The Alpha's Daydream

I’m running out of time. I know that now.

I don’t know how, but I do.

In the back of my mind, even as I’m focused on Aunt Chesca and her baby that is about to join us in this forest on such a terrible night, I think about Malachi. I think about how he’s out there, somewhere, and I just revealed his possible whereabouts to a bunch of sinister rogues who have the intent to kill.

To save my own skin? Did I do it for self-preservation?

Never. I would never do something like that to save myself.

“Ari, he’s coming! You’ll need something to cut the cord. As much as I hate it, we need to break the connection as soon as possible,” Chesca grinds out the words through clenched teeth. I can see she is in pain, but she barely makes a sound. We are still in unmarked territory, hunted in this forest, and we have to keep our noise as limited as possible.

But the smell of Chesca’s blood…. There is nothing we can do about it. She is bleeding, and I have to deliver this baby before she entirely bleeds out. I have no way of telling if there are internal injuries from her ordeal tonight, or if her body is just trying to purge itself of the metallic poison that taints her red blood with silver.

“I have a knife, but it’s not clean…”

“It doesn’t matter, you just need to severe the cord. A moment too long could make all the difference. You have to be ready, Ariella.”

“I am. I’m ready,” I pull the knife from my waistband, the one Luci used to kill a rogue before he hurt me, and wiped the bloodied edge along the tree bark. The stain didn’t all come off, so I wipe it faster, as fast as I can, hoping the friction and heat will cleanse it from the horrible blood.

I watch as another contraction overcomes Aunt Chesca, and she breathes hard.

“That’s it, take short breaths when you can. Just keep breathing and focus only on the baby. He’s healthy, he’s strong, and you’re both going to be okay,” I assure her, rubbing her back as I slip the knife back in my belt. I don’t need it just yet. Chesca isn’t fully dilated, so it could still be another hour before the baby comes. I began counting the length of contractions and time between them since they started, and just this simple routine helps my own mind to stay focused. “That’s it, you can relax now,” I tell her as her muscles ease from the strain, and she rests her head on my shoulder. The night air is icy, but neither of us feel it. A thin layer of sweat glistens on Chesca’s skin, and my own body is still pumping with adrenaline from our escape from the barn.

“What if he finds us again?” Chesca asks in a small voice.

“Who?”

“Caleb. Or his rogue buddies. What if he wants to take my baby? I couldn’t even stop them from taking me--”

“Shh, Chesca, don’t think about that now. I need you to focus on giving birth to your baby. I will protect you. No one will hurt you as long as I’m here.” I promise, praying it may be so. As soon as I began monitoring Chesca and noting how wide her cervix was dilated, my mindset had completely changed.

Before, I was scared. Before, I still wanted to keep going until we found Alpha Kaiden or someone else to help us. But now— now I am the help. I am in charge of our fate. I will do everything in my power to help this mother bring her baby into the world. This is all that matters to me in this moment, this time and place, and neither of us can afford to think of anything else.

“Okay, the baby’s head is crowning. I can see it!” Excitement fills my voice, and nerves can’t help but snake around my heart. What if he is entangled in the cord? What if he ingested the silver and has stopped breathing? What if— I cut my negative thoughts off and paste on a brave smile. “It won’t be long now until you can push, when you feel the urge.” I tell Chesca, and she gets back into a natural and comfortable position.

“Oh, I feel the urge. I just want this baby out as soon as possible.” She kneels, her arms against the tree for support, and I continue massaging her lower back.

“And he will be. You’ll both be okay. Have you picked names?” I ask as we wait for the next contraction.

“We have.”

I wait a moment, expecting her to say more, but all I hear is her measured breaths. “And…”

“And now I’m not so sure. Nothing seems right about them, not now. I need….I just need to make sure he’s okay..” her voice breaks, and I notice the tears mingling with the drops of sweat running down her face.

I grasp her shoulders in a hug, feeling her fear in my own soul. “It’s going to be okay, Chesca, I’m here for you and I’m not going anywhere until this baby is safe in your arms. You’re going to make it. You’re the strongest, most brave woman I know. Besides my mom.” I add with a winsome smile on my lips.

Chesca laughs too, then grunts and clamps her mouth shut. For another half hour we breathe in synch through the contractions, and I mirror everything I have seen my mom do during the labours of shewolves in our pack. I comfort, I wipe her brow, I massage her back, and I hold her hand as she grips it almost tightly enough to crack my bones. I absorb her pain, and I whisper prayers over her baby and us all. It will take a miracle to get us through this nightmare intact.

“Okay now, push when you’re ready. You’re doing great! Deep breaths, that’s it. Just keep going.” I get ready to catch the baby, and watch as his head slides out, followed by the rest of his little body. My hands quickly grasp his slippery body, the skin glistening in the moonlight, and then I quickly place him on his mother’s chest so he stays warm. “It’s a boy! Oh, Chesca, it’s a little boy!” Tears are pricking my own eyes and I have to blink them back, to clear my blurry vision. He wriggles, yet doesn’t make a sound, and I have to firmly wipe his face to clear the fluid and open his airways. With a little sneeze, he takes a breath and releases it in a healthy and high-pitched little cry.

Chesca holds him close and kisses the top of his head. “He’s beautiful! Oh, Ari, he’s so perfect!” Chesca sinks back, resting against the tree as I take off my jacket and lay it over her.

As she holds the newborn baby, I would normally wait a minute or two until I take my shoelace that I removed earlier and tie it around the cord near his belly. However, I do it straight away. Carefully using the sharp hunting knife, I cut the cord and feel a certain amount of relief wash over me. The baby is alive, he is breathing, he looks healthy and pink, and he is bonding well with his mother.

Willing my hands to still be warm, I gently feel the baby over, counting his fingers and toes, and checking other vitals just like I’ve seen my mom do every time before the doctor does a more thorough check. Once I am done, I tuck my jacket around him, allowing some of his skin to be pressed against Chesca’s for maximum contact. These first moments of baby and mother bonding are crucial, and despite the surroundings we have found ourselves in, I try and keep this birth as normal as possible.

He is perfect, just like his mother said. I knew he was anyway, with my sense just feeling him before he had even fully entered this world. He is destined for something special, this little, wrinkled pup that squirms in his mother’s arms, oblivious to the dangerous situation we are in.

“Thank you, Ariella. I couldn’t have done this without you.” Chesca smiles at me with tears running down her cheeks, and my own heart nearly bursts with joy over what has just happened. The miracle of birth will always enchant me.

Everything is going well, until I hear a twig crack behind me.

Instantly jumping up and turning on the spot, I scan the dark trees but see nothing. Only my breath exhales in a warm mist against the backdrop of frigid air, mixing with the dancing shadows of the overhanging branches to create the only movement I can see. Another twig snaps to my left, and I spin that direction. I take a step closer, careful to keep Chesca at my back, placing myself between her and whatever is out there in the dark.

When a bush rustles on my other side, I shout into the darkness. “Who’s there? Show your face!”

A sinister chuckles vibrates from the shadows. “You’re in a funny position to be making demands. Such a scared little girl.”

The rough and cracked voice seems to come from the trees themselves as I still can’t see who is out there. The scent of Chesca and her newborn pup clings to me, messing with my nose and covering any trace of the rogue’s scent that might be lingering on the air currents.

“You can’t even dare to approach us and show your face? Coward! Stop hiding in the shadows and face me like a man.” I can’t handle this mystery, this nervous tension that has every hair on my neck tingling with anticipation. I want this out in the open, this enemy that is stalking us right where I can see him.

“Ariella, be careful,” Chesca whispers a warning, the urgency in her voice evident despite being quiet. She and her baby are helpless, and I am their only line of defence.

But I have been training.

I have been working hard to become stronger, to become a skilled fighter.

Even if I didn’t have this knife in my hand, I’m sure I could take this threat on and protect my Alpha and her baby.

My blood is pulsing, my muscles twitching with the hunger to strike this enemy.

“Sure, I’ll show my face. You better like it, because it’ll be the last thing you see, little girl.” The rogue steps out into a shaft of moonlight, and I don’t even give myself a moment to look at him.

I am already leaping, arm extended and claws protruded as I make my first swipe at his face. He ducks and kicks out my legs from under me, and I land heavily on my back. My shoulder lights up with a flash of pain, but I am up again in an instant, lungs heaving for air, heart racing to pump energy into my limbs. I feel every motion, every action before I do it, seeing the fight in my mind.

Slamming the palm of my hand up into his jaw, I hear it crack and in the same moment, while he is stunned, I draw the blade across his stomach. His own claws shred through my shirt and tug at the skin beneath, drawing a pattern of four stripes across my face and neck, even down onto my chest before I can push him away. We both fall to the ground, and his heavy body rolls on top of me.

Pinned down, I can only stare up at the black silhouette that looms over me. His hand holds my wrists in place, the other snakes over my throat, and his hips press against my own to keep me down. I feel his warm blood seeping onto me and I am revolted by the sickly metallic smell that is so different from the life-giving scents of birth.

“You want to explain how a couple of pretty shewolves escaped our base and ended up here? This forest is a dangerous place after dark, and I wouldn’t want you to go through it alone,” he chuckles where his lips press against my ear and his hand tightens around my neck, choking me.

Chesca’s baby whimpers, giving voice to the screams in my own head. I bite my lip and pray he quietens down or else we’ll be in much more trouble.

“Ahh, you even have a newborn pup to offer me,” the rogue says, and I feel my heart constrict in agony. “How darling. I’m sure the boss would just love this little present all tied up in a red bow for him to play with.”

His breath is nasty and stale, making me want to vomit, but I swallow hard and think fast. Everything Hamilton and his warriors have taught me over the last few weeks kick in, the instinct taking over even as my chest is squeezed tight with terror. WIth all my strength, I roll us both over and wrench my hand free.

The hand with the knife.

Before he can react, I bring it down hard into his chest, and feel his grip loosen on my neck. I don’t even notice the sting where his claws bit into my skin, I just watch his face twist in horror and I turn away for the second time tonight as someone dies in front of me.

As if my dreams weren’t haunting enough, I now have these images imprinted on my mind to keep me wide awake during the darkest hours of night.

As his twitching body stills beneath mine, I rise to my feet and feel sick to my stomach. I pull the knife from his chest and throw it to the side, my hands shaking, then think better of it. I may need it again. Wiping it on the ground, I slide it back in my waistband and turn to make sure Chesca and her baby are okay.

Her eyes are wide, frightened, but full of pride.

She’s proud of me? But I’ve done nothing praiseworthy. I feel disgusting. With so much blood on my hands from different bodies, I can only see the killer I’ve become.

“We have to go before anyone else comes,” Chesca shifts, trying to push herself up on her seat.

“You’re not ready. The placenta—“

“It’s coming, I can feel it. Just tug on the cord.” She winces and holds her baby closer as a cool shift of air whistles past us, stirring the leaves of the trees.

I try and catch any scent other than pine needles and honeysuckle, try to ascertain if any other rogues are out amongst the trees, stalking us. The air comes up clean, but still a trace of something is making my hair stand up on my neck and my nose twitch.

I gently pull on the umbilical cord, hoping it comes out cleanly and doesn’t cause Chesca to bleed any more than she already is. Normally, in the comfort of the pack clinic, we’d wait and give it time, but that is just another precious thing we don’t have out here in this forsaken forest. After a few minutes of Chesca pushing through the final contractions, the afterbirth comes out and I bury it under some rocks, hoping to cover the scent as much as possible.

I help Chesca ready herself for the journey ahead before we continue. With her baby wrapped snugly in her arms, I lead us down the slopes, wending our way through the trees, over small gullies and creeks, and around jagged outcroppings. I’m following my instinct right now, the rest of my senses blind as tears keep blurring my eyes and the baby’s quiet whimpers deafening my ears. My fingers are nearly frozen, and I rub my arms in a futile attempt to warm myself. My nose soon picks up on familiar scents; grasses, wildflowers, spruce trees. Even the smell of Falcon River beckons me home.

We’re nearly on ForgedHearts territory, and my body nearly breaks down from relief.

But we aren’t there just yet, and I keep the knife gripped in one hand and my claws extended on the other, Chesca firmly gripping my shoulder so as not to lose me in the darkened land that has now been shrouded in heavy mist.

“Hunter.”

The determination in her voice snaps me from my hopeless thoughts. “Pardon?”

“His name. I’m going to call him Hunter. It is what he will become.”

“Ahh…” My feet slide down a small embankment, and I grab onto some scrub to regain my balance. Chesca collides into me, but I manage to keep us both on our feet. Once we are righted, she continues.

“Tonight, he is hunted. Stalked. Prey for the beasts that roam our land. But you’ve saved him. And one day he will grow up strong and able to save himself. He will never be hunted again. Instead, he will be the Hunter.”

My eyes remain focused on the path in front of me, as I put one foot in front of the other. I can hear Chesca breathing heavily, knowing she is still weak from giving birth, and everything within me cries out at the injustice of this situation.

Hunter.

“It’s perfect.”

Then another familiar scent slams into me a second before Chesca yells with joy. “Kaiden! We’re over here! Oh, Kaiden—”

Her mate has her instantly enveloped in his arms and I watch the tearful reunion, sinking to my haunches to catch my breath. We are safe for the time being. A few other warriors surround us, panting and covered in mud and I assume they have run nearly the entire perimetre of the territory, looking for us.

“Careful,” Chesca whispers and Kaiden steps back from the tight hug. “Meet your new son.”

He peers at the baby wrapped in my jacket and I can’t begin to imagine the emotions he is feeling.

Awe. Relief. Agony. Love. Hope after despair.

“I was so worried. I had no idea where you’d gone—” his voice breaks as he kisses his mate and child. “I was about to go crazy if I didn’t find you.”

“Shh, it’s okay. I was stupid, yes. We can talk about that later. But Ariella saved us. Saved us from Caleb, but again that’s another story—”

“What?!” Kaiden roars and glances around, perhaps wanting to see the man and ask just what he has been accused of.

“It’s okay now. He’s gone. We have to get Aunt Chesca and her baby home. They need proper care,” I jump up and hand over the responsibility, still wanting to ensure the mother and baby are in good hands before I leave.

Before I go back to DoubleEdge.

“Yes, we need to get you home.” Kaiden sweeps up Chesca and the baby in his arms as if they don’t weigh a thing. “Thank you, Ariella. I can’t wait to hear the whole story after we get you all cleaned and warmed up. Come on.” He turns to go, his men falling in around us protectively.

“You go. I have to get back to my pack.” My pack. The one I betrayed to save Chesca.

“What?” Kaiden spins back and faces me. “But it’s too dangerous. There are rogues lingering around here. I can smell them.”

“I know. I’ve seen my share of them tonight. But…” I shuffle my feet on the spot, shoving my hands in my jeans pockets and becoming antsy. “I just have to go back. Now.” I have a strong feeling, a sinking sensation in my gut that I can’t ignore any longer.

Something has happened because of my actions tonight, and I need to go find out what. I need to fix it, if I can, before it’s too late. Already Knight is dead because of me. Despite all the good I may have done, helping Chesca and saving her life, I’ve also done something terrible and I’m beginning to hate myself before even knowing the full extent of the matter.

“And I think this belongs to you.” I hand him the knife.

“A hunting knife? But…”

Chesca takes it and turns it over in her palm, a faint glow of moonlight illuminating the etchings on the carved handle.

“My grandfather’s dagger. The artefact that hangs on his study wall. But how did you get it?”

“Luci…” I begin, then shake my head. “It’s a long story. I really have to go.”

“Luci?” Kaiden and Chesca share a glance but I am already jogging into the woods, across the boundary line, and onto DoubleEdge land.

The fast pace of my run warms my body, but not my heart. It feels like a heavy stone, thudding with cold dread and sending tentacles of ice through my veins.

I am almost out of time, I know that now.

The lights of the mansion come into view as I run up the last hill, but I pass by the wrought iron gates and continue down into the town. I see a group of wolves lingering outside the hospital, and I smell Malachi’s scent on the air.

Not only his scent, but the scent of blood.

It thickens the closer I get to the clinic doors, and I ignore the stares of the startled warriors as I push past them and into the foyer of the building.

“Ariella, wait!” Rahul calls out, but I keep going, my eyes on the emergency room where I see a few men laid out on stretchers, the pack doctor and some nurses hovering over them. Before I can barge through the door, a face catches my eye.

“Knight?” I stop abruptly as he turns to face me, emerald eyes darkened with a frown. They brighten and I don’t think, I just run straight to him and wrap my arms around him as my heart leaps to life again. “But they said they killed you!” I mumble into his chest, my face buried in his shirt that is stained with blood.

“I’m not that easy to kill, Kiddo. Seems it ain’t my time to go just yet,” he pulls back and ruffles my hair, smiling at me kindly. His face is still sporting the bruises I saw inflicted, but otherwise, he is unharmed.

“I don’t understand—”

“Ariella?”

I turn at the sound of my mate’s voice, his presence washing over me in a tidal wave of relief. I see him struggling to stand up from one of the beds, ignoring the nurse trying to push him back down.

I run to him and grasp his outstretched hands. “What happened to you? Are you okay? How is everyone?” I search his face, seeing scratches and a deep cut near his throat, then I scan the room around us and see similar injuries on Hamilton and some other warriors. There’s also another bed near the back wall with a sheet pulled over it, the unmistakable form of a man underneath. All this in a single second before Malachi encases my face in his warm hands and pulls my gaze back to his.

“We were attacked by rogues on our way home from Alpha Asa’s pack. But what happened to you? Who on earth did this to you?” he traces my jaw tenderly with his thumb.

My concern for him and the others have made me completely forget the wounds I bear myself. The dried blood on my clothes. The mud on my boots and jeans. The claw marks that traverse my pale skin and stain me with imprints of cruelty.

“I…. Knight and I went for a walk earlier and we were also attacked by rogues. They caught me and Aunt Chesca too but we escaped with the help of my friends. Then Chesca went into labour and I helped her through the birth of her baby boy in the middle of the horrible forest then we eventually made it back to her territory and Alpha Kaiden, and then I came back as soon as I could. I didn’t know if you would be okay or not. I was so scared...Malachi, I was so scared for you.” I bury my face in his chest, and bunch his shirt in my fists. My story tumbled out in a mess of words and tears, and I have no idea how much of it he understands.

“Shh, it’s okay now. You’re safe. You’re okay, my dreamer. Goodness, I have no idea what I would do if you got seriously hurt.” Malachi takes a deep breath and I feel his heart racing in his chest. His hands rub soothing circles on my back and he breathes deeply of my scent. I feel him relax as he tightens his arms around me.

I imagine he is communicating with Knight, wondering how on earth he could allow me to get hurt. I won’t let him take the blame for anything. “Listen, don’t worry about me,” I peer up at Malachi, his blue eyes looking at me with such an intensity, my throat constricts. “As you said, I’m okay. I’m more concerned about you guys.” I look to Hamilton whose shoulders are sagging and his face is etched with pain.

“Seems like rogues were busy tonight,” he huffs and pushes his hair back from his face with one hand, the other freshly wrapped with bandages.

“Do you think it was coordinated? Them attacking our Alpha and Alpha Chesca of ForgedHearts? As well as Ariella and Knight. What are the odds that all this would go down on the same night?” one of the warriors asks from where he is leaning against the wall, his black leather jacket torn and his dark fringe hanging messily over a fresh scar on his forehead.

I begin to feel sick as realisation settles in my mind.

“Maybe so. But how could they be that smart? No one even knew where we were or what we were doing,” Malachi shakes his head, a dark look of anger settling in his eyes. As soon as he catches me staring at him, they lighten a shade and he gives me a reassuring smile. It barely puts a dent in the wall of uneasiness that builds around me.

“But it felt like an ambush. It seemed like they were almost waiting for us at the gap by Sunset Falls,” Hamilton rubs his chin and grinds his teeth together. “How would they even know we were coming that way, Mal?”

“I told them.” I blurt out, unable to hide my fears any longer.

Malachi grips my shoulders and stares at me with confusion.

“They wanted to know where you were, but I wouldn’t say. I didn’t even know exactly,” I begin explaining, the words tasting like poison on my tongue. “But they started torturing Alpha Chesca, injecting silver into her and almost killing her baby. I had to...”

I stop when I see the calm settle over Malachi as his hands slip from my shoulders. Yet, it is not calm. A muscle tightens in his jaw. The blue darkens to navy in his eyes. His gaze pierces me like a sharpened arrow of pure enmity.

Then in a perfectly clear voice, he asks the question that I already know deep down.

The question that crushes my already battered heart.

“You betrayed me?”