Chapter 20: Bring out te beauty baby

“Well it would, if your Omega didn’t seem so strung out and edgy over there. I was trying to work out why I could smell fear on him.”

“Fear?”

“Either of me? Or this place. I don’t know. I think he needs some rest, Alejandro.”

“Yeah. I think he does.” “And so, do you.”

“I’m fine. I’m not the one carrying baby.”

“But judging by those cuts and bruises you’ve been through one hell of an ordeal.”

“And survived. I told you, it was nothing serious.”

“Let me be the appraiser of that.” Esteban lifted both of Alejandro’s arms and studied them from the back of the hand all the way to the top of the shoulder. Then he flipped it over from the palm and stopped where the elbow curved. “You need to get these seen to. Those rogue wolves took a chunk out of you.”

Alejandro took back his arms and gave them a shakey-shakey-shakey. “Not from where I’m standing. Hey, how did you know they were rogue wolves?”

“Who’s in charge here, Alejandro? Who usually goes around starting bullshit to upset the balance of these lands?”

“Right. I guess it pretty much explains itself? But, Esteban. You have to understand where my mind is at. I got this Omega pregnant at the party. I found out where he lived. Learned that he was a member of the Wine family. Noticed that he had some issues. Realized that Flynn was his father. Fought some rogue wolves for the sake of saving him and the baby. And now I’m here, bringing you an Omega that I found and declaring that I want him to be my mate.”

“I couldn’t write a better love story if I tried, except for maybe mine.” “So, your opinion?”

“Is what I said at the beginning: he sure is pretty. But up close and taking on the scent, he is fearful of something and he needs to personally address that. Because it’s eating away at him inside.”

“Yeah. I sensed that to. But I can’t force my mate to speak to me.” “Then you’ll have to be content with half a heart.”

“I can’t.”

“Then find the issue.”

I heard parts of their conversation. I was already up from the sofa with my interest disintegrated for Esteban’s wallpaper. I sat back down just as quick again; with my nose that tingled. I flicked the bridge of my nose with my ring finger and then waddled and gave it a dance.

A faint smell came to me: knocked me unconscious for a brief second, but it happened so fast that it was just a fainting that never stuck. But the faintness of that smell hit me again as potently as apple cider vinegar undiluted when drunken.

And with that potency of an odour that I couldn’t place a name, a face flashed before me. My heart started to chatter as teeth would when ice-cold temperatures dropped. I had no heartbeat, instead, I was thrashing upon the floor with manic waves that invisibly caused me to drown. But the thrashing

upon the floor and me trying to keep afloat became replaced with the missing link.

I was thrashing so that another fist wouldn’t come down upon my face. In all my craziness, it diverted my attacker. The known Alpha: William, showed his face vividly as I thought harder about the stench. So that’s it. I jumped up when I confirmed that was it! William. Is he here? I frantically edged backwards…to safety…but wait! A picture.

A fireplace. I must’ve blocked it out when I came in. But it’s there now and in plain sight. And I saw that picture framed on top of it with a black and gold outline. I got dizzy. I levelled out my arms, stabilizing myself as I tried to think of why I wouldn’t allow myself to identify the two in the picture. My eyes were starting to water. The stench of him came back.

The room. It was a flood to me now. I couldn’t do this! I cannot. I should call for Alejandro. But he and Esteban were deep in their talk. My head was circulating the whole room until I found myself glaring at that picture and letting out one heck of a scream, “Arrghhhhhh!”

I was gone. I was shocked. I was alone. I needed a friend as I ran for it out the manor and headed for the woods. I tired myself out and became even dizzier when swirling down Esteban’s stairwell. “I’ve got to get out of here!” I drearily pegged it down the path; my hands accidently brushed against Esteban’s blue trimmed flowers. My eyes burned with a soreness of pure devastation.

William had set foot in that manor. He had been there. There was no denying the scent that was brainwashed and imprinted into my cognizance. How could I not flee from what betrayed me? Hurt me? Obscured and mashed me into sand. And then blew me away with the wind. It was unreal. To think that he was nowhere in sight, but still had such a damaging effect in his ability to make me squeal for mercy.

I ran shaking, my lip quivering as I felt cold. So icy, and unable to dissolve.

The direction I ran was back from the way we came. The woods were not far from there. It would be a maze of a nuisance. The naked trees with their pointy branches and the entire bark that slanted upon each other gelled well with the cover that I needed. I worried for the little guy in my stomach. It

couldn’t be good, me being in this state. I kept checking behind me. Wondering if I was being tailed. Every broken stick or splash in a pool of water was enough for me to jump and growl if it didn’t come from my movements.

I growled weakly after a while: scaring plenty of birds who would flee from me and tweet away for their safety. And smaller critters coyly peeked and then rushed on by before I did them some unfortunate damage. The trees seemed to grow darker the further in I travelled. I knew these woods, and the path I took was an easy enough one through.

I crossed over a log that had fallen and was this sort of bridge. I hopped down a couple of stones; nearly scraping my arm as I slipped on the last one. I got up; and found myself with a dilemma. My nose doing the sniffing and wondering what way pleased me more. Left would mean less trees and more dried leaves, and right would be a logged bridge above some rainwater on the bottom. What lay after it I didn’t know, but I wanted to remain untraceable.