The Alpha Who Melts The Ice

Episode 16

GRAYSON

I carried Celestine to the main house where we were greeted by a nervous Greta and a weeping Luna Catherine. They looked over Celestine to make sure she did not sustain any major injuries apart the superficial scrapes and cuts she sustained from the fight.

Celestine assured them that she is fine and with her eyes beckoned me to take her upstairs. I can tell she is exhausted. 

I took her to my room. I asked her if she needed help with anything, but she just shook her head. I left gave her privacy as she showered and brushed her teeth. I realized she did not have a change of clothes, so I just gave her my shirt and boxers to sleep in for the night which she did not seem to mind.

We both crawled into bed, not saying anything. I pulled the covers around us. Celestine let out a sigh.

"Grayson, aren't you going to ask me anything?" she peeked at me

"Maybe you're too tired. You'll tell me everything, when you're ready. It does not have to be tonight." I say as I booped her nose.

"I'm not tired. You deserve to know." She said. I held her tighter to me as she told me what happened.

"I guess I will have to tell you from the very beginning. The man who sent the flowers - he used to be Father's Beta. That man was just a father to me just like Shawn. He was the one who first noticed I was smart. He taught me chess at the age 3 and I was unbeatable by age 5. He would challenge me with puzzles and had me solve some problems.

Then, in high school, I went to the mixed school here in the pack. I never really had any friends as I was attending classes with older classmates. I was not picked on or bullied, but I had no friends as well. I was just the Alpha's human daughter that everyone tolerated. 

I guess that's when it started. I was getting flowers, but they were all anonymous. The naive me thought that I caught a boy's eye at school, finally. I used to enjoy those flowers. 

Then I went away to college, the flowers, they continued to come, to my dorm, later on my apartment. I did not think about any of that.

One day, my father's beta came and he said that the pack has been attacked and that I was in danger and I had to run. So I went with him, fully trusting him. This was five years ago.

He hid me in this building with a bunch of guys. Me, being human, could not tell that they were rogues. But I knew they were wolves. He said that the survivors from several packs from the rogue attacks and they convened and look up to him as their leader." Celestine narrated. I dared not interrupt her.

"He said my family died, and that I had no one. I almost believed him. But something in his stories did not add up. I began asking him questions, like why was he alive, then being my Father's beta. Why did he leave them to die? I mean if you were my father, and you were under attack. what would you have done?" She asked me. She was waiting for an answer.

"If I were Alpha Norris and if the pack is totally in danger, I would send out my best warrior and COLIN, who was the heir to the Alpha!" I told her.

"Precisely! That's what did it for me." She said, and continued with her tale.

"He would go away for days. When he is gone, I will receive flowers. It's just so creepy. So I started to snoop around.

I would try to eavesdrop on his conversations and one time, I heard they were going to attack a pack not far from where we were in two days time.

I sneaked away and found the pack that he was talking about. The Alpha seem to know who I was as he contacted my father to let them know where I am. It has not been a few hours, that pack was attacked by the band of rouges. No one was spared. Women, children, they were all slaughtered. All because the Alpha refused to hand me back.

The bastard, once everyone was dead, he tried to force himself on me." I could feel Celestine shake. I tried to draw circled at her back to calm her down, but at the same time, I was fighting control as fury is making Drake claw out for control.

"I was lucky, someone helped me escape. He was a rogue who became my friend. He was my "bodyguard" whenever the bastard would go away. He got injured too, and there's no way he can fight the rest of the rogues that were by the door.

He took me to a nearby human town and contacted my family. That's how they found us. And I am never the same since.

Turns out, the day he took me from uni, was the day that he escaped from my Father's prison. He was made rogue because father found out that he was smuggling weapons to the rogues and he was in fact the leader of the lot. No one had any idea he had plans for me. They found out after the fact when they could not get in touch with me" She moved out of my embrace and looked into my eyes.

"I am damaged, Gray. I have the weight of those deaths on my shoulders. Now that he is back, I'm sure he's already devising a plan on how to destroy your pack" Celestine said her eyes haunted.

"He will never get to you. I will protect you. You have me now. And you are strong. You've proven that tonight. You are no longer the helpless, naive girl you once were. You HAVE grown up." I assured her.

"Don't you get it? I am giving you an out. You have to protect your pack." she said.

"You're the one who doesn't get it, Celestine. You are MINE. I will protect you." I pulled her to me and kissed her deeply. As soon as I felt her relax, I had to ask.

"You never said who he is. Give me a name." I asked.

Celestine looked at me squarely and gave me his name.

"Marcus Hyde..."