Hated By The Alpha

Chapter 8

I woke up to the sound of birds singing, the scent of flowers in the air, and the cozy warmth of the sheets almost making me reluctant to open my eyes.

But I needed to know what had happened to me, where I was, and who the hell that man in black was in my room.

I opened my eyes and was nearly blinded by the brightness. I blinked several times until my eyes could stay open without pain and stared at the walls in confusion. Instead of being surrounded by the familiar light-green walls of the room I loved so much, I was looking at baby-pink walls covered in flowers.

I had seen this room before; I just couldn’t remember where. Who lived here? And more importantly, why was I here?

I lifted my torso from the bed, and the entire room spun, making me collapse back onto the soft pillows. What the hell was happening to me?

“Hey, take it easy. You’ve been through a lot these past few days.” A blonde woman entered the room, already speaking.

Her voice was almost like the chirping of birds, and her face was so sweet and friendly that even the reprimand felt like a good thing.

Her dark-as-night eyes looked at me with genuine concern, and she gave me a wide, white smile, complete with a dimple.

“Who are you? And where am I?”

That scent in the air was like the park in spring, when all the flowers bloomed together, flooding the entire city with a unique fragrance.

“I’m Flora. I’m a friend of Agnes, and I’m here taking care of you.”

“Taking care of me? What happened? Where’s Agnes?”

I didn’t wait for an answer. I got up from the bed, dizzy as I was. I supported my hand on the bed and forced my feet to work.

Even feeling weak, I walked to the window sill and looked through the glass, searching for any memory, anything to help me recall where I was.

The garden seemed endless; I couldn’t identify anything that reminded me of a place like this.

“What happened here?” Alice’s familiar voice filled me with relief. “Who said you could get out of bed, young lady?”

“Alice! Thank God.” I sighed in relief as she came closer and supported me in her arms. “Where are we, and why do I feel like I’ve been run over multiple times?”

My friend stared at me for long seconds, her silence weighing a ton, until she pulled me back to the bed.

Carefully, Alice helped me sit and then took the spot beside me.

“We’re at my grandma’s house. Remember when we used to come here as kids?”

That was it. It had been years since I visited Grandma Blanca, as I’d gotten used to calling her. That’s why the place felt so familiar yet so hard to recall exactly.

Since my mom and Will got together, I hadn’t visited her. Mom always said how important Grandma Blanca was; she even helped with my birth.

But for some reason, she distanced herself from everyone after Will came into the picture.

That made me remember—Will…

“Where’s Will?” I asked and watched my friend look around, as if she’d find the answer somewhere in the room. “There was someone in my room when I passed out. I called for him, and I heard him say everything would be fine, but then I blacked out.”

Alice took a deep breath and turned to Flora. They exchanged a strange look, and even without saying anything, the other seemed to understand the message.

“I’ll call Agnes. Everything will be fine, girl.” Flora’s voice seemed capable of calming a war.

But as soon as she left the room, I started worrying about other things.

What were they hiding from me? What could’ve happened to Will?

“Since when do you tiptoe around saying something?”

“Stay calm. My mom will explain better what happened, but the creep is fine.”

“Alice!” I scolded her immediately, and she rolled her eyes.

She was about to protest when Agnes entered the room, silencing us both.

“Oh, dear, it’s so good to see you awake! We were so worried about you.”

Aunt Agnes was Alice’s spitting image—blonde, thin, tall, with a beauty that made many jealous.

Despite being fifty-two, she didn’t look a day over forty. I admired that about her, and not just that, of course. Her personality was that of a determined, independent woman with strong faith and an even bigger heart.

“Mom, Bri wants to know what happened.”

“Oh, dear, it was so hard, everything you went through. Luckily, we got there in time, before William could take you out of the city…”

“What?”

“He had already put you in the car and was driving off, but we managed to intercept the car on the road and get you back.”

That wasn’t true. He wouldn’t be taking me out of the city when I was practically dying. No, I couldn’t believe that!

“He wouldn’t do that. I think you got it wrong.” I protested, knowing the man who raised me, who cared for me even after my mom passed, wouldn’t do something like that to me. “He must’ve been taking me to the hospital when he saw I wasn’t well!”

“I wish that were true, from the bottom of my heart, I really do. But what we found out is that William put poison in your food. You weren’t having a delayed reaction to alcohol or anything like that—he poisoned you.”

“Lies!” It was the first thing that came to mind, and I shouted.

He would never do that. He treated me like a father, called me daughter, always took care of me and my mom.

“I wouldn’t expect you to believe it all so quickly, especially since he’s been by your side all these years.” Agnes spoke slowly, like talking to a scared child. “But that’s the truth, dear. Luckily, we found the poison in the kitchen, or it would’ve been very hard to find a cure.”

I pushed Alice’s hand away and tried to distance myself from them. I wasn’t going to fall for that story; this whole mess was going too far.

“I’m leaving! I’m going home, and I’ll tell Will I agree to leave Salem. You’ve gone too far making this up!”

I took a few unsteady steps while they kept talking and talking, but my head was in a knot. I couldn’t process anything anymore.

All the information jumbled in my mind: poisoning, Will trying to kill me and take me out of the city, them saving me, the man in black, and that strange dream.

“Friend, we have no reason to lie.” Alice appeared at my side, supporting me so I wouldn’t fall. “If you want to go to your house, I’ll take you, but you need to rest. William isn’t at your mom’s house anymore. He ran, fleeing far away like the rat he is!”

“Alice, watch what you say!”

“She needs to know, Mom!” she protested, turning to me and spilling the truth. “You were unconscious for a whole week, then fading in and out, waking up little by little.” Her words scared me. I’d been out in that bed for over a week? “We stayed by your side, brought you to Blanca’s house, and took care of you!”

“How long was I asleep?”

“Almost three weeks. You have a strong guardian.” Agnes said with a kind voice, drawing my attention again. “Both of you do!”

I furrowed my brow in confusion. Who was she talking about? There was no one else in the room besides me, Alice, and her.

“You’re pregnant, Bri!” Alice answered my silent question, and I stared at her as if she had two heads.

Pregnant? Me? It couldn’t be, no way! I’d never slept with any man…

Parker! Those golden eyes and wild hair flooded my mind, and I sighed with the heated memories filling my thoughts.

I couldn’t believe I was pregnant! I’d seen the man only once, shared nothing more than a night, and I was pregnant with his child?

Three weeks—I’d been unconscious for three weeks. So that meant…

The air grew thin, and my breath caught in my throat.

My life had turned upside down overnight, and I had no idea what I’d do now.

How would I support a child? What the hell would I do with my life, now that Will was gone? And if he really tried to kill me, who was this man I’d lived with my whole life?

“We’ll need to go to LYNC. You both need protection, and only Parker can provide it.”

“What are you talking about, Alice? What protection?”

“Don’t mind her, dear. Alice talks too much when she shouldn’t. Don’t worry, we’ll take care of everything.” Agnes stepped in, trying to hush her daughter. “You just need to rest. You’ve had enough information for one day.”

I wanted to protest, but Grandma Blanca entered the room, her floral scent bringing calm with her.

“My girl, you need to sleep a little. You’ll wake up feeling much better.”

Before I could say anything, her hands covered my face, and with a kiss on my forehead, she guided me back to bed. Sleep overtook me quickly, and I drifted off in seconds.