Fated To The Alpha

Maya's Pov “You’re sure this is the right decision, Maya?” Sarah’s voice buzzed in my ear, but my focus was on the white walls of the clinic. Everything looked too clean, too sterile. I clutched the silver necklace around my neck, the one my parents had given me. I never took it off, it was supposed to protect me. At least, that’s what they’d always told me. Now, I found comfort in its weight, grounding myself in the moment. “It feels right,” I replied, forcing a steady tone. “I’m doing something good. I’m helping someone. You know it’s the least favor I could do for this poor family” Sarah snorted through the phone. “You’re too nice for your own good. This isn’t a small thing, you know. You’ll be carrying a baby for nine months.” “I know,” I said, my fingers twisting the pendant around its chain. “But it’s for a good cause. Besides, what could go wrong?” The phone call was nothing but a reminder, I helped carry the baby in my womb, hoping I would be fine. It was fine for me to leave my parents house and finally start to make my decisions. …..and I think I made the right one, or not. Six months later, I realized just how wrong everything could go. At first, it was just exhaustion, the kind that comes with early pregnancy. But then the headaches started. The dizziness. And the dreams. God! the dreams. I woke up drenched in sweat nearly every night, my heart pounding as if I’d been running for miles. In the dreams, I was running through forests, chasing something I couldn’t quite see, my legs moving faster than any human should. Every night, I could almost smell the earth beneath my feet, the crisp scent of pine trees and damp leaves. It was too real. Too vivid. But the worst part was the feeling when I woke up. I didn’t feel like myself. My body felt wrong, as though something inside me was trying to break free. Every sound was sharper, cars driving past outside, the hum of the refrigerator, the distant footsteps of my neighbors. I tried to tell myself it was normal. Hormones, maybe. Just part of the pregnancy. What could suck than carrying someone else's child? I was at the grocery store one morning, trying to focus on picking out some fresh produce, when it happened. I smelled him before I saw him, someone walking down the aisle. The scent hit me like a freight train, something primal stirring deep inside me. I turned, locking eyes with a man in a black coat. He wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary, but the smell, it was intoxicating, like wood smoke and something wild. I stood frozen, clutching an apple in my hand, staring at him as if he were a predator and I was prey. My heart hammered in my chest, my senses going haywire. The world around me seemed to blur, and I felt an overwhelming urge to run He walked past me, eyes glancing at me for just a second, but that one glance was enough. I didn’t breathe again until he was out of sight. When I got home that night, I couldn't switch off that bad feeling I had or should I say, the nagging feeling to protect The Darwin's baby. And very soon, they would come and check on their child. So they do every once a week. I left the rule, they could only come once a week, so I would have the least time to spend with the baby I agreed to carry. But it wasn't long enough after I fell asleep, the dreams came again, fiercer this time. I saw wolves, huge, powerful beasts with glowing eyes. They circled me in the darkness, their howls echoing in my ears long after I woke up. I stumbled into the bathroom, gripping the sink, my hands trembling. I looked up at the mirror, expecting to see my usual reflection, brown eyes, tired face, but what I saw made my blood run cold. My eyes were glowing. Just for a second, but they were. Golden and bright, like the eyes of the wolves in my dreams. I blinked, and they were normal again. I stepped back, shaking. My hands instinctively went to the pendant around my neck. I clutched it tightly, as if it could somehow explain everything. My parents had told me this necklace was for protection, but I didn’t understand what it was protecting me from. The next morning, I called the clinic. Something wasn’t right. They needed to know what was happening to me. When I arrived, the nurse greeted me with an uneasy smile, and it only took a few minutes before the truth came out. “There’s been a mistake,” she said, wringing her hands. “I…I don’t know how to tell you this, but... the sperm sample used for the surrogacy wasn’t the intended donor.” “What?” My stomach dropped. “What are you talking about? Whose is it?” “It was... a private sample. From someone... someone named…. I shouldn't say this.” Her voice trembled. “It’s complicated, but it came from a different program, no one’s allowed to share others information” I stared at her, my mind spinning. “I don’t understand. What kind of information? I’m carrying someone else’s child for heaven’s sake” The nurse looked pale, as if she’d seen something that had shaken her to the core. “I don’t know all the details, but it’s... not something I could share with you. When the baby is ready, we'll compensate you for the wrong doing that came from us.” What the hell was she talking about? “There’s someone who can explain,” she added quickly. “But for now, you need to go home and rest. We’ll contact you soon.” I stumbled out of the clinic, my head swimming. I barely made it to my apartment before the nausea hit me. I collapsed on the couch, shaking uncontrollably, my mind racing. I kept replaying the nurse’s words in my head. For the first time in days, the pendant around my neck felt heavy. Too heavy. I pulled it off, and the second I did, everything exploded. The world sharpened. My senses surged, smells and sounds overwhelming me all at once. The air itself seemed to buzz with energy. And deep inside me, something roared to life. I gasped, clutching the couch as if I could hold onto reality. What was happening to me!?