CHAPTER 3: Death And A Beginning
1158 Words
The machines stopped beeping at 2:47 p.m.
I knew the exact time because I was staring at the clock when the steady beeping flatlined into one long, unbearable tone.
Dad was gone.
Just like that.
I didn’t scream at first. I just sat there, still holding his hand, feeling how quickly his fingers went from cool to ice cold.
My mother stood frozen on the other side of the bed, her golden eyes wide with shock.
“No…” The word slipped out of my mouth. Then louder. “No. Dad… please.”
Elara let out a sound I had never heard before, an animalistic wail that tore through the hospital room. She collapsed onto his chest, sobbing violently, her body shaking as she held him.
“Samuel… my love… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
All the nights I spent begging the universe to give us more time, all the humiliation of begging on the street with that cardboard sign… it had all been for nothing.
Dr. Keller walked in a few minutes later, his face blank.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” he said, as if he hadn’t threatened to pull the plug because I refused to let him f**k me.
The memory hit me like a rock.
“Let me f**k that tight little pink p***y of yours, Maya. Spread your legs nice and wide for me, and maybe I’ll find a way to help your father.”
I had called him disgusting and walked out. Now my father was dead.
Rage exploded through me.
“You did this,” I whispered, then louder. “You killed him!”
Dr. Keller sighed like I was being dramatic.
“Miss Bennett, your father’s condition was terminal. The hospital cannot provide indefinite care without…”
“Bullshit!” I screamed, standing to my feet.
Tears ran down my cheeks. “You threatened to cut him off because I wouldn’t let you r**e me! Because I wouldn’t let you stick your dirty c**k inside me, you sick bastard!”
My voice echoed down the hallway. Nurses stopped in their tracks, and a few patients peered out of their rooms.
Keller’s face hardened.
“Watch your mouth, young lady. This is a hospital.”
“I hope you burn in hell,” I spat, my entire body trembling with fury and grief. “I hope every night you remember that you let a man die because his daughter wouldn’t w***e herself out to you.”
Mom was still sobbing against Dad’s chest, but I saw her shoulders stiffen at my words.
She slowly lifted her head, and for a brief second, something dangerous flashed in her golden eyes.
The nurses finally took us out so they could “prepare the body.”
I don’t remember walking out of the room. The next thing I knew, we were sitting in a waiting area while paperwork was shoved in front of us.
Funeral arrangements. Cremation or burial. More costs.
Even dying wasn’t free.
The next day, Mother insisted we bury him, so we held a small, cheap funeral to honor him.
That evening, our tiny apartment felt suffocating. I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the wall, while Mom moved around like a ghost, packing Dad’s clothes into boxes.
At some point, I broke.
I cried so hard my throat hurt. Mom eventually came and pulled me into her arms. She rocked me like I was still a little girl, whispering soft words in that strange, melodic language I had never understood.
“Shh, my sweet girl,” she murmured against my hair. “I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”
Her body felt hotter than normal, and when I looked up at her face through my tears, her golden eyes seemed to glow faintly in the dim light of the room.
“Mom… your eyes…” I whispered, confused.
She quickly looked away. “It’s nothing. Just the light.”
She hesitated, then gently brushed my hair behind my ear. “There’s a world I left behind a long time ago, a world I thought I could hide from. But after tonight… I don’t think we have a choice.”
A chill ran down my spine. “Mom, you’re scaring me. What world? What are you talking about?”
The next day, I came home from Tara’s house and froze on the sidewalk.
A sleek black Porsche Panamera sat parked in front of our rundown building. It looked completely out of place among the old cars and cracked pavement.
My heart was racing as I pushed open the apartment door.
A man was sitting on our couch.
He was enormous, tall and broad shouldered, dressed in a dark tailored suit that looked really expensive.
My mother stood beside him, hands clasped tightly, looking nervous and guilty all at once.
“Maya,” she said softly, “you’re home.”
“Yeah…” My voice came out shaky. “Who is this?”
The man rose slowly.
“I’m Kenderick, the Alpha’s Beta,” he said. “I’m here to take you to Bloodfang Palace.”
I crossed my arms, trying to hide my confusion.
“Did you escape from a psychiatric home?”
Mom took a shaky breath and gestured for me to sit.
“Sweetheart, there’s something you need to know, something I should have told you a long time ago.”
My stomach twisted. “Mom, what’s going on?”
“I’m not fully human, Maya. I’m a wolf, a werewolf.”
I stared at her, waiting for the punchline, but it never came.
“You’re… what?” I laughed bitterly. “This isn’t funny.”
“I wish it were a joke,” she whispered.
“Your father knew. He accepted me anyway. But after he died… the Moon Goddess gave me a second chance mate.”
“Alpha Darius of the Bloodfang Pack. He is my second chance mate.”
The room spun. “Mate?” I echoed, my voice rising. “You’re telling me you’re a werewolf, and this random guy is here to take you to a magical husband sent by the moon?”
Kenderick watched me calmly. “You’re coming too.”
“Excuse you?” My voice cracked. “You want us to just pack up and leave everything? My school, my friends, Ryan, my entire life?”
Mom reached for me, but I stepped back.
“I know it’s sudden and terrifying,” she said gently, “but the human world is no longer safe for you. You belong with the pack. With us.”
My father was barely in the ground, and now my mother was telling me she wasn’t even human. That I had to abandon everything I knew for a world of wolves.
If my mother was marrying this Alpha, then his son would become my stepbrother.
This was going to change everything.
- Writer
