Origins: Silver Mountain

Chapter Nine

Emmeline

When I came to, my head was throbbing and my body felt like I had been jumped by a family of grizzly bears. I groaned softly, wishing I could heal fast like werewolves. I couldn't even use magic to do it. I sat up slowly. The room was eerily silent. I suddenly remembered the wretched-looking creature that my mother pulled from my womb. I stared at the bassinet in the corner. Did it have powers? Could it do anything? Did it possess my qualities or Lukas's? My mother had said it was defective, but she didn't go into detail. I was confused. Lukas was adamant about having his heir. What would he do when he saw it?

Lukas.

I glanced at the door, wondering how long I'd been asleep. What if he'd already seen it?

I inhaled deeply and talked myself into going to check the bassinet. Each step I took made the vomit creep up more and more. I held my breath and forced myself to peer down. I swallowed the vomit that tried to come up. I felt bad for thinking to myself how hideous this hybrid baby was. It was literally the ugliest thing I'd ever laid eyes on. A werewolf/vampire/witch baby didn't sound like a good idea from the beginning. Now I had the proof. Lukas was surely going to kill me. The hideous hybrid made this guteral noise that made me cringe.

"You poor, ugly thing." I was in such shock still that my voice was barely above a whisper. It squealed a little, like a piglet. I backed away slowly, glancing at the door. The freeze spell must still be working. I decided to quickly get myself together. Although I was in much pain, I managed to wash up at the bathroom sink and put on some clothes that were not soaked with blood. I moved slowly, careful not to do too much. The hybrid baby was making sounds the whole time. I ignored it as best as I could. I eased myself onto the bed and started to think. If Lukas was distracted enough, I could slip out. He wouldn't bring his guards for the birth, right? I nervously chewed my bottom lip, attempting to stick with a clear thought before my anxiety took over. I'm not sure how much time had passed, but suddenly the door swung open, hitting the wall with a loud bang. It made me jump and I stood so quickly, I almost hurt myself. I grabbed my abdomen and finally noticed the stitches that held me together. The hybrid thing shrieked and Lukas, with a bewildered look, glanced over at the bassinet. I gulped. He slowly turned his head toward me and a smile started to form on his face. I eased a little closer to him. He blew me off, going over to the bassinet. I didn't wait another second to see his reaction. I hurried down the hall, wincing with each step I took. To my surprise, I made it out of the back door of the house. I ran straight into the woods and never looked back. He got his heir and I got my freedom.

Lukas

Sweet Emmeline. The time had finally come. I hurried upstairs to witness the birth of my heir. I knew I would feel the immense power. It was going to be perfect. I threw the door open and noticed I had frightened Emmeline. Then I heard a noise. Not like the sweet sound of a baby cooing or a soft cry. It was like ... a high-pitched siren. I held my breath as I stared at the bassinet for a second. I glanced at Emmeline, who was holding her belly. She began taking slow steps toward me. I started to speak, but I was too eager to meet my offspring. I rushed over, ready to see my son and hold him. I reached downward and froze. I couldn't move or speak. My heart felt as if it had shattered into a million pieces. My heir. I continued to stare as this creature made the oddest noises. A hot tear rolled down my cheek. My dream of having a hybrid heir with wolf, vampire, and witch genes was tarnished. I could not make this creature my heir. It was the most terrifying thing I had ever encountered in all of my days.

The tuft of hair on its bald, misshapen head was caramel brown like Emmeline's hair. But it looked like neither of us. It had skin with a purplish tint, coal black eyes, a nose with nostrils that were too big, a mouth that was not centered, and from what I could see, a forked tongue. Its hands were a bit too small, arms were long for an infant, torso was short, and its legs were short also. On top of that, it had three toes on each foot. I recoiled, dropping my arms to my sides. The anger began to rise, replacing the pain of my reality.

I turned around and no longer saw Emmeline. I turned back to the creature and could not hold in the chuckle that bubbled up. I began laughing and then it became a hysterical laugh that would not stop. Tears started to form as I fell to my knees and caught my breath. This was the most I had ever laughed. It took a moment for me to realize I wasn't laughing anymore and once I did, I just let it out. I cried like I had lost everything. The tears kept coming. I cried and cried and cried and then screamed loudly.

I heard the footsteps, but I couldn't make out what was being said. I didn't expect this kind of reaction to such a thing. I was actually broken. There was nothing that would fix this. This wasn't supposed to happen.

"Find Emmeline." I finally choked up the words I wanted to say.

I didn't care who was at fault. She was responsible for birthing my heir and she failed to do so. Someone had to answer for this travesty. I should be rejoicing in the arrival of the child who would one day take my throne. But I was grieving the loss of my future; my plans.