The Walk
1169 Words
PEARLS POV:
Together, Mary Lou and I walked across yards of Second Chance. What was once well kept by its finest groundskeepers, now the soil is trampled by many, including myself. Mary Lou kept her hands tucked neatly behind her back and I with mine resting across my stomach, naturally protecting my growing newborn at all cost.
Charles, bless him, is doing his best to hold it together. My Alpha and Wiccan blood flowing through me need not be awake to sense how restless and protective Charles is. It is like a switch. The moment that I carried his seed, a part of him became twice the man he already was.
With ten feet behind us, scanning the grounds and his back arched, powerful golden Alpha eyes, even I wouldn’t want a taste of him on a bad day. "Well, almost..."
I begin to speak, but Charles ungracefully trips over a twig. Righting himself, he immediately glares at Richard, then us. "Watch where you're going, Randolph!" Charles blames him.
"Me?” He snickers. “I didn't do anything?"
"The f**k, you did!"
"Charles," I whisper over my shoulder. “Own up to it and get over it.”
"Seeee," Randolph jibes.
Mary Lou and I roll our eyes and make our way across the parking lot where we left our car.
Marching forward, I can still hear them rambling on behind me.
“Charles, you are smothering Pearl. “Randolph warns. “She is an Alpha now. She will be fine!”
“She will not! We are engaged now and she is carrying my child!”
“Ohh woopty, f*****g do! You are engaged! And… Charles, Pearl is carrying ourrr child, not just yours.”
“Whatever.” Charles mumbles.
“Mumble all you want, Charles. Just remember that Pearl is an Alpha. A Sassy one at that.”
“You got that right.” Charles nods, boring a hole through my back.
I cover my mouth to hide my laugh. Peaking over, I notice that Mary Lou’s ear is perked up. She glances at me and smirks, letting me know she is still listening as well.
“If you are not careful, she will get tired of you and leave you behind and start her own pack. It is in her blood after all.”
“Pearl would not leave me!” Charles grits beneath his teeth. “And-and,” he fusses defensively, “she is bonded with our child!”
“So,” Randolph says dryly. “This is Pearl we are talking about.”
“Yeah, but she’s mine now. Pearl is not running the streets anymore and homeless.”
“Are you done now, Charles?” Randolph asks impatiently. “Because we have a lot at stake here, including getting back Destiny now… or did you forget back there when you let your testosterone take over again?”
Charles snaps under his breath, thinking I cannot hear them.” Of course, I didn’t forget. Destiny is just as much my daughter now and I will find her at all cost.”
“Pearl may have Alpha blood in her, but there will be a time when she goes into labor to have our child. She will need us more than ever.”
"You’re right, Charles,” Randolph says with a hint of worry. “What if it is before we fight her mother?”
Charles growls, “Yeah, well… what if it is before we find Destiny, huh? “Then what!”
A deep growl rumbles, shaking the ground beneath our feet. “Then, I will take over and kill them myself! Every single one of them!”
“Charles smirks and rubs his chin, “Oh?... Every single one?”
“Did I stutter, Charles? I am not in the mood to be challenged right now.”
“So, I see,” Charles balls up his fist against his sides. “but I just want to make sure that we are clear, even the Elders?”
“Ha! Especially the elders!” Randolph laughs wickedly as Charles’s ears turn to fine tips points.
In the center, what was once smooth is now filling with thick patches of winter black fur except for the scar of two slashes above his right eye.
Charles dares once more. “There’s one more thing.”
“What’s that?”
“You hold no magic, Randolph.” He growls.
Randolph roars, “I won’t need it!”
Over my shoulder, I watch as Charles’s beautiful golden shift to demonic red, and in one full-body twist in the air, Charles transcends to the glorious, breathtaking Alpha Randolph Rupard.
“Trust me. We won’t need magic by the time I am done with them.”
From within Charles answers with a sense of satisfaction, “That’s all I needed to hear.”
Mary Lou coughs, “Are you two done?”
Glaring down towards Mary Lou’s small-framed transparent body, Randolph’s glowing red eyes simmer to mild fiery gold. Together, both Charles and Randolph become silent. Giving me space, Randolph checks on the others further back behind us.
I sigh, knowing my walk alone with Mary Lou has come to an end. Her soul, I feel it pulling to me. It is peaceful. I just met her, yet I feel like I have known her for centuries.
Mary Lou floats in front of me and blocks the orphanage. She drops her hands to her side. “What are we going to do, Pearl? We really do have to be careful, especially until we get Destiny back.”
“We need to find that woman for a start. Whoever she was, I bet she has answers.”
Mary Lou lowers her head to the ground, her eyes fill with regret. “Yes, you’re right. You go find her while I clean things up here.”
I sigh, knowing there was nothing I could say or do to immediately bring Mary Lou with us. I lift my hand and rest it upon her silhouette shoulder.” I will be back for you, Mary Lou. I promise.”
“Of course, you will,” she answers. Her eyes don't meet her determined words.
Mary Lou floats next to me and Randolph joins us, knowing we are done talking. I sniff the air the closer we step towards the building. The stench of live wires and an odd smell of frost from an old freezer of meat blast up my nostrils. I cover my lips with my shirt and turn around to see if it is just me. A few men behind me, including Richard and Randolph, are doing the same. Their faces are green, but they hold it together. Two more steps are all it takes before my gut hits the hilltops. I gasp in shock as we walk to where the cafeteria once was. “What in the hell happened here?”
Richard wobbles next to me, still holding himself and grunts. “You happened, Pearl.”
Gripping the cloth of my shirt, I have to take a step back from everyone. “What do you mean… I happened?”
“When you froze everything, you were a bit more powerful than you thought, Pearl.”
Shifting back, Charles steps closer to me, but strangely his ears and eyes remain the same.
“No! I saw what happened. I … mean yeah, I froze a few things and maybe helped Pita, but-but…” I shake my hand at the wall, “I did not blow up this building!”
A piece of the wall combusts open, showing one classroom.
“You didn’t, Pearl.” Charles crosses his arms and waits for me to say something. “Maybe we should practice that magic before going after your mom, huh?”
Pita lands on my shoulder. “Or maybe she should hand back Destiny before I f*****g blow her up too!”
- Writer
