A
fter Alfred was done sharing his confession, he finally raised his head and looked around the room.
Amelia was openly bawling her eyes out. Valentina was hugging her tight, trying to console her mother while tears ran freely from her own eyes. The poor girl looked so hurt...so betrayed, by her father who was supposed to be her hero.
"Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God..." Ismena's mother couldn't stop crying. The sound of her sobs was heartbreaking to her. The painful memories of the past and everything her daughter went through were reflected in her wet, red eyes.
Ismena felt...numb.
She was staring ahead but she couldn't see anything. Her ears were open, but she couldn't hear anything.
She sat there, like blank porcelain, while her father's confessions recapped in her mind. His words replayed over and over and over again.
She was in the labs when she was eight.
She was paired with Wolfaraine.
She got pregnant with him.
She lost her child and her womb.
She died, and was resurrected by his blood.
Ismena didn't realize she was crying until an arm wrapped around her, pulled her to her feet, and slowly lead her out of the room. Another arm wrapped around her other shoulder, leading the way too.
Her eyes were swimming, but she was able to recognize Alphose and Sandra. Her heart was wounded tight in her chest. So heavy.
They led her out of the building to a very quiet place in the compound of the hospital. Alphose was worried, looking down at her. Such agony was radiating from her in waves, it was making his cougar restless, even though she isn't his mate.
A sob tore from her throat.
Then, another. And another.
He held her as she bawled, as she cried her eyes out. Sandra kept rubbing her back, patting her back, saying words of encouragement to her even when her own voice sounded all teary and shaky.
Alphose was so proud of her at that moment. It's obvious that she was so upset about the situation, but she was doing her best to be the bigger person by trying to hide her own feelings just to console her best friend.
No one has an idea how long passed. To Ismena, it felt like her hours. Finally, she pulled back from Alphose. Taking the handkerchief he offered, she thanked him and wiped her nose with it.
"What about Wolfe...?" She asked, her voice hoarse. How is he taking all this?
Ismena felt like her life has changed before her very eyes. In two hours, her life has turned upside down to her because of secrets revealed. Secrets that were tearing her apart at the moment.
God, how is he taking all this?
"He left the room way before we took you out. He left the moment Alfred finished his confessions." Alphose answered softly, "I tried hard to follow him, but he said he wanted to be alone."
"Alone? He should not be alone at a time like this. Not after..." Ismena shook her head miserably. Not after finding out that she was the girl he was drugged to use, eighteen years ago. The little girl he never talked about, because of the pains of the memories associated with her. Not even after talking about his sister, he'd been unable to talk about her.
"He should not be alone now, Alphose. Please find him and be with him." She cried, fresh tears soaking her eyes again.
"I really want to, Ismena. I want to do that so much, I'm burning with the feeling. He was so close to breaking point, I could feel it. Yet, I couldn't help him." Alphose has never looked so helpless, so pained. "
"Oh, God..." Ismena began crying again. She remembered the look of hate she'd given him when was fighting for her father and her heart felt like it was gonna explored with misery out of her chest.
Like a sweatshirt tearing from its seams, this pain was breaking her apart.
Hours later, Alphose entered into Alfred's room. He wasn't surprised to see the sick man alone in the room because he saw Amelia and Valentina outside while he was coming in.
Alfred opened his eyes slowly, staring at the plain, white ceiling above him. "How is my daughter?"
"Broken." Alphose said, his voice clipped.
"I expected this day will come. I was...hoping the day it'll come, I'll be able to hold my family's hands, get on my knees and apologize to them." He said miserably, breathing heavily.
He seems to be having a problem breathing. Alphose's anger dissipated a little. "So, how much does the lab know about Ismena's-Hazel Smith's-survival? Do they know that you're alive?"
"No to both questions. They want Ismena, but they are more fixated... on the child she got pregnant with. That is why they call her The Successful, after all."
"The Successful. I've always wondered what that name was about when I heard them say it during my fight with them. Well, the child was miscarried, so that should keep Ismena safe."
Alfred shook his head, "They don't know about that. They think Tina is the child."
"Well, is she?" Alphose asked, suspiciously. After everything he'd already heard today, he would not be surprised to hear that too.
"No. Amelia almost died giving birth to that child, a year after everything happened. We never tried to have more children after that."
Alphose let out a deep breath, "But, those monsters don't know there's no child. And they will keep hunting for Ismena because of that."
"Even if they find out there's no child, they will keep hunting her. They will...want to bring her to the labs again, especially Beloca. She was the only woman that got pregnant of all the women that were used in the labs."
"Of course, she did. She was paired with her mate, that's why. Even if they pair her with other men, they'll never be able to get her pregnant because they ain't compatible with her."
"That, and the fact that she is no longer physically capable of bearing a child. My poor daughter..." Alfred closed his eyes and a tear spilled. "If only they knew, so they can leave her alone."
He glanced at Alphose, "That was why I was relieved when I saw you during Tina's surgery. I recog...nized you as a change...ling instantly. I had no idea how it happened-how she was suddenly hanging out with your kind-but I was happy because I knew my daughter was safe."
"The leader of the Wolfhunter team that attacked the hospital that day went missing. You killed him right?" Alphose questioned, even though he already knows the answer.
"Yes. I had to protect my family." He took shuddering breaths.
"Maybe you should stop talking for now, you seem to be having a hard time breathing." Alphose did not care much about the man, but he did care about Ismena.
Alfred smiled. It wasn't a 'happy' smile.
"We all know how this will end. I know my time is up, I can feel it...in my bones. I just wish I told my fam...ily sooner. Maybe then, they will be by my bedside in my dying time. In the past few hours, only the doc-tor and nurses have been in here...wasting their time."
He sniffled, tears swimming down his face. "I brought this...upon myself. It was all my f-fault."
"The human doctors are not wasting their time. They said you still have a chance, so try to get some rest." Alphose turned towards the door, ready to go out when the man's next words kept him rooted at his feet.
"There's a Ring. They used it to track Tina to the hospital, I don't know how they did it-"
"The Throne's Ring. It belongs to Wolfaraine. It has been in the Alpha King's family for many centuries, it's a special ring. It can track changeling or any human that has really associated with us...any human we left our imprints on. If it tracked to the hospital, it wasn't because of Tina but because of Ismena. What happened to the ring?"
"I took it...from the leader." Alfred told him the exact place it is, "I hid it there and promised myself that I'll give it back to the owners. I'm g...glad I got to...do it."
For all the man's past and everything, he does not seem like a bad person. At least, the ring has been found. One happiness amid ten winds of sadness.
"Thank you, Alfred." He said before walking out of the door.
Alphose searched for Wolfaraine everywhere, but he was unable to find him. Even the cougar couldn't sense him.
His Alpha King does not want to be found.
He was worried, but he didn't let it show. Instead, he went out in search of Ismena and her family.
But, on the way out, he'd seen the doctors and nurses rushing towards Alfred's room. The doctor was shouting orders, while the nurses hurriedly wheeled him out of the room. Through his enhanced senses, he heard the loud beeping of the monitor that was connected to Alfred.
He'd gone to the doctor and asked what was going on. The doctor had told him.
Minutes later, Alphose walked out to find Ismena and her family. They were still in the backyard. He found them all seated closely together, holding each other together. Even Kassandra was seated with them.
One thing Alphose observed very well was that his Kassandra has been a very good part of this family for a long time-they treat her like one, and she treats them like one too.
Your Kassandra? Careful there, genius. That might be your twin brother's mate.
He gritted his teeth at the unwanted inward voice. They saw him coming, pulled apart slowly, and looked at him with swollen, red, tired eyes.
It's been three hours since Alfred made his confessions and it's been three hours since they've been out here.
"How are you all holding up?" He asked gently, walking down the few stairs to stand in front of them.
"Better," Ismena answered for all. She even tried to twist her cheeks into a smile. and failed woefully too.
It was a lie, they don't look better at all. "I know this might not be what you want to hear, but I think you all should be close to Alfred at this stage."
"He never told me the truth. He lied to me...all these years. I almost killed myself when I couldn't find my daughter-when I'd lost hope I'll ever find her. He was there, he knew w-what had happened to my daughter but...he never said a word..." Her voice trembled at the very end.
"Please, stop crying, mama. Your health is important too. You've been crying for a long time." Valentina said passionately, wiping the tears from her mother's eyes. "Just stop!"
Amelia shook her head miserably, "I don't think I can ever forgive him for this. God, he worked for them. He worked for these animals. H-He gave out drugs that killed people." Tears pooled from her eyes, her head banging really bad, "Just because they are different does not mean they should die!"
Alphose felt for the woman. He can literally see her breaking apart. He can literally feel her sorrow.
He wanted so badly to console this woman in one of the ways of his people, but she's human. Humans might take it the wrong way.
So, he walked closer to the older woman and placed a comforting hand on her head, "I'm sorry for your pains, Mrs. Crane."
"I lived with this man for eighteen years." Her voice shook so badly, "It's breaking me apart that I l-lived with the man that has a hand in the h-horrible k-k-kidnapping and r-raping of my eight-year-old daughter. It's b-breaking me apart that even after everything, I still l-love him so much!"
"Oh God, Mother." Sandra cried, reaching out to grab Amelia's cold hand and squeeze it with her free hand while holding Ismena's hand with the other one. Ismena was weeping softly beside her.
To hell with this.
Alphose bent down and scooped the woman into his arms. She smelled like roses, and weighed almost nothing. He held her to his chest, pressed his lips to the hollow of her neck, and rocked her gently like a child while she cried her eyes out.
He whispered soothing, calming words to her in an ancient tongue of Naturiah which no one probably understood, but it doesn't matter.
"So, Mr. Alphose, d-does it m-mean that you are not human?" Amelia sniffled, her voice muffled against his chest.
"Yes, ma'am."
"And, Mr. Throne too?"
"He is our leader."
"Oh, God..."
Alphose was expecting her to ask something else, even as he dreaded the answer to that.
How does he explain to this woman that Wolfaraine never meant to brutally rape her daughter and he did it because he was placed under the influence of those powerful, lethal drugs?
Alfred did explain it, but Amelia is Ismena's mother. No matter how it's explained, judging from the kind of pain rolling out of her, the woman must really be hurting for what her daughter went through.
He dreaded the questions and the guilt that'll come with them. But, thankfully, Amelia didn't ask them. Instead, the woman wept like a person whose life was coming to an end.
He held her all through it.
When she finally calmed down, she wiggled slightly. He took it as his cue, letting her down carefully until she found her footing.
She pulled back and smiled up at him, gratefully, "Thank you so much, Mr. Alphose. I feel much better now."
"It's not a problem, Ma'am. Can I give you a little bit of advice then?" He asked, softly.
She nodded, wiping her eyes again and peering at him through swollen, red eyes.
"Your heart loves him so much and it yearns to forgive him. Give into your heart, Amelia. Might not be now, because the heart is still hurting but do not hold forgiveness away. Yes, Alfred worked for shady people who treated others like dirt and killed my kind ruthlessly, but he saved Ismena's life. Twice."
"He saved her life when he took her from that lab and escaped with her, and he saved her life when she literally died in the hospital. In the end, he is the reason she is still alive. He kept you strong all these years. Even after everything you've been through in life, you still have the radiance and softness that comes from a pure heart and a strong soul-most of it, is because Alfred was right by your side. But now, he's dying and he needs you."
Fresh tears rolled down from the woman's eyes. She was staring through his chest-blankly. Without really seeing him.
"He's dying and he needs his family there by his side. He had another complication, so the doctors had to take him back to operate on him again." He paused, swallowed tightly, "He's gonna die, Amelia. I can already smell it around him."
"Oh, God..." She sobbed, "He can't be dying, he can't be dying. My husband-"
Then, she turned and darted away, straight towards the entrance of the hospital.
He turned then, to see Ismena and Valentina watching their mother run back to be with her husband, tears in their eyes. He'd forgotten that they were there.
Valentina has an arm around her sister's waist while Ismena's arm was around her neck. They were holding each other closely, seeking comfort from each other.
His chest arched. He used to have this bond with his twin brother. He missed it, badly.
"Thank you for that, Alphose. Mother needed that... We," Ismena wet her dry lips, "We needed to hear that."
"I'll go join mama, so she doesn't lose her way because she's too disoriented." Valentina said, pulling away from her sister. Ismena nodded at her, before she turned and followed the same route her mother followed.
"How's your waist? I notice the way you wince slightly at every movement that affect that area." Alphose asked in concern.
"I'm okay." She lied. The mountain lion really dug into her waist and it hurts more than she was letting on, but she wouldn't tell that to Alphose. "Have you heard from him?"
The cougar Alpha shook his head, not even bothering to pretend like he didn't know who she was asking about.
Shaking her head, she placed a hand on her chest, rubbing it unconsciously. "Here. I can feel him here, Alphose. The misery, the pain, the rage. I can feel everything."
Alphose bit back his surprise. Only a mated mate can feel the emotions of her partner that way, so he was surprised that she was feeling him.
"I-" She began, only to cut off suddenly when she heard a loud scream. A very loud one from a very familiar voice.
Her mother.
Ismena's face crumbled, she turned and ran off towards the entrance of the hospital, with Alphose hurrying closely behind her.