THE HYBRID ALPHA'S GEM

LEFT

I opened my eyes slowly to be greeted by Hades but the lights were blinding so much that I had to close it, sharply.

“Is this underworld this bright too?” I mumbled slowly under my breath.

“Are you okay? Can you hear me? Try to open your eyes” a voice called out from afar, but I realized that it was right in front of me when two huge hands shook me continuously, making me jolt up.

“Why did you save me? You should have left me to die? Do you think I’d be grateful that you did this? I want to die so bad!” I screamed at him and continued hitting his left shoulder.

He just stood there and took the hit without moving. He didn’t say a thing and just allowed me to let out my anger on his innocent body. What was the essence of living if no one loved me? I didn’t want to breathe anymore. My hands connected with my chest and I beat it as I continued with my line, ignoring the immense pain my hit was causing me. “This place is stuffed up, it hurts so much I cannot breathe.”

He didn’t say a thing, picked up his handkerchief and slowly wiped my tears before pulling me closer. His warm body enveloped mine as his musky scent filled my nostrils. He smelled like a mix of wood and flowers. It was so alluring. I can’t remember the last time I hugged anyone. It had been so long to the point that I enjoyed his hug right there even though I wanted to die so badly if left alone.

“I don’t know what broke you this badly, but death is never the solution, beautiful Miss” he gently consoled, and my tears poured the more, soaking his shirt alongside my bloodied body. We stayed like that for like five minutes before some voices started screaming my name from afar.

“Ella! Where is that foolish woman? Where is that fool? That ingrate is giving me problems even at this point”, the voice roared as footsteps approached the room I was in.

Suddenly, I broke free from his hold and rushed to the side of the room where there were medical instruments. I’d rather die than let them meet me there. I will never experience their hell again. I would rather be gladly punished by Hades than remain there. I grabbed the scalpel in the tray and held it to my throat, ready to slit it if they ever stepped into the room

“Get a grip! What is so painful that you want to die so badly?” the stranger yelled at me and pulled me forcefully towards him, yanking the scalpel off my grip with full force.

“Just let me die! Who do you think you are?” I screamed on top of my lungs before I suddenly passed out. Again.

****

I woke up after two days and saw that I was in a different ward entirely. Different sets of nurses and doctors were attending to me.

“Excuse me, where is this?” I asked, glancing up and down the room.

“You are in the hospital’s private ward, your attending doctor will be here soon” the nurse said to me with a huge smile and I sighed in defeat. I lost the battle of death. Why was it so difficult to just die and cease to exist? Was my wish too hard for the moon goddess to grant?

After waiting for about five minutes, a tall man in a long white coat appeared with a chart in his hand and started examining my belly and other places.

“Thankfully, the surgery area didn’t get ruptured, and your wound area is healing nicely. You will need to stay back for like a week, so we can assess the situation carefully. Just let me know if you need my help”, he told me nicely, and I was forced to ask why I was brought there and what I was doing there.

“My friend took you from the rooftop when you passed out, and you were bleeding heavily. He also gave a command that I shouldn’t allow anyone visit you for the time being. It might be inconvenient but you will have to stay here for the time being”, he explained, and took his leave.

The incident on the rooftop and the first room flooded my memories as I sat there looking at everyone doing their thing. Many questions lingered in my head, but I couldn’t ask any. What happened to the people calling my name? Does the man know me from anywhere? Why did he rescue me? Is he also planning to hand me over to my family after all this?

Just like that, I pondered over and over on the bed till I slept off and finally woke up at midnight. I thought it would be the perfect chance to escape, so I tiptoed out of the room and was about to close the door silently when a voice made my heart jump into my mouth.

“Where are you going, miss?” he asked, and I turned to see the stranger who had helped me on the rooftop.

I had been caught. I bit my lips and burst into a broad smile. “I was just trying to have a little stroll.”

“Ah a stroll I see. To the rooftop?” he asked, and I eagerly blurted out a “Yes” before I realized and mouthed a “No”, biting my lips in regret.

He didn’t wait for me to finish my words before he ushered me back inside the room.

“I don’t know what happened between you and those people, but your life matters! Don’t be so reckless with your life! Anything you have experienced is the reason why you should live harder. So you can step on everything that had trampled on you and fly higher, you have to shine brighter as your revenge!” he yelled subtly at me and I slowly had my seat, listening to the lectures from the unknown man.

He left me with provisions and clothes to change in before leaving, told me he had cleared the bills and said he would be back in three days’ time to see how I was doing, but deep down, I knew he would come back to meet me dead.

****

During those three days, I blamed myself, resented myself for talking back at my husband. I killed my child, nothing could justify it. Only if I didn’t argue with him. I thought over and over and decided to go back to my husband. He must have realized what he had done wrong now and be ready to forgive him if I begged. They must have been looking for me and I didn’t want them to worry further, so I decided to escape on the night of the third day before the man came back.

I had successfully gotten to the lobby of the hospital and was about to exit when the news came on the TV.

“The Briggs in mourning; Ella Bello dies with a child in her womb” was the headline.

My legs froze in shock. I couldn’t believe my eyes. My death was being broadcast on the biggest TV channels and my family was shown alongside my in-laws crying hard. They were all dressed in black to signify they were truly mourning as they lighted incense around the funeral portrait. The entire royal family were in mourning clothes and busy weeping at my fake funeral.

With shaky legs, I walked closer to the TV to take a good look as I cried my eyes out. Never did I think they would go this far as declaring my expulsion from their family. My family joining in on the madness appalled me. At that spot, everything I felt was disgust, anger and rage.

“How dare they do that? How evil and vicious could they be to declare me dead when I was still breathing? Shouldn’t finding me be the first thing on their list? How dare they do this to me?” I screamed out in the lobby, my claws sprouting out immediately as my bones started to crack, my wolf was forcing itself right out there in the lobby and I had no intention of stopping it before someone suddenly dragged me out of nowhere.

I struggled and cursed out loud as I was dragged back to the room, only for me to see that it was the man that brought me to the room. My eyes were ginger red at that point, I was almost done shifting.

“Who are you? Why are you so interested in my affairs? Can’t you just leave me alone? Why won’t you let me die?” I screamed at him, throwing the pillow and blankets in his face, my claws scratching his face.

“Get a grip! Can’t you see what is happening right now? You have been killed even while you are still breathing! Do you not understand? They are cutting ties with you. Now, you cannot live or work anywhere because you are very popular. Who wants to employ or relate with a supposedly dead person? This is their way of driving you to your death”, he lectured, while I stood there bawling my eyes out.

“So? Should I live my life in hiding? Should I live on with this pain and hole in my heart? Let me just end it” I shouted back, my head spiraling in pain.

“No! The best way is to show them that you are capable of living too. If they abandon you, then abandon them in return. You have to live no matter what” he yelled back, and I stood there in silence.

My life has been blown away. Nothing to do or nowhere to go. I was left out in the cold, naked.

“Do you want to leave with me?” he suddenly proposed, and I stared at him, nothing coming to my head.

“I know you are in pain, you will not open your heart easily or forget, but then, do you want to live? Come with me” he said to me and extended his hand.

I didn’t know when I took his hand and nodded in agreement. “Yes, I will. I want to live”

Up until that moment, I didn’t have any will to live, but when he told me to show them that I was also capable of living, I surrendered. Those words lodged deep into my brain and every thought of death died immediately. I discovered that a part of me also wanted to live badly. I had never breathed freely and properly on my own, all my entire life. Maybe, just maybe, that was my chance to experience what true living was, and I didn’t want to blow the chance.

He packed up everything I needed in the hospital and processed my discharge. We were driving to where I didn’t know before I stopped him and said “Let me say a proper goodbye to my daughter.”

He honored my request and drove me to the funeral hall. I managed to sneak in and saw the portraits with white wreaths on the table. I just stood afar and stared at it for a while. All I could smell in the air was deceit, lies and hidden joy for getting rid of me from their lives. I was a thorn in their flesh, and they couldn’t have been happier that it had been removed.

“My baby. Never forgive me. You have to keep resenting me. That is when I will never forget you” I mumbled before I turned on my heels to have a quick visit to the restroom where I saw a shocker. My husband was busy kissing his secretary in the restroom and they were busy giggling about how I was no longer in the way of their true love. Immediately, I raced out of the hall in a flash before he would sniff my scent, which was still muffled by the disinfectants from the hospital.

That night, I left Olive pack.