Alpha of Dahael

Chapter 2 - New Beginnings

The cold bit at her skin as she reluctantly left the warmth of her bed, and she removed the sheets from her, the frosty air nipping at her nose and fingertips. She allowed herself a few more minutes to nap before dragging herself up to make a bowl of cereal.

She grabbed her phone off the nightstand and turned it on. There was a message from the agent asking for confirmation that she would still be coming in today. She sent a confirmation over and washed up before slowly carrying her boxes to the elevator. Regardless of whether she got the house, she would not return to this apartment at the end of the day.

"Need some help, miss?" a low voice said behind her.

She swung around in a start. No one should be on this floor. This was a private apartment complex, the tenants each owned the apartment on that particular floor until they were ready to leave. "Who are you?!"

"I seemed to be lost, I think the receptionist gave me the wrong code by accident," he said, scratching the back of his head nervously.

"Have you called the front desk? This shouldn’t happen," she said, her tone sharp. "Mistakes like this undermine the entire security of the building."

She was very upset about this random turn of events, "No, thanks, I got it, please get in contact with the front desk so that they can fix this issue."

"Okay, thank you, I will do it. You're moving out?" he asked curiously.

She looked at her open door with the last box and her gym bag at the entrance. "Uh, ya... Fresh starts and new beginnings, you know all that?"

"Ya, I get that honestly, good luck." he scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Well my offer still stands, I'll have to go back down to the main floor anyway, so it's not a bother."

She groaned inwardly and sighed, 'Well he was there already, and it meant fewer trips for her'.

"Yeah just let me grab the others." She quickly walked into her apartment and took a last look around, checking cupboards, drawers and lastly, the closet for anything she may have forgotten. She spotted her charger next to her bed and chuckled, 'Don't need to forget that now, do I,' she thought to herself. She stooped down and peered under the bed.

"Everything good in there?" his deep baritone voice echoed from the corridor.

"Ya, just a minute, sorry," she spotted something shiny on the rug and reached for it. It was her favourite moonstone necklace she thought she lost months ago at a party. The moonstone glinted in the dim light, its surface cool against her palm. For a moment, she thought she felt a faint pulse, like a heartbeat, but it was gone before she could be sure. She stuffed the trinket into her pocket, a strange warmth lingering where it had touched her skin. She hurried to the front door with her charger in hand, she shoved it into her gym bag and smiled at the patient stranger.

"I never got your name, kind stranger," she said, hoisting the gym bag over her shoulder and dragging the other box outside.

"Let me get that," he said, lifting the box and carrying it towards the elevator as she locked the door quickly. She smiled at him as she walked towards him and pressed the down button on the elevator.

"Dahael," he paused and looked at her, his hazel eyes seemed to dance with grey flecks, like shards of moonlight caught in amber. For a moment, she thought she saw them flicker, a glint of something wild and untamed, but it must have been a trick of her mind. His pupil enlarged slightly as he seemingly peered into her soul or is that what it felt like? "My name is Dahael yours?"

"Sayde, my name is Sayde." The elevator dinged, and he quickly picked up the boxes and gave her a goofy grin.

'His face was so pretty that a camera wouldn't do him justice, not that she would try to take a picture of him and that would be creepy.'

"Nice to meet you Sayde, be my eyes would you?" he said, sporting the silliest grin. She giggled and shook her head as she walked towards the receptionist's desk. There was a loud plop as Dahael put the boxes down in front of the desk and stepped off to the side.

Sayde talked to the receptionist and with a few nods and some laughs she was done. Papers were signed and with the receptionist's word, she would be contacted when the apartment was sold off to the highest buyer and that they would do better with the distribution of codes to the apartments. She turned to Dahael and nodded.

"Help you to your car?"

Sayde shook her head and laughed. "Why not Dahael, but that's where we part ways."

He chuckled, "I like the way you say my name, it makes it sound exotic." She rolled her eyes at his antics and shook her head.

He picked up the boxes and followed her to her 4x4 Jeep Wrangler and waited patiently for her to open the back and, one by one packed the boxes in neatly.

"Do you have any idea where you're headed yet?"

"No idea, wherever the wind takes me I guess," she said cautiously, no need to tell a stranger where you were headed, what if they were like a serial killer or something.

'Though he would've been dead in her apartment about 30 minutes ago if that was supposed to happen,' she thought to herself.

'Hmm," he hummed to himself as if thinking. "Well all the best Sayde, I do hope we meet in the future, it was lovely to meet you."

"Likewise, Mr Dahael, till we meet again if time has it," she offered up a friendly smile and small wave before entering the vehicle and driving off.

She smiled to herself, replaying the morning’s encounter in her mind. Dahael seemed like a nice guy, but then again, they all did at first. She’d learned the hard way that charm could be a mask, hiding intentions she’d rather not see. Still, there was something about him—something in those hazel eyes, that made her want to believe, just this once. But she shook her head, reminding herself that trust was earned, not given. She shook her head with a small laugh, not like she was at liberty to make any assumptions.

She smiled to herself, he had gorgeous eyes though, the type that seemed to swallow you whole if you looked too deeply at them. She remembered how the grey flecks danced around his eyes as if trying to hypnotise her at first glance. His cinnamon-coloured curls flounced around his face as he lifted the boxes from one place to the other. She shivered slightly and shook her head, trying to remove the thoughts of the boyishly handsome stranger, the cinnamon roll she had the pleasure of meeting. She laughed to herself, 'Ya, Cinnamon, that's what she would call him if she ever saw him again, exotic and spicy.'

She rolled her eyes, leaned forward as she turned up the volume and sang along to her favourite songs. The drive was quite scenic, the countryside unfolded before her like a painting, the golden sunlight filtering through the trees and casting long shadows across the road. The air smelled of damp earth and pine, a welcome change from the city’s exhaust fumes. The early morning air felt crisp and cool, the trees seemed to wave their little branches at her as she drove along, and she felt welcomed for some reason.

She smiled and took a deep breath, the crisp country air filling her lungs. One last glance at her GPS confirmed she’d arrived. The robotic voice chimed, 'You have arrived at your destination,' as she swung into the driveway. The house stood before her, more breathtaking in person than in the photos, its windows glowing warmly in the morning light. It felt like more than just a building—it felt like a promise, a place where she could finally breathe and be herself.

She was a bit early despite stopping on the way for a quick snack and bathroom break on the way there. There was only so much a girl could survive on after basically having wine for dinner and barely any breakfast.

She messaged the relator to let her know she was there and waited for a response. She should've gotten a meal to go now that she thought about it, she was just so worried about not meeting the scheduled time. There was no way she wanted to lose this house.