly, she opened her eyes, there was a heavy feeling as she struggled to wake herself. After a few minutes, her eyes were wide open, but she was unable to see anything. Everything was dark.
Where was she? She wondered. She reached up to massage her aching head but was unable to do so.
"What the fuck?" She exclaimed. Her hands were tied and it felt like something was covering her head, that was why she couldn't see anything.
"Damnit! The heck did you do, girl?" She asked herself. She had always been a trouble maker, but how did she land in this deep shit, she doesn't know.
Panicking wouldn't do good, so she did what she always does, breathe, and meditate. When she had centered herself, that was when all sounds and even the movement of her surroundings registered in her mind.
She was not alone, and from the number of sobs and muffled cries she could hear, she was with a large group of people.
The next thing she noticed was that she was swaying. Like, they were on a boat somehow. How she figured that out, was something she can't even explain.
A horn blasted from somewhere. The people around her began to panic. The silent crying suddenly grew in a crescendo.
"Let me out!"
"Please, where am I?"
"Help! Someone, please help us!"
"Mama…"
It was the voice of a child that caught her attention. She moved her foot, testing if they were also tied. She breathed a sigh of relief when they weren't.
She touched the covering on her head, no rope, and she pulled it off. She blinked several times so her eyesight would get used to her surroundings.
The gaps and holes in whatever place they were held captives in, helped her realize the gravity of the situation.
There were more than fifty people with her, and from the way they were crying, all of them were female. There wasn't enough light to see how they are, but they have been kept together for quite some time from what she could smell.
Bodies were huddled together, she guessed some had known each other before they were taken.
Some were hugging their knees close to their chest, a form of self-comfort. Others were banging on the door, the noise made some anxious and even more afraid.
"Mama, wake up! Mama!"
She looked around trying to pinpoint the source of the sound. Something inside her gave her enough strength to stand up and search for the frightened child.
"Mama! Open eyes, mama!"
There, not more than a foot away from her was a child kneeling beside a woman. She slowly made her way to the crying child.
Thank the stars that her eyesight was still good, and she was able to avoid the sleeping bodies on the floor. Her heart broke when she saw the state of the child.
Even with the dim light provided by the holes on whatever container they were in, it was the child's golden eyes that caught her attention.
There was a keen sense of knowledge within those eyes. She slowly walked toward them and knelt beside the unconscious mother, even without touching her, she knew that this child's mother was dead.
"Hi," she softly said. "I'm…"
Her mind went blank, and her heart started to beat erratically.
Her name.
She should know who she was, but there was a big white space in her memory. The more she thought about it, the more her breaths were becoming shorter and shorter.
Who was she?
What happened to her?
Where the heck was she?!
It was the touch of a child that bought her back to her sense. The child was not tied down, and he or she sat beside her and threw his or her arms around her, and cried.
"Mama, my mama…" the child said over and over, all she could do was maneuver so that the child could sit on her lap while crying.
"It's okay. I'm here. I cannot tell you my name. I don't know what my name is. But can you tell me what your name is?" she asked the child.
The child wiped his or her eyes, before answering. "I'm Kayla. You have no name?" Kayla asked.
She shook her head before saying, "Hi, Kayla, you have a very pretty name. Did your mama give it to you?" The little girl gave her a questioning look. She smiled and shook her head. "How old are you?" Kayla held up five fingers. "Wow, you're a big girl."
"No, papa told me I should not cry. But..but…mama…" tears were starting to fall from her redded eyes.
"It's okay, baby. You can cry, no one will tell your papa about it," she told her.
"Papa is also gone, now mama…"
"I wanna hug you, but my hands are tied. You can cry on me, Kayla," she told the girl.
Kayla only shook her head and wiped the snot falling from her nose, "I have to be brave. Mama does not like it when I cry." Although her voice was still wobbly, she could hear the steel in them. She was one brave little girl.
"Okay, if you want, I can be your mama," she said. What the heck was she saying?! She couldn't even remember her name, and here she was telling a little girl that she was willing to be her foster mom.
Kayla must have the same thoughts because her lips pouted and she said, "But you have no name…"
"Well, how about you give me one?" She mentally kicked herself. She really must be bonkers.
"Angel. I wanna name you Angel."
The name stirred something in her memory, but it was so fast that she couldn't hold on to it. As much as she wanted to dwell on it, now was not the time. A child needed her more than her missing memory.
"Then I will be 'Angel' from now on," she smiled. Angel was expecting Kayla to smile but she was looking at the door. Her little body began to tremble and she climbed back on her lap. "Kayla, what's wrong?"
Fear could be heard in her voice when she said, "They are coming…"
Coming? Who was coming?
Before she could ask her, the door was suddenly torn apart. Everyone except her and Kayle began to panic and shriek in fear.
Chaos was all around them, and they could also hear several guns being fired and a roar that shook the walls of the container.
However, the male standing at the open door caught her attention.
With the light shining behind him, he looked like he was going to kill them one by one.
By just looking at him, she could tell that he was tall. Even taller than the other guys that she had seen in her entire life. Not that she knew her past, but she was sure that his height was not normal.
Slick back jet black hair shone when the light hit on him as he stood by the broken door he slammed earlier. The black jeans and the black leather jacket that he was wearing, made him look bigger and bulkier.
His jawline was as sharp as a knife. His lips were drawn into a thin line yet they looked soft to touch. His entire aura screamed "Alpha" to her face.
Yet something about the way he scanned the whole room made her heart beat faster. He was scanning it as if he was looking for someone.
And when his bluish yellow eyes landed on her, one thought rang in her head.
Mate.