RIVERVILLE PACK
Since it was already dusk when she stepped into the cursed pack, she took shelter under a tree and soon drifted into sleep, thanks to the pregnancy hormone.
The reflection of the sun shimmering on her face woke her up and in reflex, covered her eyes with her palms.
She yawned carelessly, glanced around her surrounding and the event of the day returned.
She was alive, in the cursed pack, all thanks to Floyd and his accomplices.
She wanted to get up, but the throbbing pain in her abdomen wouldn't let her. She endured the pain and with a loud, painful groan successfully got up.
She began to trudge forward, the piercing ache twisted her face. She walked aimlessly sobbing and hoping to see someone around.
Her feet and body would have been merciful, but they welcomed the pain, united with her aching abdomen and began to push her to the edge of immobility, that she couldn't take a step further.
Slowly, she laid on the ground, curled herself into a ball and held her abdomen.
Sweat dripped from her forehead and her breathing became heavy.
"I'm so sorry goddess, please help me."
Perhaps she must have wronged Selene in her previous life that she was singled out to be tormented.
Her tears streamed down her face as she recalled how turbulent her life had been after she clocked sixteen.
"Why did you mate me to Floyd?" There was no doubt she was accused because of him.
And an idea popped in her head. Reject him!!
Wouldn't it be the best? To reject him and free herself.
They'd no connection again, she couldn't return to Broln, he wouldn't step into Riverville pack and their paths would never cross.
Then her eyelids instantaneously became heavy, she saw darkness rolling speedily towards her. She heard voices whispering incoherently.
She saw Floyd's face, it was contorted in pain.
"Don't leave Alora, I'm sorry." It should be an illusion, Floyd would never apologize to her.
She saw Duanne, with tear filled eyes, gazing at her pitifully. "Don't leave him cousin!" Who was he making reference to?
But the darkness stopped rolling and formed a big pit.
She felt her body hauled slowly to the pit. It should be death. Even if she would die, not as Floyd's mate.
With the little strength left in her, she began to mutter.
"I, Alora of Broln pack rej..." and she was pushed into the pit, her words cut off.
She screamed in horror as the depth was unending and entirely dark. Then a hand clasped over her mouth, her skin crawled and her bones rattled.
"You can't leave me Alora!" It was Floyd's voice, she couldn't see him, but felt his presence.
"I tried to help but you shut me out severally, I'm sorry."
She was familiar with that soothing voice which dispelled all her fears.
She felt her feet steadied on a solid surface and her body pulled into his embrace.
"Stay with me please, I can't live well without you."
And she wrapped her hands around him, her head rested on his chest. She felt safe, peace and joy.
Then, he suddenly kissed her deeply and slowly unwrapped his arms. "Stay strong for me Alora!"
She heard his foot steps as he was leaving but couldn't tell the direction he was going.
She wanted to grab him, but couldn't see him in the dark pit she was thrown into.
She wanted to shout his name, plead with him not to leave her, tell him how panicky she was, but her words were muffled.
In her deepest dismay, the darkness was dispelled by bright light. She was no longer in a pit, but a wide field.
"Stay strong for me Alora!" Floyd's voice came again, she turned and saw him at a distance, smiling and waving at her.
"Thank you Alora!" And he vanished.
Her eyes flew opened and she stared blankly at the white surface which after a while, she recognized as the ceiling.
All the events gradually flooded her head. She saw Floyd, she heard his voice, he adjured her not to leave him, to stay strong for him.
Then she recalled being in the wood, with an aching abdomen, about to reject Floyd. But she was presently in a space which should be a room.
"She's awake." The voice drew her attention and she shifted her gaze to see four unfamiliar faces, three male and a female.
"Wher........" Her voice cracked and the middle aged woman hurried to her.
"Don't speak yet, drink some water."
She brought a cup of water close to her mouth and she drank, then nodded in appreciation.
"I'm Cecelia Miles, the mother luna of Riverville pack, and those are the alpha, his beta and the guard that found you."
Riverville pack? That was the cursed pack. Thank goddess they found her. "Thank you."
"The child has been saved. All thanks to the goddess." Cecelia continued.
And she recalled the pain in her abdomen, it was gone. She placed her hands on her stomach and a wave of relief washed over her. "Thank you so much."
"How do you feel?" Cecelia asked in concern.
"I feel better." She sincerely felt better, no pains, no aches.
"I'll send your food over, okay." Then she left her with the three men who didn't say a word, rather were staring intently at her.
Perhaps, they were cursed to be dumb.
Soon, Cecelia returned with the food and fed her slowly. When she finished eating, she helped her lay on the bed.
"Rest, the child is still unstable." Then she beckoned on others and together they left the room.
BROLN PACK
For days Floyd refused to see anyone, he refused to leave his room, refused to communicate with his beta.
The entire pack had the air of gloom routing fiercely round it. The usual bustling pack became quiet. Hera was helpless, likewise Layana.
No one could tell the reason for his mood. Was it because he was unable to pass judgement on Alora? Or was it something else?
The beta stood continuously at his door hoping he would come out or say a word to him, but days passed there was no sign of him, no word from him.
On the fourth day, Otto couldn't keep silent any more, so ordered the door to be broken.
Better to face Floyd's wrath than remain silent and watch him languish in sorrow.
There was no sign of Floyd in the bedroom and the room was in a mess.
He headed to the bathroom, he wasn't there, then to his study, and there he was sitting on the floor in a daze.
Otto felt a pinning melancholy as he gazed at his friend who'd lost lots of weight and looked haggard. He looked despondent and pathetic.
Slowly, he sat beside him and wrapped his arm around him, startling him and his gaze shifted abruptly on him. When he saw it was his beta, he relaxed.
"Buddy, why are you doing this to me?" For three days he'd been in distress because of Floyd and Alora.
"Your action is tormenting me."
Standing all day at his door with hope he would speak to him or open the door.
Knowing he'd not eaten for days. Seeing his mother and luna in tears and sadness for days.
What of the pack, they've been living like people who were mourning. No joy, no bliss, no glee. Broln pack had lost its liveliness and was submerged in a pool of gloom.
"We can get her back." It was a wishful thought, but hoped he would be exhilarated.
She should be in the cursed pack, a place where the clean entered and became unclean. She would never return again! His heart bled profusely at the thought.
Floyd wagged his head in disagreement. She would never return again, he would never see her again. goddess why?
"She's with the cursed now, she left me man."
His usual majestic voice had lost vitality and was filled with unshed tears.
"Alora left me! What will I do?"
For the past three days, he realized the intense pull he'd been feeling towards her was love. Those times he would persuade her to spend the night with him was love.
Those times he would torture her was because he loved her but couldn't bring himself to love a wolf-less mate.
It was his ego, his pride, his status that made it look like he loathed her.
Those times he would summon her to his presence just to say grating words to her was because he couldn't stay a day without seeing her or hearing her voice.
It wasn't hate, it was love but he was dimwit and didn't realize.
Those times his heart beat rapidly each time he thought of her or was around her was because he loved her so much.
Those times he made unintentional promises to her was because he wanted her to be happy, he cherished her sincerely. He'd fallen deeply in love with her, but only realized too late.
If he discovered earlier, he wouldn't have accepted Hera. Gosh!! How much he messed up!!
He locked his lonely eyes on Otto. "You know Otto, I love her so much that I feel so empty now!"
He couldn't hide it anymore. He wished to see her, even for a moment and tell her how much feelings he had for her.
Otto gaped at him in bewilderment. His brain crashed in befuddlement. He was at loss for words and actions. "You love her?"
He suspected it!! He knew he was hiding something important.
"A lot Otto! I marked her!"
Otto brows wrinkled and he blinked repeatedly. He was having difficulty processing his words.
"You marked her? How?"
She had no wolf and....wait! A sudden realization hit him and he shifted his widened eyes on Floyd.
He can only mark her if he had carnal knowledge of her.
"You slept with her.... Oh goddess!! The child, the royal child! It's yours, oh no!this isn't happening."
He held Floyd tightly, sending him to the pit of bewilderment.
"She said I shouldn't tell you, I thought she was afraid you will punish her. " He loosened his grip on the confused Floyd.
"What are you saying Otto?" Lines formed between his eyebrows.
"What child? Talk to me!!"
"The day you ask I take her to the salutory, he confirmed she's pregnant, and the child is royalty. I thought she was abused and didn't question her further when she refused to talk about the father."
Floyd's jaw dropped, he stared at his beta in a catatonic stupor. His child was growing in her? His heir?
"How dare you keep such important thing from me?"
He rose aggressively and threw a heavy punch on his beta.
"How dare you Otto?" He dispersed flints of fury and his body swell in rage.
Otto held his nose, which he knew was broken. He could feel some fluid which should be his blood, but he didn't react. He gazed at Floyd and shook his head.
"How am I to know it's your child? Did you tell me you've been fuckin her? Did you tell me you love her? Why blame me?"
No wonder, his attitude towards Alora changed for months. He thought it was because of his warning, little did he know he'd chosen her to grace his bed, he'd marked her! She was his true mate!!
"I asked if you've falling in love with her but you denied it! You lied to me, you lied to yourself!"
He shook his head in disappointment.
"I only know of the torture she went through in your hands, the pains she endured, her injuries no one tended to, all because of you Floyd!!"
Floyd sighed deeply in frustration. "How stupid of me!"
"She said I shouldn't let you know. I thought she was afraid you will punish her for getting pregnant, so I kept the secret."
If he'd the slightest idea his alpha was with her, he would have happily announced the news.
Floyd sat heavily on the floor, his head lowered in-between his knees and his hands wrapped his head.
Lump formed in his throat and he blinked away tears that'd come to gather in his downcast eyes.
His love was gone, his child was gone too. They all left him.
"Alora why?"
"Don't blame her Floyd, you didn't provide the security she needed, you didn't express your feelings for her, you hurt her many times more than you cared. It's you Floyd!!"
Can he ever be happy knowing the woman he loved was carrying his unborn child living in the cursed pack all because of him.
"Otto!" He called out in a soft voice.
"I want to see her. Is it possible?"
Otto's lips parted in incredulity. "But you know it's impossible."
"Yeah, I don't care how possible it is or what the goddess thinks. Selene is toiling with my emotions!"
Then he rose to his feet, and headed to the washroom.
"I need to freshen up, eat, then we make plans to find her. "
Otto's impending words were swallowed when the door of the bathroom was shut heavily.
He gazed steadily at the shut door, shook his head in pity.